Producer

Hummingbird Wholesale is an Employee Owned organic food producer and distributor, based in Eugene, Oregon. We offer Organic, high-quality, nutritious foods grown as locally and sustainably as possible. We take great care and pride in creating long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. Like the Hummingbird, we seek to sip the nectar of the Earth without harming the flower.

We contract with farmers upfront, before the planting season, to buy a set amount of a crop at a set price. This gives farmers some assurance against risks, and helps encourage farmers who are thinking of switching from growing something like grass seed to growing food. We help farmers find seed for crops we are interested in and sometimes we front the cost of the seed. The farmer pays the seed cost back only if the crop is successful. We encourage farmers who are transitioning to organic practices — but who are not yet certified — by paying higher prices for their transitional crops.We cover other upfront costs for farmers who are trying an experimental crop we are interested in. We help farmers get the information they need to successfully meet organic standards, a sometimes complex undertaking. We shoulder much of the marketing work, to make sure there are customers for the healthful, organic crops we ask farmers to grow.

“We have a big, crazy goal of a completely Organic Oregon and Organic World— that’s what gets us up in the morning!” - Charlie and Julie Tilt, owners