Jason Chang, Truly Organic Pizza, Naples, FL
Like all parents, my wife and I have always looked for ways in which we can get more nutritious foods for our children. Like most parents, we struggle with it daily. However, it is amazing that my 5 and 3 year olds love junk food, and never get tired of it. So one day, I simply put two and two together and said to my wife: “Hey, why don’t we make the junk food better? “That was the inspiration for Truly Organic Pizza — our response to the over-processed food dominating the market today. Truly Organic Pizza proudly returns to the basics of pizza making … really good tasting pizza that everyone would love to eat, but made with the best ingredients possible.
The commitment to all organic was easy. Once we decided on an all-organic menu the decision to have our whole pizzeria certified by the USDA Organic board was a natural progression. We did not want to have any doubt of our commitment; the certificate is proof of our process and our passion.
However, this labor of love definitely adds to our food cost as we source only certified organic ingredients, which costs much more than conventional foods. In addition, there are also associated fees in maintaining the organic seal. No chemical pest control, biodegradable cleaning agents, and the management process for organic integrity all adds up in the cost. So far, the market response has been good. This proves that our trail blazing paid off and the consumer responses on our Facebook page and tweets validate our founding principle. People do not want junk food; they will take a healthier version of food even if it costs a bit more as long as they do not have to feel like they are eating their neighbor’s lawn!
The organic way of living requires more education. We continue to explain our process, commitment and the whole organic way of producing food to our customers to show them why we do what we do and how it can benefit your body. We are confident and excited about our process, ingredients, and our pizza — and we are eager to share it with the world!
