Slovenia: The organic sector is gaining ground

At the moment there are 40 organic stores, six organic supermarkets and a chain of 20 specialist Sanolabor stores operating in Slovenia. There is also an organic section in every conventional supermarket, in domestic (Mercator, Tuš) and foreign (dm, Lidl, Hofer) retailers. In addition to these, there are also at least 20 organic online stores. Almost all European brands can be found on the market.
(Picture: Entrance of a Mercator supermarket)
 

In general, ecological awareness is quite high among Slovenian consumers. Most of the credit for this goes to the magazine Skupaj za zdravje cloveka in narave (Joint health of man and nature), which is run by Sanja Loncar and Rajko Škaric. It is a free monthly magazine with a circulation of 40,000 copies. They also publish books and organise lectures that are very popular among buyers of organic products.

An important fair for the natural sector is Nature-Health (picture), which this year will take place from 17 to 20 October 2013 in Ljubljana. Last year the fair showcased 286 companies from 16 countries and it was visited by 22,000 people. The fair hosts exhibits from companies with organic products and services, but also from the natural sector. The themes of the fair are food, moving, wellness, health, natural beauty and green coexistence.

The Živa Center (picture) is run by Marjan and Miriam Korez.  It focuses on body, relationship and environmental care. The company started with education and training in 1994, and since 2004 has additionally been a wholesaler for organic products. An important turning point in the company's development took place in 2010 when they purchased business premises on the outskirts of Ljubljana. It turned out to be a step towards the holistic vision approach, which is the intersection of urban and rural culture, economic and private relations, distribution of products and services, wholesale and retail, and business and life philosophy. 
 

Wholesale distribution of organic products still remains the company's central service, which in 2011 made a turnover of 750,000 €. The new business premises offer sufficient storage space for fresh and dry produce and products, while an important acquisition is a 200 m² organic store with 2,000 organic food products, organic certified cosmetic products, cleaning products, essential oils and organic textiles. 
 

Above the store there is a hall for training courses and comprehensive presentations of new developments for business partners (see picture). Owners of organic product stores have the opportunity to see and taste new products in the Živa Center store. New store owners can also receive advice on the selection and positioning of products. The philosophy is that small organic stores are necessary, because they provide the customer with eco-education through direct contact and are also an alternative to the estranged relations customers experience in supermarkets. 
 

Quality services are the right support for selling products. The Beauty Studio is the place where workshops, services and courses on ecological hair dye, make-up and body care with certified organic cosmetics are carried out. It is also the place where owners and employees from hairdressing, massage and beauty salons can be trained. An important part of the support for end-users is free advice on skin and hair care and assistance in choosing a suitable selection of products for facial care, body products and decorative cosmetics. (Picture: Advice on make-up)
 

In the evenings, the hall is occupied with femininity - oriental dance classes led by the director Mirjam Korez and also with lectures on nutrition and alternative workshops (rebirthing, reflexology), which are led by the owner of Živa Center, Marjan Korez. They also organise guest lectures on sociological and ecological topics. They spread new ideas on urban gardening and organic, permacultural and biodynamic production of vegetables. (Picture: Živa's vertical garden)

According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, the organically managed surface amounted to almost 29,000 ha in 2012, up from 27,500 ha in 2011. The largest area of land was dedicated to permanent grassland (25,000 ha). 750 ha were dedicated to orchards and 160 ha to vineyards. The number of organic agricultural holdings increased by 13% in 2012 (compared with 2011). 417 holdings entered the system, and 98 holdings left it. The municipalities Koper and Piran have the highest number of new agricultural holdings. The biggest growth in organic livestock farming in 2012 was in poultry farming at 78% (2011: 29,558; 2012: 52,757), followed by fish at 64 % (2011: 700; 2012: 1150) and rabbits at 38% (1,014 – 1,402). After growth of 22% in 2011, the number of beehives decreased by 3% in 2012. The number of cattle and sheep remained more or less the same.