Sourcing
The major step in building a successful organic business is researching reliable vendors. “Lining
up great vendors is key to being successful and finding them may be the most time intensive part
of the process,” Thomas said. Sourcing local suppliers not only helps support your local economy,
but it also may be the best solution for timely delivery. “It can be a challenge here in the Midwest
with harsh winters but last year we had a ‘Buy Local Dinner’ featuring exclusively local produce
and products and it was a huge hit with our students, faculty and the local farm community,”
Thomas said.

Quality
Simply being “organic” isn’t enough to move product. Look, taste and feel are most important.
“Offering an organic orange does no good if the product doesn’t look as good as non-organic
products,” Thomas said. “You have to stay focused on taste and flavor. You may be organic but
you are a foodservice operation and students and faculty vote with their feet every day,” LaPean
said.

The success
The time and effort it takes to build an organic business really pays off. Before University of California,
Berkeley launched its certified organic program four years ago, the school’s dining services program
was rated as one of California’s worst, according to LaPean. “When we launched the organic program
we only had 399 people using our ‘Optional Meal Plan’. Now we have over 2,370 subscribers and that,
combined with our other [organic operations], winds up adding another $2.7 million to our revenue
stream. When you realize that Cal Dining has on campus competition, that is an incredible success
story,” LaPean said.

The success of the organic concept at University of Kansas has operators considering Grab ‘n Go
sandwich and wraps as well, and price doesn’t seem to be an issue. “The higher prices organic
offerings command have been a lot less of an issue for us than we thought it would be. The
important part is we are offering high quality, great tasting alternatives in an organic package. We
make sure what we put out for our customers is worth what we ask for it,” Thomas said.