Poland: New stores, more organic farmers

€143m - €155m (PLN600m - PLN650m) - this is the estimated value of the present Polish organic food market. Several hundred health food stores offer organic products, and organics can also be found in supermarkets and on eco bazars in Poland. Organic Farma Zdrowia has just introduced a new concept for their new stores, and the vegetarian chain Zolty Cesarz has expanded its network. The Organic Corner in Warsaw has earned the title "Best Organic Food Store" in Poland.Organic farms are increasing in Poland too, and - in spite of some obstacles still to overcome - the forecast for the sector is positive.

(Picture: Promoting unprocessed organic food - Michal Lachur Kolumpar / Organic Corner)

The number of stores specialised in health food in Poland is estimated at about 600, of which around 75 are located in Warsaw. The share of organic food in these outlets is50 % or more. Only a few health food stores can compete with their western colleagues, where 90 % or more organic products are offered. Organics are also sold in supermarket chains, delis and grocery shops in residential areas. An interesting phenomenon is the appearance of so-called eco bazars, where organic farmers and processors appear as manufacturers offering local and traditional products. According to Sylwester Struzyna, the president of Bio Planet, whole grains, dried fruit, legumes and oil are all readily available. Domestic organic dairy products are still hard to find, since there are just a few dairies. Garden crops in organic quality are only grown on about 1.5% of the acreage in Poland, which also results in low availability of vegetables. (Picture on left: Presenting vegetables at Zolty Cesarz, picture on right: enoying a green smoothie at the Organic Corner)
 

Organic Farma Zdrowia is Poland’s largest chain offering organics. At this point in time, about 35 stores are run by the company, and products are sold via a web shop too. They intend to operate 50 organic stores in 2016. The chain has recently introduced a new concept: a convenience shop with a bistro and a small bakery. Slawomir Chloñ, the president of Organic Farma Zdrowia, explains that they took this further step to offer customers a range of fresh organics close to their home in a convenient way. Since people are in a hurry to or from work, it should be possible for them to easily access organics.

In Warsaw’s district Saskiej Kêpie, Organic Zielone Oko (Organic Green Eye) was opened in September 2014 as the first store with this concept. Besides the offer in the shop, you can enjoy sandwiches, smoothies, vegetable and fruit juices and tea and coffee, all based on organic ingredients, in the Italian-style bistro. They focus on offering dishes at competitive prices. In the bakery, baguettes play an important role.  
 

Tradycyjne Jadlo (Traditional Food) specialises in pork sausage, made with old Polish recipes and using all natural ingredients. The company has now become part of the network of Organic Farma Zdrowia, and ten of their shops will be gradually rebranded within the next two years. They will be located mainly in Wielkopolska and offer the range known to customers of Organic Farma Zdrowia that will be expanded with varieties of deli meat.

(Pictures: Organic Farma Zdrowia, Zolty Cesarz, Organic Corner)













Zolty Cesarz (Yellow Emperor) offers organic and vegetarian products. The chain has also recently expanded its network. With the latest openings taking place in Warsaw and Bydgoszcz, the chain now runs nine stores. 

Organic Corner (see pictures) was launched in 2012 and combines an organic shop with a bistro. During the fair EcoFamily in Kielce, the shop earned the title of best Polish organic food store in a competition organised by the Polish organic association Stowarzyszenie Polska Ekologia. Organic Corner is located in Warsaw on close to 100 m² of retail space. About 500 products are offered. The offer is dominated by low-processed articles and a strong focus on superfoods like spirulina, chlorella, goji berries, chia seeds and maca.

Dishes in the bistro are prepared on site, and the menu varies according to the season. “In our bistro, about 30 – 40 people are served each day. Some take a moment to enjoy a cocktail with energetic ingredients. Others come for a soup or desert. We try to mostly use low-processed products, unrefined, and whole grains,” Michal Lachur Kolumpar, co-owner of the store, explains. Michal has a broad knowledge of his products as well as of nutrition, and gladly shares his expertise with customers. (Picture: Organic journalist Karol Przybylak, on the left, is informed on the concept of Organic Corner. Different videos can be displayed on the screen in the shop.)

So far, the share of organics amounts to 0.3% of the total food market in Poland. The country’s leading distributor Bio Planet expects the demand for organic products to grow at a rate of approx. 20% annually, which makes the organic sector one of the fastest growing sectors in the food industry in Poland. However, it remains a marginal element - according to data of The World of Organic Agriculture, Polish people only spend an average of 3 euros on organics per year.
 

In 2012, the area of organically managed land and the number of organic farms increased by approximately 10 % compared with 2011. 25,944 farms in Poland were working according to organic guidelines on 31 December 2012. So far, there are only four producer groups in Poland whose members are organic farmers. This number needs to be increased to further stimulate the sector. (Picture on left: Michal Lachur Kolumpar behind his inspiring sales counter)

Organic land amounted to 675,000 hectares, about 4 % of the total area used for agriculture in Poland. This makes Poland number 12 in the world. However, this does not translate into equally impressive production. At the end of 2012, Poland had 312 certified organic processing plants. In spite of the fact that this is a plus of 42 plants compared with 2011, a relatively large proportion of raw material still needs to be exported, and a large percentage of processed products has to be imported. (Picture: View from an airplane on Poland's agricultural structure with a lot of small fields in the western part of the country. The eastern part has more big fields.) 

Photos by Kai Kreuzer