“We see organics as one tier of our offer, providing an element of choice to our customer. One of the big difficulties is the differentiation between own-label and brands,” says Sullivan. “At Sainsbury’s we have our own in-house labels for different customer needs. So organics sits alongside Taste the Difference, Be Good to Yourself, Blue Parrot etc.. They occasionally overlap, but on the whole we see organics as a separate brand, with its own demand on shelf space.
“The next step is to move on from that and look at the category strengths and the category opportunities. We are constantly looking for points of difference. Why would we buy organics from a particular source, how can we demonstrate the particular benefits of that source to our customers and use that to differentiate our organic offer from that of our customers?”
For the foreseeable future, organics will occupy its own fixture in Sainsbury’s stores. “When individual product volumes reach a critical mass we will move them into the conventional area and give them more display space. Until that time, the major job on our hands is to build awareness and ensure that we become more successful at communicating the organic message to Sainsbury’s customers.
“We have 550 stores and it is important to note that we do have the flexibility to list products in just one store on a trial basis. If we believe a product offers something special, we are prepared to place it in store and see what our customers think about it.”
Adding value to the product is one thing, but it needs to manifest itself throughout the chain and right through to the consumer. Sullivan believes that neither price nor quality should be looked at in isolation by organic suppliers. “If price is not consistent and competitive, there is a danger that anyone can price themselves out of the market,” he says.
Sainsbury’s announced its first Organic Hero of the Year awards last month, with top honours going to a vegetable grower. Lars Lange of Arrow Organic Vegetables won the accolade for his production of lines such as carrots, leeks, broccoli, sweetcorn, sprouts, cauliflower and beans. “Arrow is one of our key suppliers and is a really innovative farm,” says Sainsbury’s organic produce buyer Anome Oyetey. “As producers, they are really trying to push the boundaries with new products and promoting biodiversity.”
ALL GOOD STUFF FOR JS BABIES
Baby food is the biggest growth area in the organic category and a new range of fruit and vegetable purees is set to take Sainsbury’s by storm.
Exclusive to Sainsbury’s, All GOOD Stuff is a brand new range of fresh chilled 100 per cent natural organic baby food, created by a Cheshire mum in her own kitchen.
The range is the brainchild of former advertising executive Christine Mealing. Following the birth of her son, Harry, in 2001, Mealing was dismayed at the lack of commercially available additive-free quality baby food to feed him on when she started to wean Harry before returning to work.
From feedback received from other parents, she soon realised that she was not alone in looking for quality and convenience without the hassle. She started small-scale production in her Prestbury kitchen in 2002, initially selling frozen baby food at mother and baby groups and via mail order. Demand was so good that she decided to give up her job at a Manchester advertising agency and concentrate all her efforts into All GOOD Stuff.
The initial All GOOD Stuff weaning range, suitable for babies from four months’ old, will consist of four savouries and two fruits, including carrot, swede, butternut squash, pea, apple and pear with more products on the way.
All GOOD Stuff can be used on its own, added to baby rice and baby fromage frais, mixed and matched with the rest of the range to create a different meal every time or served with normal family meals.
The All GOOD Stuff range claims the following benefits:
• 100 per cent natural
• No additives
• No artificial colours
• No preservatives
• No GM
• Gluten and dairy free
• Organic.
Mealing spent 18 months researching different packaging ideas, to keep her products simple, safe and convenient. Following a gentle steaming process, the foods are available in trays, containing six 25g portions of food. Each portion is sealed like a yoghurt pot, so that parents can use just what they need, with minimum waste, keeping the rest fresh and hygienic for the next meal. The trays are also suitable for home freezing. With so much quality chilled convenient foods now available, Sainsbury’s apparently thought it was time it that babies could enjoy some too.
All GOOD Stuff will be available in chiller cabinets next to Blue Parrot Café ready meals, throughout the UK from April.
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