British carrot growers are teaming up to launch a new campaign aimed at getting UK shoppers buying more organic.
Under the banner “British Organic Carrots – Working with Nature,” the group hopes to kick-start British carrot consumption by growing tastier, sustainably grown carrots for sale across the country.
Spearheaded by producers RB Organic, a division of Produce World, the initiative will launch in September accompanied by social media, print and video promotions. Food celebrity Kerstin Rodgers has already signed up to host an organic carrot-themed supper club.
Organic consumption in Britain currently lags behind its European and American counterparts, with organic carrots making up just seven per cent of the supply.
Andrew Burgess, chairman of RB Organic, said he was inspired to grow organic to improve the taste of carrots. With a team of organic growers from across the country, he hopes the organic varieties will put the focus on flavour as well as the environment.
“We are extremely excited about making this extensive new investment for organic carrots. In the UK, we are ever more aware of shoppers wanting great-tasting food of the highest quality. Promoting organic carrots will encourage more people to eat delicious, healthy food, and we hope it will add significant value into the category in the process.”
Burgess said they hope the campaign will have a “halo effect” for the carrot industry, targeting year-on-year growth in organic carrot consumption as the goal of the campaign.
With the help of marketing company Red Communications, the initiative is also reaching out to retailers and will target the dining sector by holding educational demonstrations organised for students in some of the UK’s leading chef’s colleges.
Joe Rolfe, head of farm and supply chain for RB Organic, added: “This campaign will communicate to consumers what organic farming is all about, demonstrating the unique and innovative techniques we use to manage our crops effectively, and how these enable us to produce the very highest quality, safest and best-tasting carrots available.”
