Strategic stock: TOP 5 brands of grocery products
Cereals, flour, oil - now Ukrainians are buying them "in reserve." Groceries, which used to be just daily, have become strategic. Instant food products are in exceptionally high demand now. Organic producers demonstrated a high level here and offered compatriots a vast range of fast, tasty, and, at the same time, valuable products. In addition, in the grocery group, the markup for "organic" is minimal - only 5-7% for some items. That is, the price, for example, for organic cereals, is almost the same as for non-organic ones.
But when buying products marked "organic," the consumer receives a truly natural product. Organic grocery products are most accessible to consumers and, therefore, should become the basis of the diet for Ukrainians.
1 place Ecorod
The company "Organic Original" (Kyiv region) was founded in 2011 and is one of the pioneers of the Ukrainian market of organic products. This year, their territories were occupied, but after the liberation, the company could resume its activities relatively quickly.
They have the most extensive range of cereals. They were the first in Ukraine to start producing organic flour. The product is manufactured under the trademark "Ecorod," has a European organic certificate, and is marked with the official organic logo of the European Union - "Eurolist," which has an Organic Standard certificate.
"Ecorod" cold-pressed sunflower oil was recognized as the best organic product of Eastern Europe in 2013 in Warsaw at the Organic Marketing Forum.
The range includes: Cereals and flour (even coconut and green banana flour), honey, oils—the first Ukrainian producer of organic corn sticks. Sticks are made with various additives: freeze-dried berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) with coconut and olive oils.
TM "Ecorod" is widely represented in Ukraine in all-natural product stores and national retail chains (Good Wine, Silpo, Auchan, Novus, MegaMarket, etc.). The products are also exported to the EU.
2 place Skviryanka
TM belongs to Skvirskyi grain processing factory (Kyiv region). The plant was founded in 1931 when the history of the Skvyryanka brand began. The company exports about 40% of its products. They actively cooperate with global baby food brands Nestle, Heinz, Hipp, and Danone.
Certified organic products began to be produced in 2014 and have a certificate of compliance with EU organic standards from Organic Standard, BIO SUISSE (Switzerland), and HALAL, "Kashrot" certification.
They have 59 names of organic products: various cereals, flakes, and flour, including flour for baby food products. They are presented in all the largest supermarket chains (Silpo, MegaMarket, METRO, Auchan, Fozzy, Novus, etc.), in regional chains, health food stores, and organic shops.
3 place BiFood
TM belongs to "Terra" LLC (Kharkiv region). This is a young brand - founded in 2019, although the company has been working in the market for a long time in various directions. Produce food products for a healthy lifestyle. The products do not contain white sugar, preservatives, dyes, trans fats, and other ingredients that can hurt health.
A wide range of organic products is presented - almost one and a half hundred names. First, instant soups, porridges, and a huge range of cereals and flakes. There are also unique and original products: for example, instant corn porridge with mushrooms and coconut milk, instant buckwheat porridge with vegetables and coconut milk, instant mushroom couscous, instant onion soup, instant tomato puree soup, buckwheat porridge with blueberries and coconut milk, instant lentil flakes, instant bean flakes, etc.
The product has the Organic Standard certificate. They were widely represented in online markets.
4 place Kozub product of Organics
The TM was registered nine years ago and is owned by "DIAMANT LTD" LLC (Poltava region), which produces flakes, cereals, flour, and other products from grain and legume crops. Oat flakes deservedly receive especially favorable reviews among consumers.
In producing products, technologies of steaming, flattening, and cutting whole grain are used on European equipment. In addition to classic cereals that require cooking, the assortment includes instant cereals: oat, buckwheat, barley, rye, and corn.
Attractive mixtures of grains with the addition of seeds. Since 2013, the company has been inspected by the Organic Standard certification body every year. TM products are sold in specialized retail outlets, as well as in national and regional networks.
5th place Organic Country
The trademark belongs to "Organic Life" LLC (Kyiv). Organic products grown by Ukrainian farmers began to be sold in 2014. All farmers cooperating with the brand have passed organic certification and constantly worry about the product's quality and the condition of the land where they are grown. Farmers try to reduce the impact of their activities on the environment and have developed a unique crop rotation system. And also do their best not to disturb the integrity of the soil.
Organic Standard controls the production of products at all stages. The company's organic assortment includes over a hundred names: cereals, flour, seeds, legumes, and cereal flakes. "Fishka" - whole grains and legumes.
Presented in specialized stores of organic products and online markets.
The rating of Ukrainian organic brands/manufacturers in 2022 is organized by the Organic Initiative and Organic Standard in partnership with BrandStory with the support of Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian program "Development of trade with higher added value in the organic and dairy sectors of Ukraine" (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture ( FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland). The author(s) are solely responsible for the content of this publication. The point of view of the author(s) does not necessarily reflect the point of view of SECO, FiBL, and SAFOSO AG.
Rating formation methodology
The ranking of organic brands was formed in several stages.
Initially, a long list of 50 brands that positioned themselves as organic was compiled. Next, the availability of relevant certificates for the declared products was checked. At this stage, more than half of the applicants were screened out. It turned out that many companies falsely call themselves "organic producers" or have relevant certificates only for certain products but at the same time label all their products as "organic."
There are 30 companies left that work honestly and mark with the word "organic" only those products for which they have the appropriate certificate. Then they were ranked according to three criteria:
Volumes of production and sales - based on the study of the domestic market of organic food products in Ukraine in 2021. The sales volumes of organic production operators under the control of the certification body LLC "Organic Standard" were considered. The share of books of organic products of Ukrainian production for the domestic market of Ukraine certified by the Organic Standard is more than 95%, so this review is representative.
The estimated data presented in the study include the number of organic products sold by operators in the market of Ukraine in 2021.
It also evaluated what results the company has in the current year, 2022. After all, many people ended up in occupation, and production processes and supply chains were interrupted. Not everyone could survive such a "perfect storm," but it became apparent how trustworthy and viable the company was. However, almost all of them not only survived but were able to quickly reorient themselves, change their marketing policy and even expand their assortment.
Representation of brands in trade networks: evaluated by marketing experts based on information provided by trade networks, organic and farm products stores, and manufacturing companies.
Media and PR activity of brands: evaluated based on monitoring results. The number and quality of TM mentioned in the mass media, the number of publications, advertising, and marketing manifestations were considered; representation in social networks: an analysis of the quality of content and activity of company pages, audience reach, and engagement was carried out.
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Inna Pohorielova
Jan 12, 2023
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