Mar 26, 2024

GrubMarket spurs transition to organic

In early 2023, GrubMarket announced its Sustainable California initiative, which aims to bolster agricultural sustainability and promote stronger food systems throughout California by engaging in meaningful endeavors like planting trees and supporting local farmers to obtain organic certification.

Throughout the past 12 months, GrubMarket has been working alongside the global reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted. A core achievement of the Sustainable California initiative has been the successful planting of over 100,000 trees primarily across Northern California, including drought-stricken areas that had been ravaged by wildfires and deforestation. This extensive reforestation effort not only helps preserve key watersheds and agricultural ecosystems but also enhances biodiversity, fights the effects of climate change and sequesters carbon dioxide. Through the project, dozens of different tree species have been planted, hundreds of acres of land have been reforested and thousands of wildlife species have benefited. Once fully mature, these trees are expected to sequester nearly 5 million pounds of CO2 per year.

In addition to tree planting, GrubMarket has been collaborating with California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) as part of its Sustainable California initiative to support farmers making the transition to organic agriculture practices. Through the Organic Transition Initiative, GrubMarket and CCOF have committed to providing grants, mentorship and technical assistance over three-year periods to underserved farmers in California who want to make the challenging leap to organic production. In 2023, the program kicked off 10 farmers representing 10 counties throughout California and farming a variety of mixed vegetables, berries, grapes, livestock and poultry. In total, these farmers tend to hundreds of acres of farmland, represent more than four ethnicities and speak multiple languages. By fostering inclusivity and opportunity within the farming community, GrubMarket is helping address systemic inequities while promoting the adoption of organic farming practices.

“Reflecting on the past year, we are immensely proud of the accomplishments we have achieved through the Sustainable California initiative,” Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket, said in a news release. “From planting hundreds of thousands of trees to supporting cohorts of underrepresented farmers, every milestone represents a step forward in GrubMarket’s mission to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.”

GrubMarket will continue to reinforce its commitment to driving meaningful change within the food industry. GrubMarket will continue to plant hundreds of thousands of trees each year in key agricultural ecosystems across California and other parts of the U.S. and will continue to work with CCOF to onboard dozens more California farmers from underrepresented backgrounds into the transformational Organic Transition Initiative.