Don't Panic Go Organic

“As soon as you bite into it you can taste the difference straight away.” (Moshud Hussain on organic food)

Summary

A father and son team successfully revive business by changing to an organic stock range, consequently attracting renewed interest and support from the local community.

Background

Luthfur Rahman, father of 5, came to this country from the Sylhet region in Bangladesh 30 years ago. For the last 8 years he has been trading as a greengrocer and butcher for his local community of Shadwell in Tower Hamlets.

As a result of growing competition in the area Mr Rahman’s business, Asia Food Store was proving more and more difficult to sustain. However, with the help and support of his son and business partner, Moshud, the father and son team decided to start looking into stocking and selling organic, free range and fair trade produce.

Motivation

The stimulus behind the transformation was Moshud’s desire to try something fresh and innovative for the shop.

They began by stocking a relatively small selection of products like tea and coffee next to existing lines, to gauge local consumer uptake. After only a short while they started to see a positive response from their customers. What started off as a 6-month trial soon took off and they made the decision to go all-organic.

The shop has now been re-branded as Don’t Panic Go Organic and the store, despite its small size, is very well stocked with lots of well-known organic brands and a few unusual ones. The shop sells a range of fresh organic fruit and vegetables, and they have also started an organic vegetable box scheme for their local customers.

The uptake by customers has been very encouraging, with a steady supply of regulars. The area has typically been very culturally diverse despite being on the fringe of the City. The shop has built a loyal and regular customer base from the local Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities particularly from members of the Black and Far Eastern communities as well as young urban professionals.

Barriers

Moshud feels that some of the barriers to other BAME owned businesses following suit is the lack of awareness of the opportunities offered by ‘going organic’ and the lack of support for an organic community store from friends and families. They can be powerful influencers in all communities and as a result of not understanding changes, can oppose them.

Moshud feels that one possible barrier to the uptake of organic foods by a broader range of BAME communities (in particular Asian groups) is the cost especially considering that some BAME extended families can be quite large. He feels consumers need to be educated in how organic products are healthier and more beneficial.

Whilst speaking with some of his regular customers, Moshud was curious to find out what had prompted consumers to purchase organic foods. The response he received was that it is not a sudden occurrence – the issue was accessing organic products locally. Luckily, this is a service that Moshud is happy to supply!