At Costa Farms, they have been working on becoming more sustainable for decades, and at the TPIE, which took place last month, the company’s booth commemorated and celebrated sustainability in a variety of new forms. “Sustainability has long been important to us, even before it started trending up”, says Justin Hancock, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at Costa Farms.
Justin Hancock
Also, Costa Farms has been able to reduce the use of traditional pesticides by more than 50% at one of their farms through shifts in their IPM approach, including increased use of beneficial organisms. “We’ve seen such success with beneficial insects, for example, that we’ve started an insectary where we can rear our own. This helps us meet, or exceed, our retailer customers’ guidelines for supplier sustainability. It also has a potential beneficial effect on the garden center if there happens to be residual beneficials on our crops at the time of shipping.”
Increasing demand
Their drive to be more sustainable comes more from the inside – the desire to do and be better – but over the years, they have seen the demand increasing. “Over the past several years, we have seen the interest from both their end consumers and their retailer customers for sustainable products increasing. It’s been more slow-and-steady interest rather than a big spike”, he explains.
Booth Costa Farms at the TPIE
Celebrating sustainability at the TPIE
Costa Farms has focused on sustainability for many years, and the company’s sustainability initiatives were displayed and celebrated at their exhibit booth at TPIE, which took place last month in Tampa, Florida. They showcased sustainability in a variety of new forms, including new pottery made from stone powder and 100% recycled plastic; live displays of some of the beneficial organisms Costa Farms uses at its farms to reduce pesticide use; and an exhibit display made completely out of cardboard for sustainable use of materials.
Future plans regarding sustainability
Costa Farms will continue working on sustainability and sustainable solutions, Hancock explains. “We’re continually looking into and testing new solutions to help us reduce inputs like water, pesticides, energy, and so on, as well as investigating opportunities to reduce our use of plastics and other materials in favor of more biodegradable options.
For more information: 
Costa Farms
21800 SW 162ND Ave.
Miami, Florida 33170
Tel.: (800) 327-7074
www.costafarms.com