“Be the customer.”
That’s what NatureFresh Farms says is its approach to retail partnerships.
Then, “be the customer’s customer.”
“Our best customers are our best partners,” says Peter Quiring, founder of NatureFresh. “They share the same culture and hunger to be different. They understand that they need to look beyond what a customer says they want and also deliver something they need.”
More and more consumers are realizing that their health is their responsibility.
“We see a trend of the consumer being more accountable to themselves for what they put into their bodies,” says Quiring. “The biggest role for today’s accountable consumer is to eat well and live well for their sake and society’s sake. That’s it. Everything else flows from that.”
This consumer commitment drives progressive growers and retailers to be better communicators. It encourages transparency. It also encourages new ways of merchandising, such as the TomBar, a display that allows consumers to select the exact tomatoes they want from a bar similar to the traditional olive bar.
The TomBar was designed and fabricated by NatureFresh sister company South Essex Fabricating, a leading greenhouse designer and builder.
The company also is working on other merchandising solutions for retailers who are looking for inventive ways to engage their customers while delivering choice, quality and value.
According to Quiring, business should be fun. To him, it’s about collaborating with retail partners to come up with new ideas, take a few risks, try new things, improve on processes and get customers excited about eating well.
“To do that, we need to deliver clarity of information and consistency of product,” he said. “Our customers aren’t about the lowest price—and neither are their customers. At all levels, they are about the best value. And that value is best brought through all levels—the product, the package, the experience and, above all else, a confidence in the source.”
NatureFresh Farms is based in Canada and this year will open a 175-acre facility in Delta, Ohio. NatureFresh is at Booth #1218 at United Fresh 2015 now under way in Chicago.
