After ten days of systematic investigation and communication, I really like the organic agricultural production and sales system in the United States, which is simple and generous and can enter the ordinary households.
Standardized and efficient organic agricultural production
Production will always be the cornerstone of organic systems. We visited Mcgrathfamilyfarm, a medium-to-large organic farm where many varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown.
Farmers, the Fill family, came to California in 1867 to operate their farm and are now in the third generation. The farm covers an area of more than 3,000 mu (500 acres), and the crops currently planted include strawberries, tomatoes, watermelons, horned melons, a variety of beans, large thistles, broccoli, dandelions, corn, sorghum, raspberries, etc. some poultry.
The farm is certified organic and all farming is done organically. The farm employs 20 people, of which 15 are engaged in farm work, and 5 are responsible for sales and transportation. The farm has its own nursery room, and there is an organic shop at the entrance, which mainly sells organic produce from the farm and nearby farms.
Their farms seem to be well-organized, with systematic planning and layout, and the farm's variety arrangements, sowing, fallow, and rotation are all well-arranged. There are only 15 people working on the 3,000-mu farm, and its production management system is really admirable.
Compared with domestic ones, I have also visited many farms. Generally, 15 people can manage a maximum of 300 mu of farms with multiple varieties of organic vegetables and fruits, and the management is relatively extensive. I often say that domestic farms are actually small and rough, and it is rare to see small and beautiful, small and fine. Behind this kind of small and rough in China is the lack of production management system, the lack of agricultural machinery suitable for small farms, and the result of the reaction of market uncertainty.
Extensive and hierarchical retail system
In order to explore the sales of organic products in the United States, we visited three representative supermarkets, namely TRADERJoe's, an organic supermarket specializing in communities, Walmart, the world's largest supermarket chain, and COSTCO, a large warehouse supermarket.
TraderJoe's is an upscale community organic food chain headquartered in Monrovia, California, USA. TraderJoe's chain stores purchase directly from farms and producers all over the world, without intermediaries or agents, all products use TraderJoe's own trademark, the core of their differentiated competition strategy is "provide novelty, hard to find elsewhere at reasonable prices" delicious food".
In the store, we can't find the large-scale industrialized goods such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, etc. that fill the shelves of other supermarkets, so TraderJoe's is sought after by the middle class who see industrialized food as garbage. At TraderJoe's, we see a lot of organic vegetables and fruits, the price is only 20~50% more expensive than non-organic ones, so many people choose to buy organic food.
The Walmart store we examined is located in West Covina. Walmart supermarkets also sell organic food, and the price is about 20-50% higher than the non-organic products in the store.
COSTCO is the founder of membership-based warehousing and wholesale club. In addition to a large number of commodities, there are many special services and privileges for members. There are many kinds of COSTCO organic products, and the price is about 30~50% higher than that of non-organic products.
The three supermarkets have different formats, but organic agricultural products are the main categories, and the prices are not high. They are only less than 50% more expensive than similar products in our store, which provides a lot of choices for different groups of people to choose organic products for consumption. The domestic organic food production and sales system is still in its infancy. General supermarkets do not have machine counters. Although high-end supermarkets have machine counters, they have few varieties and high prices. Therefore, the current situation of domestic organic products is that it is often said that it is difficult to buy and sell. , organic food is priceless.
Admirable professional organic supermarket Whole Foods
When you go to the United States to investigate organic food, you can't go to Whole Foods. It is said that Americans have a religious reverence for "Whole Foods". Whole Foods is the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods. On June 23, we came to visit Whole Foods in Pasadena, a luxury villa area in Los Angeles.
As soon as we walked into the Whole Foods supermarket, we were shocked by the colorful three-dimensional art display of products. The vegetables here are neatly stacked and placed on the shelves of the open fresh-keeping cabinet. The cabbage and radishes are standing one by one, and each celery is facing the same direction. The whole display is as pleasing to the eye as art. The lighting in the store is soft and is said to be a reference to the lighting design of the gallery to highlight the attractive color of the food. In the words of one operator, it is to use lighting to "make the most of the beauty of the food", making people drool and forget about the price.
Because it is said that "Whole Foods" is positioned as a high-end product in China, we paid special attention to the price of the products, and found that the prices of the main categories of "Whole Foods" are only 20-30% more expensive than the prices of similar organic products in Walmart supermarkets, and each product has an ID card. There are also nutrition facts. Cinty, the manager who introduced us, specially told us about their health concept, and was proud to tell us that their health label has become the consensus of American consumers on safe, healthy and good food.
With the introduction of Cinty, we noticed that Whole Foods is very popular in fast food, and in addition, Whole Foods has a member entertainment area where members can meet in their "Happy Hour" area. The "whole food" experience is really a full range of beauty enjoyment, from the eyes, nose and mouth to the soul.
"Whole Foods" supermarkets not only have all kinds of food, but also natural and organic health products, detergents, and organic cotton clothes, shoes, etc.;
During the hours I spent visiting Whole Foods, I was always full of respect. "Love and Dignity" are written all over the supermarket. Respect for food, love for consumers, and wholehearted care for people and the environment are our role models. Many people have asked if there is a similar Whole Foods supermarket in China soon. I think it will be difficult in the short term because there is no such extensive production and consumption soil.
Happy 626 night market, organic food also shines
DTLA (626) Night Market in Los Angeles is a new type of night market model, operated by the US team of 626 Night Market, the largest Asian-style night market before. DTLA (626) Night Market has more than 200 stalls selling many local specialties and snacks, as well as daily necessities, handicrafts, arts, games, music and entertainment. The organizers arranged for up-and-coming independent artists to show their talents on the spot.
When my friend introduced the 626 Night Market to me on Kaiwen Road, I didn't take it seriously, even a little absent-minded, especially when I parked the car, I had to pay a $20 parking fee, and when I entered the door, I also had to pay a $10 ticket for each person, and there was a security check. . However, as soon as I stepped through the door, I was immediately attracted by the hot scene inside. It's almost 23 o'clock, and the night market is still full of people, like a Chinese New Year temple fair, which is incredible. We involuntarily merged into the heat, and our footsteps naturally followed the rhythm of the music with dance steps. We were very relaxed physically and mentally, looking around like children looking for delicious and fun food. As a professional habit, I look everywhere to see if the products on the booths have organic logos, and many of the products at the booths are organic.
Being able to enjoy such a popular night market in the United States, we have been unable to calm down for a long time. Recalling that many markets in China are crowded, what is the reason? Compared with the 626 Night Market, our market is too simple, too empty, too boring and too quiet.
Marketing needs atmosphere and popularity. As a market, there can never be a lack of happy elements. The attraction of 626 Night Market is not the product, but the delicious taste and happiness. In such a noisy night market, there are also many organic products for sale, which shows the popularity of organic consumption in the United States.
Farmers' market brightens life in small Danish town
Solvang, a small town in Santa Barbara County, California, has about 5,000 permanent residents, two-thirds of whom are of Danish descent. In 1911, several Danish educators expanded the land to build houses, and immigrants from Denmark and other places later settled here. In this fairy tale town, the farmers market has to be seen.
Organic Farmers' Market promotes farm-to-table - "You are what you eat". The wealthy Santa Barbara leads the United States with a high ownership rate of personal chefs and personal butlers, and locals particularly favor healthy and environmentally friendly organic food. Whenever the farmers' market is open, the city government will set up a barrier on a main street in the city center and erect a no-traffic sign. Whether it is early morning on weekends or evening on weekdays, everything must make way for the market. At the scene, there were also staff holding signs with "STOP" characters, leading people entering and leaving the market to cross the road, just like the formation of primary school students after school, which is very cute and caring.
Each farmer's sign reads "only one day from the fruit tree to your table". There are refrigerated trucks parked behind many stalls. There are also potted vegetables and flowers in the market. The flowerpots are all natural and can be planted directly in the soil. The farmers are all from nearby farms within dozens of kilometers, and they go to the market to sell every week, which has become their main sales channel. Some of their products are certified organic, some are not certified, and those who are not certified also introduce themselves as organically grown, and the quality is very good. Because they are all local consumers, they know the basics and trust each other. Even if there is no certification, the price is similar.
Consumers coming to the market every week has become a part of their lives. Although the price is about 50% higher than comparable non-organic products in supermarkets, the freshness and good quality are loved by consumers. In a quiet town, the weekly market brings them not only fresh and high-quality products, but also a lively, popular and natural life. Organic consumption is the biggest feature of American farmers' markets.
In China, organic farmers' markets are mainly located in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and other cities. Except for a few markets that are relatively popular, most of the markets are high and low. I think farmers' markets can also be done in medium-sized cities in China, but the quality must be high, the price should not be too high, and more consumers must be happy to participate and become a part of life.
Fresh food e-commerce masters regional marketing
New farmers in China are particularly fond of fresh food e-commerce. We visited "Organic Pie", a company located in the Eastside of Los Angeles that sells and delivers organic fruits and vegetables online.
"Organic Pie" cooperates with major organic farms and suppliers in and around California. On the website of the organic pie, you can order the set, or you can directly call the customer service number and have the customer service staff help you order. Freshness is the promise of "Organic Pie." In the early morning, after fresh fruits and vegetables are picked from the farm, they are transported by refrigerated trucks, and can be delivered to customers' homes that night or the next day. Organic is also the promise of "organic pie." The partners of "Organic Pie" all have organic certification issued by the United States Department of Agriculture USDA, which guarantees 100% organic. Fresh e-commerce such as "Organic Pie" has become a supplement to the organic agricultural sales system in the United States.
Contrary to the loss-making operation of China's fresh food e-commerce, the "organic pie" is operating well. The main reasons are as follows: first, they do not need to spend all their money on the issue of "trust", consumers trust organic certification; second, they only do regional sales within 50 kilometers, and it is easy to achieve the ultimate in quality control and customer development services . Third, the positioning is accurate, the communication is effective, and there is no need to spend time and effort in writing stories.
Authentic Berkeley Organic Restaurant
As an important consumption place, the restaurant cannot be ignored. We checked out ChezPanisse, an organic French restaurant in Berkeley. Restaurant founder Alice? Waters is recognized as the "farm-to-table" movement (farm-to-tablemovement) originator, and in 1971 founded the ChezPanisse. More than 40 years later, ChezPanisse remains committed to working with organic, sustainable producers for fresh, local, seasonal delicacies.
Alice Waters was named one of the 2013 "Organic Pioneers" recipients by the Rodale Institute. Waters has served as the Vice President of Slow Food International since 2003. Slow Food International is a non-profit advocating localized, artisanal traditional eating with more than 100,000 members in 130 countries. Waters has published eight books, including The Art of Simple Food: Notes and Recipes from a Tasty Revolution, and In the Green Kitchen: Skills Learned by Mind, among others. ChezPanisse was named the best restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine in 2001. Good food is penetrating, the restaurant is full of guests, and it usually takes two weeks in advance to get a seat.
During the ten-day trip to the United States, I saw some important nodes in the organic agricultural chain in the United States. From these nodes, we can see that the organic chain in the United States is very mature. Their production and sales mechanism is standardized, their marketing is very precise, and their consumers are more rational, so the industry can achieve a virtuous circle.
During the tour, I hardly saw the luxury packaging, nor did I hear a story other than the farmer's safe production. A simple, generous and effective organic system is an organic system of sustainable development. A standardized large agricultural system can also do a good job in organic agriculture, and "meat eaters" can also become good consumers of organic food, which makes us full of hope for the future of the organic industry.
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