Papa John's has launched an organic produce pilot program in Lexington.(Photo: Courtesy of Papa John's)

A bin of fresh, organic produce from Green BEAN Delivery.(Photo: Courtesy of Green BEAN Delivery)

A Green BEAN Delivery associate makes a delivery of fresh, organic produce.(Photo: Courtesy of Green BEAN Delivery)

Better ingredients means organic ingredients in a new test taking place at Papa John's shops in Lexington.

For the past month, the Louisville-based chain has offered organic vegetable toppings at about 35 locations in the nearby city as part of a pilot program that's eventually intended to be rolled out nationwide.

The company's customers have been increasingly eating organic products for some time, and an annual growth in organic produce production over the past two decades shows the taste for healthier options isn't going away, chief ingredient officer Sean Muldoon said.

So last year, during an annual strategic planning process, Muldoon's department decided to see how some customers would respond to getting organic ingredients atop their pizzas.

"With the rest of our better ingredients position, we wanted to be the first in the pizza industry looking at this," Muldoon said Tuesday. "It's more than a trend, it's something that will continue to grow. We wanted to put a foot in the water by testing in Lexington."

To launch the program, Papa John's has partnered with Green BEAN Delivery to source Roma tomatoes, green peppers, yellow onions and mushrooms from certified organic farms in seven states, including Kentucky and Indiana.

Green BEAN Delivery is a family owned company that operates organic farms in Indiana and Ohio and that offers home delivery of fresh, organic produce in cities around the Midwest, including Louisville and Lexington.

Muldoon said Green BEAN CEO Matt Ewer and other employees have been working with Papa John's to make connections with certified organic farmers and will continue to do so as the program expands.

"I've been impressed with Matt and his vision around certified organic produce and his network of farmers," Muldoon said. "This is a complicated and challenging thing. ... If you think about produce growing cycles, we needed a partner who knew farmers in places like California, Florida, Arizona and Washington. We needed someone who could help us manage that cycle throughout the year."

Ewer and Muldoon said about 13 percent of produce currently grown is certified as organic, meaning no unnatural pesticides, fertilizers or other items have touched it.

By 2020, that number is expected to reach 20 percent, they said, proving the demand for organic produce isn't a trend.

"As the industry's grown, it's exciting to see a company such as Papa John's getting involved with supporting organic food, especially organic produce," Ewer said, adding that the business can have a lasting effecton the industry's supply chain. "... Even when you're eating a convenient product like Papa John's, it's exciting to see positive things come out of that."

So far, Muldoon said customers in Lexington have responded well to the use of organic ingredients, which have not changed the overall flavor of their pizzas and have not added extra cost.

There's no doubt the organic items cost more than traditional produce, Muldoon said, but Papa John's has decided to absorb the cost as part of its mission to provide better ingredients at an affordable price.

The next step for the company now is to continue monitoring the feedback and to plan additional programs in other cities, possibly including Louisville, Muldoon said.

"This is a very long-term initiative for us," Muldoon said. "It is going to take some time to read the tests, get the consumer feedback and, on the supply chain, work with Green BEAN Delivery to work with farmers directly," to purchase enough produce needed to serve organic items through the year.

The company, of course, thinks the investment is worth it. But, "it's one of the more complicated solutions that I've had to deal with," Muldoon said.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at 502-582-4646 or bloosemore@courier-journal.com.

Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/2omPZyH

Read the original here:

Papa John's testing organic toppings in Lexington - The Courier-Journal