Supervalu & Organic Growers: partnering up

Is this, finally, a little bit of the farmers' market spirit right in the centre of the supermarket? Is this some sort of a solution to the imponderable of supermarket dominance and a lack of significantly penetrating alternatives, especially in the UK or Ireland (well, really the whole English speaking world, where supermarkets have a hegemony when compared to mainland Europe)

And does SuperValu's franchise structure actively allow for such a thing to develop?

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Organic vegetable sales up 150% for the retailer and twice the area planted for the grower. That, in straightforward terms, is what has happened in Glanmire thanks to the new arrangement SuperValu have with organic growers.

Walking into the Glanmire Supervalu, you cannot fail to be impressed by what is Ireland's largest Supervalu store. What's more impressive, from an organic perspective, is the dedicated island one organic vegetable grower, Colum O Regan, has all to himself.

Supervalu's fresh fruit and veg people have a direct, one-to-one relationship with organic growers all over Ireland, and it is, if you will, a growing phenomenon.

(Pic: Una Ni Broin of Beechlawn house, one of the Enterprises that initiated the SuperValu organic growers initiative)

Rather than centralised distribution and anonymous placement within the rows and rows of various vegetables, Colum O Regan's veg has its own display area out on its own, with dedicated blackboards, Specially commissioned photographs, and even regular appearances by the man himself at stacking time.

These islands act as a little organic oasis amid rows and rows of self-same produce.

I asked Emma Rochford of Musgraves about this recent departure for their SuperValu stores. �To allow us to differentiate from other multiplies in the market, we have decided to work with local organic growers, bringing them into our stores and giving their product treatment in a different way.�

�We treat the local organic growers differently in that we guarantee them a particular space in the store in which to merchandise their product. This area or section will be dedicated to them. We then support them by providing the growers with complementary bespoke point of sale materials � blackboards on which to write their name and key offer, and personalised communications � so we have their image on the posters or shelf talkers, allowing locals to really identify the growers�

She continues �SuperValu recruits growers to come on board and helps to get them retail ready. The arrangements however are made solely between the individual stores and growers in question. We issue a number of guidelines or recommendations but between them the retailers and growers come to their own agreements on price, delivery dates, range of products supplied and so on. There is no fee or charge to the growers for supplying the stores.�

�They do really know what they are doing� according to Colum. �When they give you advice on how to sell more of this or that, through better use of your display area, it works�. He cites highlighting a round figure value offer on the blackboard as an example: �when you put the beetroot at a 2E deal, and put this on the blackboard, the customer really goes for it.�

It all began with Padraig Fahy and Una Ni Bhroin in east Galway in early 2009, who supplied 6 SuperValu stores in the region. Receiving various supports (e.g. grants for packaging and chilled delivery) and training, the couple initially road tested just two varieties. Now, they stock 15 seasonal lines.

According to Emma �Last year in 2010 we worked with 8 growers who supplied 20 of our stores. Our aim would be to have growers supplying 50 stores this summer. We currently expect to work with 14 growers over this summer season but are actively seeking more growers. Our aim would be to continue to grow the project year on year and to be in a position to have this initiative in 100 stores by 2013.�

According to Colum O 'Regan, the growers who supply Supervalu have started to �get together to swap knowledge informally�: �its very precise, even down to the pure agronomy of the whole thing. How do you supply a tonne of carrots every week? Two tonnes, ten tonnes, what ever it is. And at a good quality.�

Nevertheless, the numbers Supervalu are aiming for are ambitious. Already they are talking to growers who are in conversion about future opportunities.

�There are Supervalus in many towns in Ireland, and there might not be the grower there, yet, to supply to the required volume�. �But� he adds, �this sort of set-up might give them the confidence to start�.

WHAT'S ON THE ORGANIC RADAR? SEE HERE!

As Autumn starts to approach the Organic calendar begins to hot up. A few Teagasc organic demonstration farm walks remain, entries need to organised for the National Organic Awards and National Organic Week itself is being planned.

Remaining walks include field scale vegetables (August 26th Offaly) Beef, sheep, pigs, tillage, direct selling (August 31st Laois), dairying and biodiversity (September 1st Tipperary), beef, sheep, pigs, tillage (September 2nd Cavan), dairying tillage and farm shop (Kildare) and horticulture and direct selling (Galway).

(Pic: Una Ni Bhroin of Beechlawn Organic farm, which is holding an event for National Organic Week 2010)

All walks are on at 2 pm this year. This factor does make it more difficult for part time farmers to attend, which has had a bearing on numbers: last year's times were more varied.

Some of these walks are especially noteworthy. The Cavan event is on Richard Moeran's land, who also, as it happens, now supplies excellent organic poultry. This poultry is usually available at Declan McCarthy's organic mobile butcher's unit in various parts of the north west, including Cavan and Sligo farmers' markets.

Moeran is most noted, however, for his rare breed pigs. So if this area is of any interest to you, its well worth visiting his Mountnugent holding.

The last two walks have distinct direct selling elements: indeed the event on 3rd September on Peter and Jenny Young's farm, is on a holding which features a veritable A-Z of diversification, from cheese making to allotment training. In offering the latter, the couple train both farmers in offering allotments and allotmenteers in growing.

Now in their 4th year, the National Organic Awards have highlighted some spectacularly fine foods. Last year's winner, Moonshine dairies' unhomogenised milk, was and still is a fabulous product at a great price.

This year's awards have been extended to include organic horticulture growers. The announcement of the awards will coincide with National Organic Week (13th-19th September).

The award categories are: Best Organic Retail Product; Best Organic Local Product; Best Organic Export Product; Best Organic New Product; Best Sustainable Organic Product.

Each of the above five winners will then be put forward for judging for the Best Overall Organic Product. Application forms are available to download from the Bord Bia website

Also on their site, the list of events for National Organic Week itself is growing and growing. These range in size from tastings and tours to seminars and conferences. There are events on in the Nano Nagle Centre (Cork), Gortbrack (Kerry), Beechlawn House (Galway), various farmers markets and stores, and more soon to be announced.

Organic conferences are listed for both the Wexford Organic Centre and for the Hodson Bay hotel

According to Eileen Bentley of Bord Bia the aim of the week is to increase �the awareness of organic food benefits amongst core target audience� which she describes as �female, pre-family/young family.�

She goes on: �We will be doing this via a mix of activities on a national and local level, including national press advertising, bus shelter advertising, PR, on-line activities, in-store point of sale materials and funding for local producer events nationwide.�

She also makes reference to local events listed on the site and to the awards as being part of this promotional work. On the day of the awards' announcement, September 14th, �a workshop seminar for organic producers targeting the German market will also be held in Bord Bia, delivered by Grunekopfe Berlin� according to Bentley.

One element that will differ this year for National Organic Week is the promotional phrase used. Following a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland, last year's phrase 'Organic: good for nature good for you' has been dropped.

The new phrase? 'Organic farming: good for nature good for you.' The latter is OK because its an approved EU phrase, whereas the the former was adapted.

Just how the word farming changes the meaning so much is a bit mysterious. It must be all the weeding. Organic farming � helps you get fit!

For a listing of the ever expanding array of events being held forr National Organic Week, see here

Singing from the same hymn sheet: Organic Ireland(s)

In his keynote address to the recent Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA ) AGM, Minister for Food and Horticulture Trevor Sargent made all the right soundings.

He reiterated the government commitment to the �growth and development of the organic sector�.

The Organic Farming Scheme will reopen in January 2010 and the Minister also hopes to reopen the schemes of grant aid for the development of the organic sector in January.

Minister Sargent himself is one of IOFGA's 155 new organic producer applicants.

Managing the political balance nicely, when I spoke to him at the event, he pointed out that he was getting certified by both IOFGA and the Organic Trust.

�Even though my patch is probably the smallest one in the country registered as organic I am delighted with it and enjoy all of the fresh produce that it yields though small in scale�.

This small patch is in fact extremely fertile, informative and productive: you can follow its progress, from bottling beetroot to taking everlasting cabbage cuttings, here

The Minister also pointed out that, following the committment in the Programme for Government, �a voluntary non-gm label for producers is also in the planning stages.�

The most recent figures on the numbers farming organically were presented: �1,532 organic operators in Ireland with 48,911 hectares of land under organic production methods which represents about 1.25% of overall agricultural land� according to the Minister.

He also noted that �the number of applications for the Schemes of Grant Aid for the Development of the Organic Sector has increased substantially in the last two years�. Grant aid was suspended in July, as �the applications on hand had fully taken up this year's allocation�.However, �after the new estimates are decided I hope I can re-open these Schemes in January next.�

Progress in public procurement was noted: the Marine Institute has now upped its organic menu to two days per week, while the canteen in the mothership itself, Agriculture House, has committed two days per week to organic.

The minister also reaffirmed his commitment to organic horticulture, and spoke of a �deficit of expert horticultural advice� in Ireland.

This is however questionable. Hundreds of people have actually been trained in organic horticulture in Ireland over the years, far more than in any other organic farming or growing sector.

And yet very few have transferred over to being full time field scale growers, or even market gardeners.

At times, the organic horticulture training has seemed to be as much about social inclusion and self sufficiency as about ramping up production. Laudable and all as these former motivations are, there is also surely a place for the latter.

To this end, yet more efforts are being made, including the establishment of Organic Growers of Ireland, and the emphasis on organic horticulture in the programme for government. Also, the personnel on the new organic development body Foras Organach is revealing.

Padraig Fahy, organic grower and direct seller, who is actually one of those who came through Drumcollagher organic training collage, sells organic fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets in Galway and Westmeath.

Noel Groom, chair of Foras Organach heads up a major fresh fruit and vegetable wholesaler in north county Dublin.

IOFGA also announced a new board: The new chairperson is Dr. Sinead Neiland from the Organic College in Dromcollogher.

Newly elected board members are Dominic Leonard, an organic farmer in Laois; Clare O Connor owner of Manna Organic Store in Tralee and organic grower; Gillian Westbrook Research Executive from the ICSA and Kitty Scully from the Nano Nagle Centre for Ecology and Spirituality in Cork.

In Trevor Sargent, the organic sector has a Minister who understands both its needs and its motivations. From global food security to powdery mildew in his own back garden, he is on song - singing from the organic hymn sheet. Here's hoping the organic sector is in tune.

Beechlawn organic fruit and vegetable farm part 1: background

Here is an article on an organic vegetable and fruit farm in east Galway called Beechlawn. It is mostly an intro to their growth as a business. they held a farm walk last Saturday - details on the next one is at the end of this article.

Pictured on the right are the good folk from beechlawn: Una, Padraig and their two kids, Roisin and Maebh.

In the Irish Examiner next week (thur) I'll have a 'hard look at the economics of thier business' type of article. Links for IOFGA, NOTS and Merf are all over there on the left.

Of all the agricultural sectors that are underperforming in Ireland at present, organic horticulture is one of the most glaring. Rising consumer demand, trainees produced each year, and yet the numbers of full time commercial organic horticulturalists is low.

There are less than 200 licensed by the two certification bodies, and many of these have a mixed enterprise. It has been estimated that there are no more than 60 professional certified organic horticulturalists in Ireland at present.

Beechlawn Farm in east Galway, however, bucks the trend. Una Ni Bhroin and Padraig Fahy manage an ever expanding growing, wholesaling and retailing (box scheme and farmers� markets and wholesaling) enterprise.

Fresh from getting married (to each other) and Padraig�s chairing of IOFGA for two years, they have put another 8 acres into conversion, to add to their present four.

2001 was the year they started growing on half and acre, as fresh faced graduates from the Organic College in Drumcollagher, Limerick.

By 2003, their organic licence was granted, a 2nd polytunnel erected, heated propagator bought, grant received from Galway Rural Development and considerable other equipment was purchased, including a rotovator, tractor, two wheel rotovator, plough, and tiller.

2004 and 2005 saw more polytunnels, their box scheme grow, and more farmers markets be added to their repertoire.

Just last year they erected their latest polytunnel - 10,000 square feet in size � which brings their total to five, at 16,000 sq ft.

They continue to sell direct through a box scheme, and have been instrumental in not just selling at, but opening a range of regional farmers� markets. Their vegetables are now on sale at Loughrea, Athlone, Ballinasloe and Oranmore .There is also a small but increasing wholesale dimension to their business.

The couple have been full time since last year. Indeed the farm and food business has been employing people since 2005. They also take volunteers. Many organic operators do, but the scale at which they do at Beechlawn is quite something: 60 since starting and counting! They�ve had so many, in fact, that they have built a small wooden house on site for the volunteers and farm workers to stay in.

According to Una �Alex our Ukrainian farm worker is a marvellous addition to our workforce - he�s a university student with the Macra na Feirme seasonal horticultural farm worker scheme. He�s with us from March to October and at this stage he�s so well trained in he could nearly run the farm himself�.

�Eva is another gem. Eva is a volunteer who came to help us two months ago. She�s been running market stalls for us all alone giving us the space to catch up with paperwork, orders for seeds, pay the bills and whatever the hidden tasks are�.

She goes on: �We currently also have a Japaneze, German and French volunteers staying at the farm. The three of them are exceptionally helpful. Thank God for the WWOOFERS�Where would be without them?�

WWOOF is a volunteer scheme that enables people to contribute to the various activities on an organic farm.

Another great source of help arrived on their last farm walk, conducted on behalf of the National Organic training Skillsnet (NOTS). This came in the form of Merf, Dr. Charles Merfield, the affable Teagasc organic crop scientist.

�Merf spotted Red Spider Mite on the recent NOTS walk we held, and we had other pest problems too. We dealt with this and other crop issues through products from Fruit Hill Farm organic garden supplies and then a follow up of biological control� according to Una.

Beechlawn (click here for their site) Teagasc national demonstration farm walk for those interested in learning about organic horticulture. It is being held on Wednesday 17th September at 6 pm (admission free)