“If we compare our weekly sales this year to those from a year ago, they are 30 to 40 percent higher now,” said Madjid Aidh of Alterbio. “It's not because there are 40 percent more shops that sell organic, but because there are 40 percent more customers walking into stores to buy organic.” Consumers are becoming more accustomed to seeing organic produce, and they are more willing to pay premium prices for those products. But while the cost is higher, Aidh posits that the choice to buy organic may signal a preference of quality over quantity, so consumers are willing to pay more.
“It's really a new dimension,” said Aidh. “We have no choice but to go bigger than we previously thought we could. You see places like Scandinavia, which was one of the areas that bought the most organic produce, and they have increased their buying even more.” Alterbio has had to ramp up their production significantly to keep up with demand, and last year they grew over 3,000 tons of organic sweet potatoes, which makes them one of the, if not the, largest producer of organic sweet potatoes in Europe. With that production, they'll be able to supply the European market with organic sweet potatoes throughout the entire year.
“Our biggest challenge now is to face the demand for organic products while still keeping our values,” said Aidh. “It's not just about meeting regulations, but it's about the relationships between man, his fellow man and the soil. You can grow organic products that meet organic standards, but if you compromise your values, then you lose. We believe the challenge is to keep our values, and we are doing it.”
For more information:
Madjid Aïdh
Alterbio
Email: m.aidh@alterbio.com
www.alterbio.com