Guest blog: RBOrganic take us through their hopes for the future of organic
One of the UK’s leading growers and suppliers of organic carrots and potatoes, RBOrganic Ltd are the sponsors of the 2024 Organic Market Report.
In this exclusive guest blog, National Account Manager Bex Goldsmith takes us through the successes and challenges of 2023 – a year where the Organic market grew 2% to reach £3.2 billion – and her hopes for the future of organic.
Circana figures from 2023 show that 20% of money spent on carrots was on organic produce.
This is reflected in the UK supermarket organic product staircase, a new piece of insight that was developed for this year’s Organic Market Report, which outlines what organic products supermarkets offer and how they are presented and bought. Carrots are often the first step onto the organic staircase – they’re an entry-level product that encourages shoppers to explore the world of organic further.
This is great news – we’re celebrating another year of providing quality food to our customers.
That’s not say it’s been easy. In 2023 we saw pressures from inflation and the cost-of-living crisis – these certainly impacted people’s food choices.
On the farms, the weather has been a challenge – we went from droughts in August to what's felt like constant rain. Our weather station at our organic farm at Houghton recorded 926mm of rain over 2023 – a big increase over the average 625mm.
But while these issues have arisen, we’ve benefitted from our collaborative approach to farming, with a number of different farms across the country.
From Houghton to Scotland, our farmers are our greatest asset. We work very closely, getting together at least once a month to discuss the best practises, how the market is behaving, and how the next 12 months are looking.
One of the great benefits of having an amazing network is the experience this brings to the business – some of our farmers have been in the business for over 30 years, which comes with vital knowledge on managing soil and weather conditions – plus, they’re working together to embrace new technologies to see how they can utilise them on their own farms.
There’s lots to be hopeful for in 2024. We've got good relationships with retailers – and we've got consumers out there wanting the product. In 2024 we’re hoping to see strong results from Organic September, and looking forward to seeing retailers engage with shoppers to push the benefits of organic.
Plus, we’re excited to see how Gen Z approach sustainability. They’re the next wave of decision-makers, and they understand the fundamental backbone of what organic means - and they're often wary of marketing techniques like greenwashing.
The world has changed so much over the past few years, and organic is changing to adapt. I often say that if you're not moving with the times, you're a sinking ship – sticking to our values has made us resilient.
All the work we’ve been doing means we can work to keep costs as low as possible – we’re very excited to spend 2024 delivering high-quality organic food to as many people as possible.
Find out more about RBOrganic on their website. To read more about the current organic market, as well as the future for organic, download Soil Association Certification's 2024 Organic Market Report, out now.