During the recent Organic Grower Summit (OGS), several industry members participated in a panel discussion focused on agricultural challenges. Some of the topics covered during the session included regulations, consumer trends, and transitioning to organic. Quality Assurance and Public Relations Manager for Divine Flavor, Michael DuPuis explained that adaptability has been one of the cornerstones of their success.
“It’s not like figuring it out and then you’re good to go; it’s every year is a different year. There’s so many different factors that go into it whether it’s managing your soils, the different organic inputs that you’re dealing with and making sure that you’re trying to do it in a sustainable manner as well,” DuPuis noted. “For us, it’s important to plan ahead and to try to foresee these things and manage what is in our control and not focus too much on what’s out of our control.”
As a diversified operation with several varieties of table grapes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash, DuPuis said there is no shortage of obstacles. Taking an approach of trial and error in both conventional and organic production systems has helped them to overcome a variety of agricultural challenges. DuPuis noted that working with industry experts, continuing to learn new production techniques, and incorporating them into their production systems has been and will continue to be a critical component of the overall operation.
“My CEO, who is the founder of Grupo Alta and Divine Flavor, when he first started doing this about 30 years ago, it didn’t go according to plan. That first year, they failed. They didn’t have healthy soils and they noticed that their plants were weak. So, you can either accept that, or you can move on and try to figure out ways to overcome that,” said DuPuis. “By doing so, it’s by networking and attending events such as OGS. To meet people, to meet experts, to learn and take into account other things that you might not be aware of.”
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