I normally write these blogs and then give them a title, but today is different. It started with a telephone call from Mongolia. The call was followed by an email from the caller who mentioned the two words in this blog’s title. It has made me consider what drives the sea buckthorn project at Devereux farm.
Growing any crop is a means of earning a living, but the result is tempered by the environment. Technology and management experience create a result, but the result of a year’s work is altered by global markets; speculation; global and local weather; soil; plant varieties; pests, diseases and the ability to control them. Variables which one has a level of control and a creative process that drives pride in achievement.
The objective of growing sea buckthorn at Devereux farm is to develop a crop which can be processed on farm to attract added value. Adding value raises us above the global commodity price market of traditional farming.
Added value however means creating a product not just for a market, but for a consumer.
The UK consumer is affluent and sophisticated in desire for product. The market is competitive with a huge level of choice. Taste is king, followed by value – but packaging, branding, labelling, convenience, service, trust, all drive consumers to buy. All combine into one word – quality.
There are many ways to define quality – but I believe it is how well the product delivers the consumer’s understanding of the product. It is a main driver for purchase. Good reliable quality also drives repeat purchase. So product quality has to be consistent to deliver what the consumer wants.
Quality can be defined by the benefit it can bring to a consumer. Sea buckthorn has been defined for 2000 years for its potential to provide health benefit to humans and animals. Health claim regulation prevents marketing a product with a claim unless it can be scientifically substantiated. As a farmer I know that every year crop quality varies because of variable weather and climate. Any cooking or manufacturing process again alters nutrient quality. The question is does the product perform in spite of the variation?
Having analysed sea buckthorn over the past few years, my experience is that individual nutrient levels vary. Vitamin levels rise and fall. But it is not these individual nutrients that matter. It is the cocktail of nutrients and their synergy together that delivers health benefit quality. The National Health Service advises that a balanced diet will deliver all the essentials the body needs. This is absolutely true, but in an age of lifestyles on the move, changing eating habits, and foods of variable nutritional quality – supplementation is still hugely popular.
Reading market trends for 2016 I think of the issues to do with quality, the consumer and how these relate to sea buckthorn. Number one: the pressure on reducing dietry sugar content is also seeing the trend for sour taste to be big in 2016. The natural sourness derived from sea buckthorn vitamins and amino acids packs a natural punch in nutrients. As an ingredient the provision of natural nutrient over fortified is also popular. Provenance delivering quality of product ( freshness, consistency of taste, etc) linked with sustainability as a responsible supplier is gaining importance. This something that small brands with good identity can capitalise upon. So all that together makes me feel that 2016 is the year for this European superfruit to make a splash in the market.
The market is looking good for sea buckthorn but the key issue for Devereux farm is delivering added value. The consumer wants consistent quality. By growing the crop one learns how to define quality. Managing plants, choosing varieties, pest control; soil management – all influence taste and appearance. Storage and processing technique impact on nutrient quality. Gaining knowledge by experience takes time. Appreciation of quality and how to deliver it to market becomes key when thinking about sourcing sea buckthorn globally. Sea buckthorn is a plant of many sub-species and environments. All can deliver specific quality to match specific requirement but capturing and delivering that quality is what will inspire the market and create loyal custom.
So my philosophy is that this is a long game – similar to farming, but the strategy has to be to define deliverable quality to ensure that the long games returns the added value that the farm is looking for.
