In the run up to Valentine's Day this weekend, there's a shift in the demand for organic basil. " In the two weeks before Valentine's Day, we notice a small but consistent lift in basil demand as home cooks plan meals for someone special. It's not a sharp peak, but our direct-to-store orders do climb during that window," says Betsy Mcrae of Freeman Herbs, noting that organic production in Canada avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilisers and supports responsible soil management.
© Freeman HerbsFreeman's Erin High holding some of the company's potted basil.
For the company, which supplies fresh organic herbs to the Ontario market as well as into Quebec and in the United States via private labelling, demand generally tends to be stronger in the cooler months when home gardeners aren't necessarily able to grow fresh herbs in their backyards.
Other basil products
While the company does sell potted fresh herbs for the garden seasonally as well pots for the kitchen year-round which allows consumers to snip-and-use only what herbs what they need, it's also recently introduced a hydroponic basil product.
© Freeman Herbs
The company sees a small, but consistent lift in the demand for basil ahead of Valentine's Day.
Live Greens basil is in a clamshell but with the root balls intact. "We also include the soil to maintain the nutrients and the longevity of the plant," says Mcrae, noting it grows its herbs at its facility in Lincoln, Ontario. "What differentiates this product is the longevity–it has about two weeks of longevity over that of a cut. We've stuck with that over cuts because everything that's good about fresh herbs is maintained until you actually use them. As soon as you cut that herb, it loses its value as far as nutrition."
In turn, with this increasing interest that the company is seeing in fresh herbs and fresh organic herbs, it's also added acreage on organic herbs particularly. "Post-COVID, there was a bit of a dip in demand because people's pocketbooks were a bit tighter. However it's starting to open up again and I think a lot of that has to do with demographic–millennials and the group below that who are buying sustainably produced food with intentionality," she says, noting that pricing is relatively similar to last year.
For more information:
Betsy Mcrae
Freeman Herbs
Tel: +1 (905)-563-8890
https://www.freemanherbs.com/
