Agricultural cooperative | |
Industry | Organic food |
Founded | 1988 |
Headquarters | La Farge, Wisconsin, United States |
Area served
|
United States, 25 countries |
Key people
|
George Siemon, founding farmer, "C-E-I-E-I-O" |
Products | Butter, cheese, eggs, milk, produce, soy, yogurt |
Revenue | $1.04 billion |
$36.8 million | |
Members | 2,000 |
Number of employees
|
903 |
Website | organicvalley.coop |
Organic Valley (OV) is an independent cooperative of organic farmers based in La Farge, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1988, Organic Valley is the nation’s largest farmer-owned organic cooperative and one of the world's largest organic consumer brands. With 2,000 farmer-owners across the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, Organic Valley markets its products in all 50 states and exports to 25 countries. In 2015, growing annual sales topped $1 billion for the first time in the cooperative's history.
Organic Valley was founded in 1988 under the name CROPP (Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool) Cooperative. What began as a group of Wisconsin family farms selling their produce soon expanded into the production and local distribution of vegetables, and dairy products. The brand name "Organic Valley" was soon adopted, and the abbreviation "CROPP" was adjusted to Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools. The original CROPP farms were located throughout southwest Wisconsin, primarily in the Kickapoo River Basin area near the Cooperative's headquarters.
Today Organic Valley comprises 1,800 farmer-owners located in 32 states and three Canadian provinces that specialize in sustainable, organic agriculture practices. Organic Valley has become the world's largest independent Cooperative of organic family farmers and one of the nation's largest producers and distributors of organic produce, dairy, soy, and eggs. It also markets its line of beef, pork, turkey, and chicken products under the Organic Prairie brand.
Products are marketed in all 50 states, Canada, China, Japan, and 22 other countries. The United States is divided into three selling markets: the Western, Central, and Eastern Divisions. Each division is managed by sales staff, producers, and distributors directly associated with the Cooperative. Organic Valley produces six regional milks that are produced, processed and distributed in New England, Northeast, Heartland, Rocky Mountain, California and the Pacific Northwest. Total sales in 2003 were $156 million and reached $972 million in 2014.