EcoCertified Fruit Is Local Done Right
What Is the EcoCertified Fruit Program?
The EcoCertified Fruit program is a community of farmers, scientists, advisors, and eaters who are dedicated to finding and supporting the most ecologically friendly way to grow wholesale tree fruit in the northeastern and eastern United States. Eco practices are based on creating an orchard ecosystem that supports pollinators, keeps damaging insects in balance with natural predators, and promotes soil and tree health. Eco is local, done right.
What Does EcoCertified Mean to Growers?
At the heart of Eco are dedicated farmers who care for their land, workers, community, and the earth. Growers in the EcoCertified Fruit program are committed to rigorous ecological standards that are regionally tailored to the realities of local climate conditions. Utilizing advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles, farmers grow safe, sustainable, and delicious fruit. By working together our growers have the marketing support and volume to bring their fruit to you in a way that supports the long-term health of their farms and communities. Learn more about our growing protocols.
Visit our Resources for EcoCertfied Growers page for more information.
Why Buy EcoCertified Fruit?
When you buy EcoCertified Fruit, you are investing in sustainable growing practices that you can feel good about. An EcoCertified fruit label is synonymous with delicious, safe, locally grown, and environmentally responsible growing practices. You are part of what makes all of this possible.
What Is Red Tomato’s Role in EcoCertified Fruit?
The EcoCertified Fruit program was created to empower our region’s farmers to deliver top-quality, ecologically grown fruit — season by season, crop by crop, orchard by orchard. Red Tomato manages the Eco program and works on behalf of our grower network to market and distribute fruit grown under the certification. The growing protocol, audits, and certification are managed by third-party non-profit, the IPM Institute of North America, and the program is guided by an advisory group of growers, scientists, and fruit experts. Together we are able to accomplish what none of us can do alone: ensure sublime, ecologically-grown fruit, and a viable future for local farms.
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— Dr. Bryan Danforth, Cornell University"We surveyed bees in conventional and Eco Apple orchards and found a striking difference between the two... the Eco Apple orchards host many more species, and many more individual wild bees."
Blue Hills Orchard • Champlain Orchards • Clark Brothers Orchard • Cooper Farms • Fishkill Farms • Green's Fruit Farm • Hurd Orchard • Indian Ladder Farms • Lyman Orchards • Ricker Hill Orchards • Rogers Orchard • Scott Farm Orchard • Schlegel Fruit Farm • Steere Orchard • Sunrise Orchards
— Greg Parzych, Rogers Orchards“The EcoCertified program aligns with our philosophy perfectly. As stewards of the land, we strive to raise a viable and high-quality crop in the most ecologically responsible way.”