In December of 1985, Rebecca Willows accepted a position with OGC becoming the company’s fifth employee and marking the start to what would become a multi-decade-long career.

OGC was still finding its legs and times were scrappy. “It seemed we all did a little of everything then and it was really fun,” she remembers. “We’d meet the trucks and break down the orders. We had one cooler with boxes stacked to the ceiling. We took sales orders from OGC’s Eugene customers, built the orders, and then I did the ‘town’ deliveries in an old bread truck.”

Last week, Representative Peter DeFazio announced that he is retiring from the US House of Representatives at the end of his current term. He has tirelessly represented Oregon’s 4th District for 35 years as a feisty advocate for a wide range of topics from affordable health care, wilderness protection, and transportation safety. But for those of us who work in the organic trade, or who are consumers of organic foods, one action stands out above all—Peter DeFazio was willing to introduce, and fight for, the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in the House of Representative, when no one else would consider doing so.

Twenty-five years is an incredible milestone to reach at any company, especially one like OGC that has grown alongside a rapidly changing sector such as the organic produce trade.

Lucas Crawford, OGC Senior Account Representative, shares that among the many things he’s enjoyed during his two-and-a-half decades of service is the rate and scale of change. That has been exciting to participate in. Starting as a warehouser and driver, as the ninth employee at the Portland facility, Lucas has been a part of the company’s evolution and played a role in shaping the business that OGC has become.

OGC has many coworkers that have dedicated their time and energy for 10, 20 even 25+ years! This longevity is part of what makes OGC a great place to work. One such coworker is Max Benoit. An impressive 17 years into his career at OGC, Max recounts his early days as a warehouser, how his career reflects his values and shares a message to front-line workers. Learn more about Max and how he helps make OGC a great place to be!

Organic farmers only have so many tools for fighting weeds. Polyethylene mulch is one of those, but it’s not great for the environment. While we are known as an organic produce marketer and distributor, OGC is also an active advocate on organic supply chain issues and our work, in many ways starts, from the ground up.

OGC’s beloved Tom Lively leaves the day-to-day to embark on a “retirement-ish” path starting April 1st. Since the start of his career in 1988, Tom has been influential in building OGC’s business and its culture. After 32 years of hard work, Tom moves into his retirement with a transition to “less work and more fun.”

Kristi Yoder, OGC’s Senior Sales Manager, honors Tom’s impact on our company, our community and the organic trade.

In the pursuit of “bringing organic produce to the people,” our talented and thoughtful team plays integral roles at every stage in the process. From ensuring coworkers benefit from a safe workplace to assuring the product heading out to customers is accurate, of the highest quality and arriving with on time delivery, these are just some of the highlights of the work OGC coworkers do. Meet a few of the coworkers who make OGC a fantastic place to be!

In a year full of challenges, two OGC drivers emerged as Driver of the Year, an annual peer-nominated distinction. Read on to learn about both phenomenal OGC drivers, as well as our Rookie of the Year recipient!

The organic produce community lost many beloved pioneers and rebels in 2020. People who we’ll remember for their passion, risk-taking leadership, and dedication to showing the way to farm for the health of people and the planet. The year ended with the loss of Bob Cantisano, aka “Amigo” Bob.

Oregon’s community of organic farms lost a pioneer in the passing of Jeff Falen. From Jeff’s imagination and grit sprung forth Persephone Farm, a place he constructed from his own sweat and endurance, guided by a set of profound ideas. In this letter to OGC’s long-time friend, founding-grower and revered community member, we celebrate the life of this unparalleled farmer.

Regardless of with whom and how your community celebrates and feasts in the weeks ahead, you can bet they’ll be shopping and cooking up a storm. OGC shares a few trends on what and how this year’s holiday shoppers will be cooking and eating!