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The path to organic farming is a long one. You can’t simply flick a switch and convert overnight. Rather, it takes time for fresh produce like blueberries to become fully certified as organic. Here, we explain what ‘organic in-conversion’ means and look at why it’s great news for all you blueberry lovers out there.
‘Organic in-conversion’ explained
‘In-conversion’ basically means that a farm is on its way to becoming organic – so, it has stopped using pesticides or prohibited substances – but it’s not quite there because the land needs time to leech itself of previously used substances.
While a farm is going through this ‘in-conversion’ period, its produce can’t be labelled as Certified Organic yet. However, they can use the words ‘organic in-conversion’ – which is what you’ll see on some of our blueberry packs.
It can take between 12 months and three years for the land to be cleared of prohibited substances. The process is carefully managed and supervised to ensure that all the right steps are being taken to achieve a productive, healthy organic farm down the track. We’re working hard to make sure our soil fertility, plant nutrition and pest control adheres to the best organic farming principles and can’t wait for the day that our blueberries can be classified as Certified Organic.
A natural step for Driscoll’s berries
Driscoll’s has always grown as naturally as possible. A rigorous research and development program has help us find ways to breed berries naturally, making them more resistant to diseases and pests. We have never irradiated or genetically modified our plants, either.
All of our berry-growing nurseries are carefully selected, too. We look for areas where the soil is as free of pests and disease as possible to minimise the use of pesticides. Naturally, all of the nurseries where our ‘organic in-conversion’ berries are being grown are now free of any chemical usage.
So taking the step to convert some of our blueberry farms to organic makes perfect sense. It’s a sustainable, environmentally friendly way of farming that avoids the use of artificial fertilisers or synthetic chemicals – and instead focuses on growing nutrient-dense, flavour-packed berries that taste delicious and are oh-so-good for you.
Watch out for our ‘organic in-conversion’ blueberries
You can find our ‘organic in-conversion’ blueberries in selected supermarkets across Australia. We hope you’re as excited as we are about this big step we’re taking. Going organic is a huge commitment and we’re extremely proud to be doing so!
