Is There A Shortage Of Organic Oil Ingredients?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

It’s no surprise to hear that organic products are in high demand. So it only goes to say that organic ingredients that make up those products are in high demand too.

But can the supply keep up with this growing demand?

These big questions related to the organic supply chain are front-of-mind for many natural food manufacturers like you: Can your growing demand for organic ingredients be met? Can the supply chain keep up? And will you run into any ingredient shortages?

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Annie’s President Predicts Organic Marketshare To Grow From 4-5%-20%

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Today, the sale of organic products makes up 5% of the current food market, with the remaining 95% being conventional or non-GMO products. However, the demand for organic products has been on the rise, with growth percentages recently in the double digits.

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Non-GMO, Organic & Clean Label Product Claim Trends [Statistics]

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Today, we are going to review some of the trends in the natural food industry over the last few years.

There’s a lot of data surrounding the natural food industry showing how it’s growing. As food manufacturers, however, you’ll want to know which product claims are growing and declining and why — so that you can make educated decisions about your future product lines and how they will be marketed.

We are going to review some statistics based off of the product claims that are being used on packaging — and how the use of those product claims have changed over time. We’ll also review how natural grocery stores are growing and more importantly, why.

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The 4 Levels of Organic Food Certification

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

If you are getting your retail food product certified organic, you’ll want to figure out which level of organic certification your product will quality for and determine what your marketing/quality goals are.

There are four options for organic claims — two of them are allowed to use the USDA Organic Seal on their packaging, and two of them are not.

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Organic & Non-GMO: Competition Or Counterparts In The Healthy Foods?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

The article was originally published on FoodDive here, and was written by Carolyn Heneghan.

The industry is exploring how organic and non-GMO products are impacting sales for major manufacturers, particularly those that produce processed foods. Announcements from major manufacturers like McCormick, which has committed to transitioning 80% of its products to organic and non-GMO by 2016, and Campbell, which will begin labeling GMO ingredients and already offers organic products, have turned the spotlight back on what organic and non-GMO products mean for bigger food and beverage companies.

But how do the sales of organic and non-GMO foods impact each other? Do they grow in tandem, or does the growth of one segment stifle the growth of the other? Knowing these answers could help manufacturers decide whether they want to pursue producing organic products, non-GMO products, or neither.

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The Difference Between USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verification?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

The USDA Organic and the Non-GMO Project Verification are two distinctly different quality seals, though they both address somewhat related quality control concerns.

 

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What Does It Take To Get USDA Organic Certified?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

If you are a food manufacturer serving the natural food industry and you’re not already doing organics, you’ve probably wondered the following:

What would it take for us to get organic certified? And would it really be worth it?

I recently sat down with our Quality Control Manager and our Warehouse Manager to ask just these questions. I wanted to find out, exactly what it takes to get USDA Organic Certified. I asked questions like:

  • What is the process to become organic certified?
  • How challenging is it?
  • What can the warehouse expect?
  • What can purchasing expect?
  • How long is it going to take us?

These answers, along with an analysis of your target market, will help you answer the big question: is it worth it for your business?

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A Basic Review: The USDA Organic Seal

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

The USDA Organic Seal is the quality assurance program that is run by the United States Department of Agriculture as a part of the national organic program (also known as the NOP).

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Interview with Former Whole Foods Head of Marketing: Winning Formula for Marketing Organic Products

Posted by Michelle Lopez

Whole Foods is an anomaly.  

On the one hand, they’re a $12.9 billion company.

On the other hand, they shun traditional marketing and advertising. (Oh, except for that little “Values Matter” campaign they launched, which was estimated to cost $15-20 million!)

The big question on many marketers’ minds is: Did the Values Matter campaign work, or was it a colossal waste of money?

Furthermore, will Whole Foods’ resistance to traditional marketing put their long-term fate in jeopardy?

I reached out to Joe Dobrow, who was head of marketing at Whole Foods in the late 1990s, to get his insights on the matter. In October 2014 Joe published an excellent article detailing “several inherent flaws” in the Values Matter campaign.

In the following interview, Joe shares his thoughts on why Whole Foods has been so successful, how they could have improved the Values Matter campaign, and what it was like being in charge of marketing at Whole Foods.

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2 Restaurants Making Non-GMO and Organic Waves In Food Service

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Two fast food restaurants have made waves in the healthy food industry over the last year. Organic and non-gmo waves, that is.

Chipotle took a national stand on GMOs earlier this year, and last month, the first organic restaurant called Amy’s Drive-Thru officially opened.

Take that McDonalds!

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Top 3 Most Effective Marketing Strategies For Your Organic Products

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Branding your organic food company should be pretty simple right? People want what you have — all you need to do is tell them about it and voila! you should make sales.

In reality, however, branding an organic food company is a unique challenge. You’re selling to a niche market. Organic foods are in high demand, but at the same time, new products are emerging every day to meet consumers’ growing hunger. And often times, large national brands (with existing recognition and shelf appeal) are the ones releasing these new organic product lines.

So how do you, a small and growing organic company, compete?

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Understanding The Consumer Mindset On Organic Foods [INFORGRAPHIC]

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

If you're selling organic products, it's important to undersand why your customers want to buy organic in the first place.  This information will help you market and sell your products even better.

Don't assume that if you eat organic foods, that every consumer has the same reasons for buying organic as you do.  Healthy living, pesticide avoidance, hormone avoidance, a strong environment, a thriving economy, and lots of other reasons can all tie into their decision to buy organic.

If you're selling an organic product, you'll need to understand all the possible reasons that cosnumers buy organic and decide which relate to your business how you want to use them to market and sell your products.

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The Top 8 Reasons Your Customers Are Going Organic

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

The organic industry is steadily growing, and organic foods are holding more and more appeal to consumers that are already buying natural, non-gmo or whole foods.

There’s many different reasons that consumers choose to buy organic, and they have a wide range from personal health matters to much larger scale reasons like ecosystem or water preservation.

If you’re selling organic products (or thinking about developing a new organic or clean product line) it’s important to understand all of the different possible reasons that consumers would choose organic foods over other options that are both cheaper and more readily available.

This market research will help you connect with your consumer and ultimately be more successful at selling your brand.

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Amy’s Drive-Thru: The Nation’s First Organic Fast Food Restaurant

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Amy’s Drive-Thru, an extension of the frozen food brand Amy’s Kitchen, officially opened it’s doors on July 20th, 2015 in Rohnert Park, California, outside of San Francisco.

They serve all-american food like burgers, burritos, pizza, shakes, chili, salads, and french fries — but each with a healthy twist.

More than 95% of Amy’s Drive-Thru ingredients are organic. All are non-GMO.

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The Most Popular Organic Oils In 2015

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

It’s all about making your customers happy, isn’t it? Creating a product that they’re excited to eat and share with their friends — that’s how to your make your business successful.

This is why it’s so important for food manufacturers to stay on top of the consumer trends in the natural and organic industry. It’s the best way to give your customers what they want, and it all starts at the sourcing level.

If you’re trying to track down the right organic oil for your organic or natural food product, look no further!

Here are the top for organic oils in healthy products today. These are going to be the ingredients that are used in your competitors products and that are all over the shelves of Whole Foods Market.

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