Vion: Positive results for butcher formula De Groene Weg
After an initially slower first quarter with an average sales index just below 100, De Groene Weg experienced robust growth in the third quarter, with a sales index of 107.1. This increase in sales was partly due to higher prices, but mainly due to an increase in the number of customers in the butchers’ shops, with a cash claims index of 106.5.
De Groene Weg has been the supplier for organic meat in the Netherlands for more than 40 years. In that time, the company, which was founded by Peter de Ruijter, has grown from a small-scale butchery in Utrecht to a company that puts high-quality organic meat on the map throughout Europe. In addition to 10 De Groene Weg butchers, spread across the country, and its own webshop in the Netherlands, the company supplies organic meat to producers across Europe.
The success of De Groene Weg is attributed to its unwavering focus on the EU organic label. This label (‘the green leaf’), subject to strict EU legislation and independent control by Skal Biocontrole, offers consumers the guarantee of organic quality from farmer to packer. The company emphasises the added value of organic meat, with extra living space and organic feed for the animals, as well as the butcher’s use of 100% organic ingredients.
Despite inflation, consumers remain loyal to De Groene Weg’s more expensive organic products. Figures show that once customers switch to organic meat, they do not readily return to non-organic alternatives. This testifies to a willingness among consumers to pay for the quality and sustainability of organic meat. Organic chicken, for instance, has an average price increase by a factor of 2 compared to non-organic meat. However, organic chicken meat is a top-3 product at all De Groene Weg butchers.
De Groene Weg is committed to further growth and, through its communications, aims to make consumers even more aware of the added value of organic meat and inspire a wider target group to make more sustainable choices. Innovative projects, such as the 'calf-by-cow' initiative, mark De Groene Weg’s pioneering role in the sector. Butchers are enthusiastic. Their butchers are doing well and the story they can tell their customers every day is right. And all with a delicious piece of quality meat.
With 10 butcher shops in the Netherlands and a growing demand for organic meat, De Groene Weg remains committed to its sustainable mission. The formula has the ambition to further expand the number of branches in the future.
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