How carrot farmers in Ooty get premium prices

BANGALORE: Would you pay more for a vegetable if you knew where it came from? Ooty-based farm produce supply chain company, Lawrencedale Agro Processing, believes so. Moreover, it has convinced some of largest retail giants like Big Bazaar, More, Reliance Fresh, Spencer’s, Spar and Heritage to cough up a 15-20% premium for its common vegetables, marketed under the “Leaf ” brand.

The vegetable packets, which are retailed in special “breathing” packets, are branded with a QR (Quick Response) code. Scan these using mobile phones, and you are taken to the company’s website that shows on Google Maps, the farm on which the particular batch of vegetables was grown, and even the farmer’s name.

“Some vegetables like Ooty carrots are unique and command a premium price,” said Palat Vijayaraghavan, the 49-year old founder and CEO of the Lawrencedale Agro. “QR scanning gives customers the assurance they are paying a premium for the genuine product.”

He is doing likewise with common vegetables, differentiating between hill- and plain-grown varieties.

“There is a clear difference in taste, nutritional value and overall quality. Mapping these to the exact farm where they were grown is our way of adding value to our brand,” said Vijayaraghavan.

Branding of fresh fruits and vegetables has been tried with limited success in India. Among the most successful is Safal, from Mother Dairy. Large format stores like Reliance, Big Baazar and More have their own brand of vegetables.

“The unique feature about Leaf is the level of processing we do that helps us get a premium price in an otherwise crowded commodities market,” said Vijayaraghavan.