Farm Tours
Nothing
replaces the experience of visiting an operating farm and seeing all the work
that goes into growing, packing and shipping crops grown for food. We regularly
visit our farmers and see their operations on our staff farm tours; we think it's
one of our most successful and appreciated programs. It is a unique opportunity
for those who have been buying, selling, handling and hauling the product to
better know the people and plants involved in the farming process. Our farm
tours are another way for VV employees to deepen their understanding and
appreciation for farming and sustainable agriculture, and meet the folks who
grow the food we eat.
Check out these photos from recent farm tours!
Co-op Focused
We support co-op natural food stores and place a maximum
priority on their partnership. These relationships allow us to strengthen local
economies by working with community-based businesses. We have long
relationships with neighborhood co-ops all over California,
and in 1996 expanded our service to co-ops in Arizona,
New Mexico, and recently, Southern
Colorado.
A Cleaner Fleet
VV is actively seeking methods to reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels for our long- and short-haul trucks. Technology has yet to perfect
diesel-alternatives such as fuel cells, but we are closely monitoring the
research and development in this field. Currently we have one bobtail truck in
our fleet that is equipped to operate on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). This
truck, affectionately known as the Bug Truck because of the beneficial insects
painted on it, emits far less problematic exhaust than a diesel truck of its
size.
Community Outreach
VV has partnered with several community organizations to
combat the effects of poverty and poor nutrition. We are active in the San
Francisco Food Alliance, striving to build a dynamic and sustainable food
movement in our City and county through education, advocacy, and community
representation. In 2003 and 2004 we donated 18,000 pounds of Jack O’ Lantern
pumpkins to the Mission Education Project, in San Francisco’s Mission District, to give to
low-income children for Halloween. In 2000 we helped the Berkeley Unified
School District convert
its school lunch and snack programs to organic food. We have long supported The
Garden Project, an organic garden at the San Francisco Jail that has reduced
recidivism by 75%. In 1999-2000, we organized an effort to raise $30,000, with
our customers, for Oxfam America
for agricultural restoration after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch. We have
been long time supporters of the San Francisco Mime Troupe‘s Youth
Apprenticeship program by providing fruit throughout their summer training
programs.
Learn
more about The Garden Project
Learn more about the San Francisco
Mime Troupe
Food Bank
Surplus produce is donated to the San Francisco Food Bank,
who then distributes it to charitable organizations serving meals to the
homeless and needy in the Bay Area.
Learn more about the San
Francisco Food Bank.
Composting and Recycling
At VV, even our garbage doesn’t go to waste. Any produce
that is unsuitable for the Food Bank goes to SF based compost programs. We
recycle all of our paper and plastic materials, and with the participation of
our customers, we re-use wax boxes and wooden pallets. We encourage the use of
plastic pallets, a more durable option that help preserve forest resources.
Salaries
We maintain a 4:1 ratio in terms of salaries, highest to
lowest. That means that no one working in the organization can make more than
four times as much as anyone else. We share the fruits of our labor
company-wide. We are proud of the fact that our entry level wages are more than
double California’s
minimum hourly wage.
A Focus on Women
At VV, we are committed to providing opportunities for women
in the workplace. We make special efforts to recruit women for roles
traditionally held by men in a male-dominated industry. The women and men of VV
have earned an excellent reputation for fairness, honesty, and hard work, and
we take great pride in our efforts.
