History

30 Years of Organics

Albert’s Organics began in 1982. At this time the stage was set for organic foods to flourish. More and more growers, particularly in California, were farming organically and supplies were ready to meet the demands of an ever-growing population ready to explore a diet that featured organic foods. Natural food stores were popping up out west, as well as in college towns and in larger metropolitan areas. And yet, there was still a slight hurdle that needed to be overcome. If the growers were responsible for delivering their harvest to the stores as well as growing the food, this would cut back considerably on their production time. And up until Albert’s came along, that’s how it went. Occasionally a retailer or two could actually pick the product up at the farm, but that option was available only to a very limited few. What was needed was an entity that would step in and cover the transportation and delivery needs that would connect the growers with the retailers and provide communities with their organic food supplies. This is the role that Albert’s filled and continues to fill 30 years later.

Many of the premiere organic farmers in the industry today are growers that we have worked with from the very beginning. Many growers were able to convert their farms over to organic because they saw with Albert’s an opportunity to have their crops distributed nationally.

Because of one man's commitment to organic agriculture, Albert’s opened its doors in 1982 in Los Angeles, CA. Since then we have become the largest certified organic wholesale distributor of organically grown fresh produce in the United States. We gained our certification in 1996, having been certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI), a federally recognized independent third party certification organization. We are very proud to claim that we were the first produce distributor in the United States to become certified.
In 1989 an east coast division was opened in Bridgeport, NJ. Six years later the second east coast division opened in Sarasota, FL. In 1998 Albert’s was purchased by UNFI, the nation’s largest distributor of organic and natural foods.  Albert's acquired Boulder Fruit Express in November of 2000, and now operates its produce and perishable distribution out of Aurora, CO. In June of 2003, Northeast Cooperatives became part of the Albert's Organics family of companies, and is now our New England division. We currently have 7 distribution centers located throughout the country in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Colorado, California, Florida, Minnesota, and North Carolina.