The Beanstalk of Organic Box Programs

Ralph Martin, Ph.D.

Box programs for organic food are usually considered to be an alternative to large impersonal super markets with their associated marketing systems. Thomas Harting is an organic vegetable farmer in Denmark who started such a box program with 60 customers about 6 years ago. He provides customers with a box of organic vegetables every week and they pre-pay for the service on a monthly basis. Customer relations have always been a high priority for Thomas and his customers appreciate the personal attention.

The program showed strong potential for growth as more people approached him to join the program. He made a decision to ride the wave to see how far it would go. It went far and this year is his first with less than 100% growth; it has slowed to 80%. Now there are 28,000 customers and over 50 Danish farmers providing organic products. His company, Aarstiderne means "the seasons" and provides organic food to customers in each of the four seasons. For those who want only local food, a "dogma box" is provided. For a premium, a customized box is available and in total there are 15 options. Some products are imported in the winter.

When talking to him, I expressed reservations about maintaining personal contact with so many customers. Thomas promptly replied that he has a call centre with 23 full time-employees that respond to all inquiries. Aarstiderne still includes a newsletter in boxes and provides recipes and advice for storing vegetables. A satisfied customer told me that his family looks forward to surprises that are shipped in at least once every month.

I confess to having at least 1 glass of wine when Thomas and I chatted over a great organic meal. Nevertheless, the facts noted here are accurate. Maybe it was the wine that induced images of a huge organic beanstalk as I listened to Thomas describe the box program that grew.

Ralph Martin, Ph.D., P.Ag., is Director at the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada and may be reached for comment or questions at 902.893.6679 or via email at rmartin@nsac.ca