May 8, 2023

Wholesum adding in-house organic seed production capability

Organic vegetable provider Wholesum is adding in-house capabilities to produce organic seeds. The organic seeds project, which includes breeding seeds specifically for organic production, began in 2022.

The Amado, Arizona-based Wholesum is a Fair Trade-Certified grower and shipper of organic fresh vegetables.

“As organic growers, we envision a future where organic seeds and the resources to produce them are more widely available. Theojary Crisantes Jr., Wholseum chief operations officer, said in a news release. “We support investments in organic plant breeding and seed research and feel that moving the needle forward in this area will help organic production thrive.”

The release stated that while organic seeds are specifically bred and better adapted for organic production systems, both choices and quality of organic seeds are limited.

“To keep up with the fast-growing organic sector and to do so sustainably, we need to be at the forefront of innovation, including in our capacity to deliver high quality, healthy seeds,” Crisantes said.

Seed production requires specialized labor to complete a full seed production cycle, from sowing the initial parent seed to the extraction of the new seed. All is achieved under highly controlled conditions including environmental, structural, and phytosanitary controls.

“While currently at a small scale, devoting time, knowledge, resources and infrastructure to this task is one way that we contribute to a better future for organic farmers, the development of our workforce, and at a larger scale, to the organic movement,” Ricardo Crisantes, chief commercial officer, said in the release.

Wholesum is a third-generation family farming operation that grows and ships organic tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, squash and eggplant.