Resilient Anuga increases space for organics
Posted - August 15, 2009
Resilient Anuga increases space for organics
By Warren Beaumont
The Anuga food exhibition being held October 10-14, in Cologne Germany, is showing strong resilience with organizers confident to attract 6,000 exhibitors, compared to 6,600 exhibitors last year. An extraordinary effort for the world’s largest food expo, considering some U.S. shows were down by up to 50% this year. In 2007 Anuga attracted 163,000 trade visitors and was up 3%.
Organizer Koelnmesse said that last year 252 exhibitors presented their lines at Anuga Organic. “We will have about 280 this year, on a slightly increased space- again in hall 5.1, part of our Anuga-concept: 10 food fairs under one roof,” said Christine Hackmann of Koelnmesse. According to Ms. Hackmann 1,500 companies bring organic products to Anuga and are located all over the fair and that any exhibitor who is offering organic products but is not exhibiting at Anuga Organic can be tracked down through a comprehensive Anuga-database, available on the homepage www.anuga.com.
This year “WellFood’ (also known as Health & Functional Food), another exciting initiative started in 2005, will be celebrated parallel to Anuga. “More and more consumers are calling for products that promote health, enhance performance and prevent disease while remaining tasty, convenient and appealing to the eye,” Ms. Hackmann said. “These include probiotic milk and yoghurt; products containing Omega 3 fatty acids; food and drink products with added vitamins or minerals; products with added secondary vegetable matter; and products in which sugar and fat are replaced by health-promoting ingredients.” Some of these lines are also branded organic.
Another highlight of the program for the organics trade this year is the first IFOAM Organic Trade Forum at Anuga with a welcoming address by IFOAM Executive Director Markus Arbenz on Monday, October 12 at 2:00pm. Other sessions related to the organic sector include: “Genetic engineering- why must the organic market stay clear of it? And how can it be done?” “Organic drinks conquer the world of beverages”; “In which direction are organic products developing in the food retail trade?” “Sustainability Strategies for the Production of Food; “Organic Foods for Safety, Culinary Delight and Well-Being; Eating trends are changing the supermarket: organic- versatile in all markets of the senses”;“Organic farmers and processors present their outstanding organic produce (two sessions) and “Food retailers present their organic marketing measures (including Raj Seelem on India’s organic market, and Wal-Mart Mexico on its organic ranging and‘sustainability index’).
On Tuesday October 13 the first IFOAM Organic Trade Forum will run all day from 10am to 5pm. The opening address on Friday October 9 at 6pm is on corporate social responsibility and will be given by Alain Caparros, CEO of REWE, Germany, and Matthias Berninger, Global Head of Public Policy, Mars Inc.
Last year, most of Anuga’s visitors came from Germany (71,000), other European countries (73,000), Asia, (9,000), and the Americas (6,800), with 61.4% of visitors interested in fine food, 54% in drinks, 42% in organics, and 42.2% in meat. Visitor increases in recent years were from Asian countries and Eastern Europe, followed by Latin America and Africa.
Sanphi: France gains taste of Brazil
Posted - August 15, 2009
Sanphi: France gains taste of Brazil
By Adriana Michael
Sanphi International, a sourcing, trading and consulting agency established in Brazil two years ago, will be introducing well known organic certified Brazilian brands to France this Fall. After two decades of rich experience acquired dealing with the international market in Latin America, French national Philippe Leclerc decided to relocate to Brazil two years ago to start this new venture sourcing Brazilian foods and ingredients to satisfy the growing demand for organics in France. “I have worked in many parts of the world and mainly in the banking and wine industries”, says Philippe. “I like Brazil very much and with the growing interest in organic food and with the supply not keeping up with the demand in France, it was a good moment to start Sanphi”.
Leclerc has been sourcing the best products available for exporting and is pleased with the results so far: “We have exclusive distribution rights for Native, the largest producer of organicsugar in the world, a firm with 25% market share at the moment”. Native is a Brazilian organic pioneer that has been able to find ways to sustainable development in the highly competitive sugar industry.
Sanphi will introduce Native to BIOCOOP , the largest organic retail chain in France with 320 stores, to Naturalia with 30 stores in the Paris area and to Natureo, a new concept in organic retailing, currently with three very large outlets with over 3,500 sqm, modelled after Whole Foods. “Even though Brazil enjoys a large domestic market for many sectors and does not depend on exports like other countries in the region, I can see organic entrepreneurs taking the export activity seriously, they are eager to develop a good product for the international market”, says Leclerc.
Native has diversified its offer adding other foods such as coffee and Sanphi will introduce those lines to France as well. At first it was difficult for the buyers to understand why Native would not sell under private labels, but Leclerc says now they agree it is a great concept to allow consumers to get the direct connection from the farm to the shelf. To complement the Native line and offer French buyers a complete variety of the tastes and flavours from Brazil, Sanphi will also introduce heart of palm from Fazenda e Casa, instant coffee under its own brand Biograal, flavoured organic mate from Campo Verde and baby food imported from Argentina. “We are concentrating efforts in Brazil with a few companies to serve those three main chains for now, but expect to add other retail chains and other suppliers in the near future”. Leclerc and his partner Stephane Savigny will be present at NATEXPO, to meet their clients at other interesting items the French organic trade may suggest for them to export from Brazil and the Latin American region.
Repackaging the organic revolution
Posted - August 15, 2009
Special Report
Repackaging the organic revolution
By Angela West
Consumers are changing. Growing concern for global warming, health related issues, the huge amount of waste still generated daily in the post-consumer society, and the current economic recession, are factors affecting consumer purchasing decisions and lifestyles. Products are now expected to reflect changing values. It is no longer enough to supply an organic certified product if it is not presented in a unique, eco-friendly, convenient and safe packaging. To meet consumer preference for more sustainable products, European and North American retailers from Whole Foods Market to Tesco, and manufacturers from Nature’s Path to ConAgra Foods’ Healthy Choice are switching to more sustainable and recyclable packaging.
As a recent Ipsos Marketing survey of 23,000 consumers in 18 countries suggests, consumers may be willing to ditch convenient packaging for ‘greener’ packaging, while the food itself should include fresh ingredients and contain health benefits. Awareness of greener packaging may be growing partly due to recent media attention, Ipsos says.
Examining a new packaging solution may make an impact on our bottom line that was never considered before. Glass may not be too expensive, recycled plastics may be cheaper than the virgin plastics you are using, and cans may end up being your solution of choice. After weighing each option, it is possible that your company can save a significant amount of money by choosing an alternative that is better for the environment as well.
In this and next issues, OWN will present different packaging options to consider: glass, PET, bioplastics and metal in this edition.There are other alternatives out there and other questions to be asked on a subject that customers have indicated matters to them very much. Many no longer trust plastics due to their proven potential to leach into food. Most are also wary of the environmental and other costs of corn-based bioplastics and the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics.
Aires de Campo: a company of firsts
Posted - July 21, 2009
Aires de Campo: a company of firsts
By Adriana Michael
Aires de Campo is a company of firsts. The company is the first pioneer to introduce certified organic foods on a large scale in Mexico. It’s also Mexico’s first company with a female founder and CEO. Guadalupe Latapi is petite and appears to be a young student clad in casual clothes. Underneath that casual exterior, she simmers with the strong will and commitment. Seven years ago, Latapi dared to set up a risky project; to consistently offer high quality and diversified foods to the largest supermarket chains in Mexico. To do this, she had to organize a network of organic food producers to supply her own brand. They had to be dependable, too.
In 2002, after doing a Masters in Food Science at the University of California, Latapi returned home looking for ways to apply her new knowledge. She found them. At a local food fair in the city of Puebla, she met some organic entrepreneurs, including a dairy farmer, who for quite some time had been trying to establish a large-scale domestic market. From discussions with him and others, Latapi learned that a sustainable project needed three pillars: logistics, promotion and marketing. Building on these pillars with her family and friends she started the distributing company, Aires de Campo, to introduce eight organic certified dairy products to the supermarket chains. Soon Latapi and her team noticed that they would need to diversify. She met small cooperatives and producers with high quality goods who were lacking the market access that Aires de Campo could provide. Her company linked up these producers with the supermarket chains.
IMPLEMENTATION AND NEW LINES
Against all odds, Latapi proved it! Mexico certainly had a market for certified organic foods. As new lines were gradually added to the distribution project, Aires de Campo kept in the task to fulfill it. Organic vegetables and fruits followed dairy products. Then came grains, meats and eggs. People started asking for more processed foods, such as breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas not produced in Mexico. That is when Aires de Campo looked beyond the border and imported cereals from the Canadian firm Nature’s Path. “But our main goal is not to become an importer” warns Guadalupe. “We want to stimulate production in Mexico, as the prices for imported goods would really be out of reach for most people here.”
Now in its seventh year, Aires de Campo reports annual sales of over 2.7 million US dollars, 45 employees, and a network of 50 suppliers supporting over 1000 families. The company also offers almost 200 products to all main food retail chains in Mexico, including Walmart and Costco. Aires de Campo developed the private label Via Verde for Walmart, with a line of food staples. More unique gourmet foods are offered to retailers like Palacio del Hierro.
REASONS FOR THEIR SUCCESS
The main reason for their success? Good marketing, says Latapi. Without a strong marketing plan, she adds, no one can really sustain “sustainable development”. “We invest in radio and print ads, seminars and our website to offer recipes and stay in constant contact with the consumer, the suppliers and the retailers.”
Latapi also stresses logistics: “Finding the way to make the most direct connection between the farmers and the end consumer has been our policy”. Headquartered in Mexico City, Aires de Campo opened Biocentro, a distribution centre delivering organic produce to homes weekly. The Centre also serves consumers who stop by to buy directly all products offered under the Aires de Campo brand and other new lines the company also carries. The Biocentro also serves hotels and restaurants and independent stores that cannot afford to buy each product in bulk; instead they place small orders for a combination of lines.
Latapi also believes fair treatment of suppliers helps. The company’s aim has been to help improve the quality of life of suppliers, many of them female workers. This, in turn, has created a good work environment and motivation to succeed in the project among employees and co-workers.
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
While marketing and logistics led Latapi to success, her company had to surmount two barriers at the beginning: demanding and sceptical buyers, and an undemanding public.
One of the barriers to overcome was to educate the buyers at the conventional food retail chains. Organics bewildered buyers. Some products, unlike conventional ones, were seasonal. Some were handmade and showed some naturally occurring irregular shapes or colors. Buyers had to realize that organic produce was less standardized than non-organic produce. Persistent information campaigns paid off.
Mexican consumers are not demanding, having very little interest in the source of the food that they eat. Things are changing with the media alerting the public to the dangers of conventional food production. “What was missing in Mexico was to develop the domestic organic market”, says Latapi. “Now we see more brands serving local consumers, not all producers are just concentrated in exports”.
THE FUTURE: INTERNAL MARKETS
Meanwhile, Roberto Latapi, Guadalupe’s brother and director of exports, plans to find similar entrepreneurs abroad, ones who would like to work under a barter deal arrangement. He seeks well established foreign processors and distributors willing to introduce their lines to Mexico. In exchange for introducing Aires de Campo products through their distribution channels, they may use Aires de Campo’s. “This is the way to go in current economic times”, says Roberto. Aires de Campo exhibited at All Things Organic in Chicago June 16-18th, as part of the Mexican pavilion. “We also made good contacts at BioFach in Germany back in February”, says Roberto. “Now we will explore the US market for organic ethnic foods and ingredients we can provide”.
Although the firm is exporting, Guadalupe says that it only exports surplus production. She states that certain products have a demand in organic quality much higher than the local production capacity. One example: the hibiscus flower, used for “Agua de Jamaica”, a natural refreshing cold tea in all Mexican households. “From production of one ton of organic certified hibiscus flower, after three years of efforts, this year we have produced thirty tonnes.”
While Mexico is among the first countries to start Biodynamic Agriculture back in the 1930’s as result of Rudolf Steiner’s teachings and it is currently the first producer of organic coffee, its interior market for organics is just expanding. In this process, Aires de Campo certainly comes first.
