Germany: Growth Market Bistros/Food-to-go

A one-day seminar for organic manufacturers entitled “Supplying the Growth Market Bistros/Food-to-go” was held on 28 April 2010 in Munich. The seminar was aimed at producers of organic products who also supply or would like to supply the small-scale sector in gastronomy constituted by bistros and food-to-go. Dr Wolfram Dienel from Ökostrategie Wissen & Beratung and Thomas Sadler from the consultancy biotom organised the event on behalf of the federal government’s organic agriculture programme.

The 18 participants from well known organic manufacturing companies were taken to innovative organic bistros in Munich. At Greeny’s, Sweekies and a Vierlinden organic supermarket, the group was given a tour of the facilities, followed by an in-depth exchange of ideas with the managing directors. They also visited hotspots for healthy and/or organic bistros like Daylesford Organic, Le Pain Quotidien and Manufactum. Key questions in the discussions focused on what ranges are reliable and what are trend product ranges from the manager’s point of view; what product ranges are not available or have gaps; and what expectations bistro owners have of the manufacturers and their products.
 

It became apparent that the organic bistros and their needs, in terms of the kinds of services, semi-finished products and convenience ranges, are very heterogeneous. The reasons for that are of a technical nature, as demonstrated by a portfolio graphic on varying numbers of seats, the kitchen equipment and the level of professionalism (with or without a chef). And the reasons include the issue of strategy and concept: the different formats, ranging from organic gastronomy in its pure form via hybrid gastro-retail formats to wholefood retail with a bistro, all have different pre-conditions and marketing aims.
 

Despite being in hurry, more and more customers want to have healthy food when they are eating out. A good proportion of specialist wholefood retailers also offer a bistro serving, of course, only organic food. An increasing number of bistros project a “healthy green” image. Given this situation, the exciting question for further development in the specialist bistro sector is: “just ‘green on the outside’ or genuine organic quality?”
 

Operators specialising exclusively in bistros are mostly still having a hard time in terms of consistent organic product sourcing. This was revealed by the snapshot survey carried out by Thomas Stadler in April 2010 (see below). The dynamic development of organic hotels shows that in the case of pure bistros as well, with their increasing market presence, going organic could develop into an essential quality requirement for “green” gastro positioning.

 

For the majority of wholefood manufacturers, therefore, the bistro in the specialist wholefood trade is proving to be the safest target market in the creation of bistro product ranges. This market is made up today of a cautiously estimated 35 – 40 % of the approximately 2,800 specialist wholefood shops in Germany. The majority of the specialist retailers will want to create bistros with simple technical equipment and without a professional chef. This is why they need different batch sizes, products, training and sales services than those available to canteens and pure gastronomy establishments. In Munich, the important role played by the bistro in the Vierlinden organic supermarket was clear to see (picture). The Rewe Group’s Temma, that was launched in Cologne, occupies a large area in the centre of the store and is already a hybrid embracing gastronomy and retail. Another practical seminar for manufacturers is planned for the middle of September 2010 in NKF in Cologne on the subject of the organic bistro and bistro market. If you are interested in attending, please contact Ökostrategie.

 

Trends and product ranges for organic bistro owners – the results of a snapshot survey by Thomas Sadler (biotom) Prior to the seminar “Supplying the Growth Market Bistros/Food-to-go” for organic manufacturers on 28 April 2010 in Munich, the organic consultancy biotom in Freising carried out a snapshot survey of trends and product ranges among organic bistros in Germany (with varying proportions of organics). The survey also asked bistro owners about their wishes and expectations of their suppliers, i.e. the organic manufacturers (see our earlier report). Basically, the following conclusions can be drawn: “Organic” is often not enough on its own to create a profile, or organic quality can’t be met regarding fresh food in winter (fruit and vegetables) because of supply bottlenecks (for example, in the case of spring onions). Added value like regional and/or fair, and the particular character of the products, for example the convenience level, are more in demand than ever before. Precisely this last point is important, since the concepts of bistros are highly heterogeneous. Smaller bistros have different needs from larger bistros in terms of levels of processing or batch sizes. Independent bistros have different marketing possibilities and requirements than bistro concepts in the wholefood market. When asked about their experience of manufacturers in range/product creation, the following statement sums up the replies: Direct dialogue between owners and manufacturers is mostly very limited or non-existent. For this reason, the manufacturers have expressed the wish for a coordination platform for manufacturers and bistro owners.