We are midway through GROW Month, a 30-day celebration aimed at promoting awareness for the mission of GROW and celebrating #GROWTURNS10. Over the past decade, through incredible retailer and distributor support, GROW organic purchases have provided nearly $2 million in aid for communities near Organics Unlimited banana farms in Mexico and Ecuador.
PCC Natural Markets in the Seattle area is one of GROW’s longtime supporters. PCC Natural Markets began as a food-buying club of 15 families in 1953. Today, it’s the largest consumer-owned natural food retail co-operative in the United States. PCC has ten stores in the Puget Sound region and is owned by more than 52,000 members who shop weekly at its locations, along with thousands of non-members.
PCC Natural Markets shares two similar values with GROW: both brands focus on organic and sustainable products. More than 93 percent of produce sold by PCC is certified organic, grown without artificial pesticides and fertilizers. And, PCC’s focus on sustainability goes beyond the quality, purity and sourcing of products; the co-op considers energy efficiency, waste management, air quality, community outreach programs, reusable shopping totes and more.
Therefore, when GROW launched 10 years ago, it was a natural choice for PCC to sell exclusively GROW organic bananas because of their quality, fair labor practices and community support that GROW provides within Mexico and Ecuador. We are thrilled to report that, as of August 2015, PCC Natural Markets has contributed $209,000 to the GROW mission through its stores’ purchases!
The PCC team has gone beyond GROW purchases in its support for communities near the GROW organic banana farms. Some of the PCC staff has even visited Mexico to see, first-hand, how the funds are being used by the nonprofit Project Amigo, a major GROW fund recipient that works in providing educational support in Colima, Mexico. GROW donations help provide tutoring, scholarships, housing for college students, healthcare and early childhood education for not only the children of workers on our farms, but the entire community. You can read more from Diana Chapman, PCC Natural Markets director of sustainability, about her experience in Mexico, in her blog post.
These numbers from PCC Natural Markets show how each banana purchase can really add up into something substantial. Regardless of how large your retail operation or distribution network is, GROW by Organics Unlimited thanks you for each and every GROW organic banana purchase! We hope you continue supporting our mission for another 10 years and beyond.
Follow GROW on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and support GROW Month using #GROWTURNS10.
