Grow-cers feed hungry market
Self-contained units for fresh produce sprouting in stores
Grocers are starting to sell plants in miniature greenhouses.
Gardens on rooftops, vertical farms close to stores — some are even selling gardening equipment to gardeners shopping for food. The farm is essentially merging with the food retail spaces we roam as consumers. Quite interesting.
We are slowly witnessing the rise of the grow-cer, if you will.
For years, customers just believed in the myth that food magically shows up at the store. COVID got many to think differently about supply chains.
Food is grown, produced, transported, packaged and retailed. With the addition of new “farm gate” features for city dwellers, grocery stores are slowly becoming the gateway to an entire world most of us rarely see.
Sobeys is a recent example of what is going on. The No. 2 grocer in Canada recently signed a partnership agreement with Germanbased Infarm to get greenhouses into outlets. Infarm units were installed last year in British Columbia but can now be found in many locations across the country.
Infarm units enable Sobeys to offer fresh herbs and produce that is grown hydroponically, which requires 95 per cent less water, 90 per cent less transportation and 75 per cent less fertilizer than industrial agriculture. No pesticides are used, either.
Available produce grown inside the store includes leafy greens, lettuce, kale and herbs such as basil, cilantro, mint and parsley. Expansion plans include chillies, mushrooms and tomatoes. The growing cycle for most of these averages five weeks.
While Sobeys does not have to worry about infrastructure and extra capital to change the allure of a store, it can also get rid of these miniature vertical farms if proven unpopular or unnecessary. So it works well for Sobeys and the consumer.
Other grocers have decentsized vertical farms inside stores or close to them.
GARDENING BLOOMS
The gardening rate in Canada has gone up by more than 20 per cent since the start of the pandemic last year. For consumers, growing their own food was about pride and taking control of their supply chain in some way. For others, though, gardening remains a luxury due to a lack of space or time.
Since a trip to the grocery is inevitable for most of us, grocers are bringing the farm to the store so consumers can have the farming and retail experience all at once.
Before COVID, farmers desperately tried to get closer to city dwellers so their work could be appreciated. Campaigns over the years brought mixed results.
Farming is still largely misunderstood by most. Debates about genetically modified organisms and the use of chemicals have also divided urban and rural communities.
City dwellers have always respected farmers and the hard work they do. But many consumers looking for natural and organically produced goods have grown leery of farming, in general. This has attracted the attention of environmental groups opposed to many agricultural practices.
Grocers are starting to realize that bridging two worlds under one roof can help elevate their roles as ambassadors to an entire supply chain. Farmers cannot be replaced, of course, but they cannot be in stores either.
IMAGE POWER
Seeing pictures of farmers on packages and posters is what we saw for years. It was nice, but it was not real. The hard work, and everything else that comes with farming, can only be properly conveyed when visiting a farm or working on one for a while.
But the grow-cer brings the imagery of farming in retail to a new level. Grabbing a living plant, or produce off a living plant, is certainly real and increasingly valuable for Canadians longing for local and freshness. It just cannot get more local than when it is grown inside the store.
For grocers, COVID eliminated many rules. Every business played a part. While grocers sold food, processors manufactured the food and restaurants provided readyto-eat solutions. Eliminating lines between sectors was already happening, but COVID just blew up the lines completely.
Grocers are becoming brokers, connecting different functions of the supply chain. Farming now connects with retail. Restaurants are selling meal kits through grocers’ apps. Food brokering for grocers is the next frontier for growth.
Whether it will last is unknown, but grocers are embracing the fact that they have the privilege to interact with consumers every day. That privilege, now more than ever, comes with the responsibility of showing the true value of food by becoming knowledge brokers. If it means growing food in stores, so be it.