Organic food delivery services in Oregon are doing well thanks to the increased interest in organic food

• "People are busy, yet they want to try to take ownership of their health," Bell said at the small warehouse in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood where he operates Pioneer Organics.
• Since founding the company in 1997, Bell has seen his customer list lengthen from six to more than 4,000 clients in the Puget Sound region and -- since 2003 -- as many as 400 in Portland.
• Bell's is one of at least two organic produce delivery services operating in the Portland area, which Chris Lantaff has served for four years.
• Lantaff's Organics to You makes weekly deliveries of produce and other groceries, including milk, eggs, bread and tofu products, to as many as 500 homes in the tri-county area and Vancouver.
• Now Zechiel works with about 32 local farmers, and since he added organic produce to his selections, he said, about 60 percent of his customers have opted for the natural choice.
• Customers choose from a selection of eight produce boxes ranging between $24 to $50, and they can use the company's Web site to modify orders to suit their tastes.
• At Organics To You, boxes range from $23 to $52, with most folks settling on the $28 bin that includes 15 different fruits and vegetables that vary from week to week.
• Lantaff said his company strives to include farm-direct produce, meaning he cuts out fruit and vegetable distributors to better support Oregon farmers.
• A third Portland-area company, Manic Organic, also made home deliveries, but Lantaff said the Beaverton company recently closed and he took over deliveries to its former customers.
• Sales of organic foods grew more than 20 percent to $10.4 billion in 2003, with an annual average growth rate of 18 percent forecast for 2004-2008, according to a trade survey conducted by Nutrition Business Journal of San Diego.