Organic producers in Northern Ireland have launched a new brand and a marketing campaign to increase awareness and grow sales.
Producers have teamed up to form Root and Branch Organic, a new brand and marketing initiative that aims to persuade more shoppers to opt for organic produce such as back to nature vegetables.
Initially Root and Branch Organic will focus on marketing organic vegetables, fruit and eggs. In the medium to long-term, the group has plans to extend organic fruit produced locally including using polytunnels.
Helen’s Bay Organic Gardens in County Down, one of Northern Ireland’s oldest organic farm businesses, which has been operating a box delivery operation for 20 years is driving the brand.
Ben Craig, Root and Branch’s marketing manager, said: “We see this as an evolution of our work to bring about a change in agricultural production in Northern Ireland to be truly healthy and sustainable and to create an alternative to the large multiple retailers who cannot be a realistic market for small producers like us.
“We believe that the opportunities for organic produce are extensive and intend to develop a campaign that will raise the profile and increase sales that will, in turn, enable us to extend the products that we will be able to offer. For instance, 65 per cent of the fruit that we currently offer will be sourced from our members. We would like to drive our offering beyond this percentage.
The group includes Orchard Organics in County Armagh, already established as one of Ireland’s leading producers of organic fruit and vegetables. The products also include mushrooms which are certified by the Soil Association. It has also operated a successful box delivery scheme.
In addition to Helen’s Bay Organics and Orchard Organics, Root and Branch Organics currently includes four other organic farmers - Roy Lyttle, Strangford, County Down, Hamilton Kee, Omagh, County Tyrone, and Michael Trainor, Tyrella, also County Down.
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