Pot, Cook: Top 3 Organic Grocery Producers
Grocery products are a fundamental component of our consumer basket! Groats, flakes, and flour are not just daily staples for many Ukrainians; they are the cornerstone of our nutrition. These indispensable components of our diet form the basis of our daily food intake, providing our bodies with essential macro- and microelements.
However, it's important to remember that product quality plays a crucial role in our health. Organic grocery products represent the highest quality standard, guaranteeing the absence of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in their cultivation. When you choose organic products, you select the best for yourself and your family, preserving the natural flavors and benefits.
BrandStory, in collaboration with Organic Standard, has compiled a ranking of brands producing the healthiest groats, flakes, flour, and other grocery products.
Top 3 Organic Grocery Producers
1st place: ECOROD
The ECOROD brand is owned by the company Organic Original, which has been operating in the market since 2011. The company specialises in the production of flour, groats, legumes, sunflower oil, as well as organic corn sticks. It's worth noting that they offer the largest assortment of organic groatsand flour in Ukraine. Since 2019, their product line has included corn sticks made using freeze-dried berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry), coconut, sunflower, and olive oil.
The company holds a European organic certificate and uses the EU Euroleaf logo. Additionally, they are certified by Organic Standard in accordance with the Ukrainian organic legislation, confirming their compliance with these requirements. The company also possesses an ISO 22000 certificate, ensuring food safety.
The main production facilities are located in Kyiv region, an area that experienced prolonged hostilities. Therefore, the company had to temporarily suspend production for 40 days, but they resumed operations in April 2022.
Before the outbreak of full-scale war, the company exported to Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Currently, the company is primarily focused on the domestic market.
Products under the ECOROD brand are widely available in all the major national retail chains such as Silpo, MegaMarket, Good Wine, Auchan, Novus, and others.
2nd place: Skvira Organic
The brand belongs to Skvyrskyi Grain Processing Factory, founded in 1931. Since 2014 the company has been producing certified organic products.The company's production complies with the international organic standards of the EU and holds certificates from Organic Standard and also BIO SUISSE standard, Switzerland. In addition, they have obtained HALAL and Kashrut certificates, confirming products compliance with specific dietary requirements.
Their range of organic products includes 59 items, encompassing various groats, flour, and cereals, including flour used for baby food products.
Amidst the challenges posed by wartime conditions, the manufacturer encountered a variety of obstacles, including logistical issues and the need for retaining the team .
On a positive note, as highlighted by Yevhen Motsnyi, Commercial Director of Skvyrskyi Grain Processing Factory, there has been a notable surge in the interest from European retail chains regarding collaboration with the company, significantly lowering the threshold for entry on the shelf under our brand.
You can find products under their brand in almost every EU country, in the retail chains such as Carrefour, Eurospar, Auchan (Poland), MixMarkt, and other local shops.
In Ukraine, their products are available in all the leading national supermarkets such as Silpo, MegaMarket, METRO, Auchan, Fozzy, Novus, and others, as well as in health food stores and organic shops.
3rd place: Galeks-Agro
The brand belongs to the private enterprise Galeks-Agro, which was founded in 2008 and represents a vertical integration of companies (Organic Milk LLC, Organic Meat LLC , Home Chicken farming).
The main directions of the company's activities are the production of organic plant and animal products, as well as their processing into finished products for the end consumer. The company specializes in the production of packaged cereals, such as buckwheat groats, wheat groats, spelled groats, rolled oats, oat flakes, millet groats, and flour.
All agricultural products and production facilities comply with European Union organic standards and are certified by Organic Standard and BIO SUISSE, Switzerland. In total, the company cultivates over 10,000 hectares of land, which has the status of certified organic farming.
Products under the Galeks-Agro brand are available in most national chains, such as Auchan, Good Wine, MegaMarket, Fora, Velyka Kyshenia, WineTime, and many others. They are also available in local health food stores in Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Zhytomyr, and other cities.
So let's take care about our health and support Ukrainian farmers by selecting organic groceries for our meals. May these products always be available in our consumer baskets, delivering the taste and nutrition we truly deserve.
Methodology for Ranking
Production and Sales Volumes on the Domestic Market:
The primary source of information was a study of the domestic organic market within the Ukrainian food sector in 2022. The organic operators’ sales volumes were assessed. These were primarily the organic operators certified by Organic Standard (considering that over 95% of organic operators that produce and distribute organic products in Ukraine are certified by Organic Standard, these data are considered to be representative.)
Results from 2023 were also taken into account, evaluating how companies performed this year. Due to the difficulties associated with the full-scale war, some operators were occupied, while others faced disruptions in production processes and supply chains. However, many companies were able to adapt quickly, change their marketing policies, and expand their product ranges.
Presence of Brands in Retail Chains:
Firstly, the presence and availability of products in the stores were considered. Marketing experts analysed how many and what retail stores have got products of organic brands. The broader the geographical coverage of stores and chains, the higher the brand's rating.
Secondly, the brand's popularity in the stores was taken into account. The popularity and demand for the brand's products among customers in the stores were assessed. This included sales levels, customer feedback, and other factors indicating the brand's distinctiveness from competitors.
Marketing experts evaluated this aspect based on the information provided by organic and farmer product stores, as well as producers.
The Activity of Brands in Media and Social Media:
The evaluation was conducted based on the results of online monitoring. The quantity and quality of brand mentions in media and social media, overall activity, communication, as well as how well they informed consumers about current events and other details were taken into account. The activity of company pages in social media was also analysed, including the quality of content and interaction with the audience.
Transparency of companies and willingness to communicate were also considered in the evaluation of companies.
*This publication has been produced with the support of Switzerland within the Swiss-Ukrainian program "Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine" (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).
The responsibility for the content of this publication lies solely with the author(s). The point of view of the author(s) does not necessarily reflect the views of SECO, FiBL, SAFOSO AG.
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