The Ethical Fruit Company

"Pretty much in line with the rest of the organic industry, we saw a decline in sales in 2009 and 2010 and 2011 is set to also be a challenging year. "

Adam Wakeley tells us more...

Company profile

Starting in 1985 the business has always been one of the pioneering organic companies in the UK. Originally an organic fruit, veg and salad business, today the company specialises in just organic fruit, as our customers want specific product expertise and knowledge.

Working with approximately 80 growers in 20 countries, the business sells approximately 2 million cases of organic fruit a year to a range of customers across the UK. In the last 4 years we ventured into farming ourselves as we were unable to source English fruit for our customers and now produce 500 tonnes of our own apples and pears on two farms in Herefordshire.

This year we received a top score award from The Ethical Company Organisation.

How has the last year been for your business?

Pretty much in line with the rest of the organic industry, we saw a decline in sales in 2009 and 2010 and 2011 is set to also be a challenging year. The current and predicted economic conditions will undoubtedly play a part in consumer decision making, so we need to ensure we consistently deliver a value added message to what we do, ensure price points are attractive and that quality is always paramount.  

What do you think are the key challenges of today’s organic market?

The organic message has been diluted over the last few years to merely represent pesticide free (fruit) yet there are other significant benefits that organic farming delivers that the consumer is still not aware of. A high proportion of the population actively avoids organic products yet would potentially purchase if they knew the whole story.

What needs to change in the organic industry to address these challenges?

As an industry we have failed to communicate the whole range of organic benefits. Trying to do this generically is difficult although the ‘Why I Love Organic’ campaign is giving it a good go. But ultimately we all have to take responsibility for communicating the benefits of our own products, to our own consumers, in our own ways. Additionally we need increased credible scientific evidence as to the benefits and we look to the Soil Association to lead on this.

What does the future look like for your business?

We have just re-branded to become The Ethical Fruit Company and have launched our own brand called ‘The Ethical Food Company’ which will communicate these additional benefits on pack. We’ll be auditing our suppliers to a new higher ethical standard and ensure that only those growers who attain this level can supply product for this new brand. Needless to say that being organic is the entry point for this. Once we have rolled this out across our own range of products, we will consider strategic partners, who also demonstrate the same high level of ethics, to supply into the brand so consumers can purchase a diverse range of products.

Find out more about The Ethical Fruit Company at www.ethicalfruitcompany.co.uk