Organic herb grower finds his niche

Whether for culinary, medicinal or spiritual use, herbs have been a part of human life for countless centuries.
 
Until recently, though, growing herbs in Yuma was more of a backyard hobby. This has all changed with Yuma Organic, which has been producing organically grown herbs on the mesa for more than seven years.
 
Ernesto Amador established Yuma Organic in 2002, bringing a relatively new crop to Yuma agriculture.
 
With a great concept, a little risk and a lot of hard work, Amador started his enterprise using an air-conditioned shed as a cooler and overnight delivery services as a means of shipping.
 
Today, Amador has expanded his Yuma operation into Mexico and ships thousands of pounds of fresh, organically grown herbs to gourmet restaurants and distribution hubs all over the U.S.
 
Amador said it's common for his operation to cut and field pack 10,000 pounds of fresh basil on a weekly basis.
 
“Basil is my most popular product, and seems to be the most adaptable herb. We can successfully grow it during the summer and use our Mexican locations to produce herbs that require cooler temperatures.”
 
Amador also routinely grows dill, sorrel, savory, peppermint, rosemary, sage and thyme. He is committed to using both his Yuma and Mexican growing locations for year-round production of these crops.
 
The farming of the labor-intensive niche crop provides year-round employment opportunities. The company employs six full-time employees in Yuma and grows the herbs either in greenhouses or in shade enclosures.
 
The entire product requires hand weeding, planting and maintenance. Being organic, no synthetic materials are applied.
 
On a recent day, Amador was fertilizing the crop with a liquid fish emulsion, a liquid organic relatively high in nitrogen.
 
“We inject the fertilizer right into the drip system,” he explained. "It’s one of the easiest parts to this deal.”
 
Herbal products have been increasing in popularity, and Amador seems to have hit the mark in supplying a fresh organic product that many consumers are now demanding. Current market trends suggest that there is now a niche for natural culinary ingredients that are safe and effective in making good and healthy food.
 
"The herbal market has its ups and downs, and it is on a slight upswing right now," Amador said. "For several years, it was a very strong market. It then went down somewhat. Now the prices are up on the types of crops we have been growing."
 
Growing an herbal crop is one thing, marketing it is another, he noted. So it is important that the herbal crops not only grow well in the desert, but also have other advantages.
 
"We're looking for something we can produce at a certain time of year that other people can't, in ways other people can't and, most importantly, herbs that are high quality," Amador said.
 
Quality in the production of fresh herbs is extremely important. Organically grown herbs not only need to bring out the natural flavor and aroma of foods, they also need to be clean and free of pests and diseases.
 
While there are good prices out there relative to the cost of production, there are challenges to building the agricultural production of herbs in Yuma.
 
Mastering the learning curve at the next level has been particularly rewarding for the local herb grower.
 
“We always wanted our own label, and this year we have it. We don’t have to market our product on the coattails of a major shipper. We’re totally independent.”
 
But there has also been a challenge in growing organic herbs.
 
“Many of these plants have never been cultivated here before. The way they perform in one area may be slightly different than another area.”
 
The vision for growing organic herbs in Yuma includes going further than just production. “I had a vision, a sound business plan and some initial success," he said.
 
It's a formula that is working for Amador. “I’ve been fortunate to find some very faithful customers who demand good-tasting, high-quality specialty herbs that they cannot get anywhere else."
 
Amador offers them “top quality, on time, when promised, every time.”

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Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.