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Allegation: Product copy - Lemonaid against Lidl

by Katrin Muhl (comments: 0)

Lemonaid vs. Lidl
Lemonaid vs. Lidl-Limo – from the Social-Media-Kamapgne of Lemonaid. © Lemonaid

Paul Bethke, founder of Lemonaid, has written an open letter to Lidl CEO Jesper Højer in which he accuses the discounter of consumer deception. Among other things, Bethke writes:

“Today, our lemonades are being sold in many bars, cafés and supermarkets. Not at Lidl. As of late, a copy is offered there, however. Same look – completely different content: not organic, not fairtrade, instead lots of sugar, colourings and acidifiers - zero social contribution. But because your lemonade looks like ours, consumers have proven that they believe - It is clear that they are doing something good by buying the product. With the copy of LEMONAID you can adorn yourself with our values, which you are not entitled to. You are currently deceiving customers who want to make a social contribution with the purchase. You are responsible for this. Possibly ignorantly, but from now on at the latest knowingly. Lidl's corporate principles state:  'As an international trading company Lidl has a great responsibility for people and nature (...). That is why we have set ourselves the goal of to become Germany's most sustainable discounter.' We have the simple wish that you implement your own statutes. However, this is not achieved by deceiving benevolent customers.”

Background is that the German discounter is selling Lidl-Limo, the product presentation of which looks confusingly similar to that of Lemonaid. For Lemonaid-founder Bethke, the matter is clear: Lidl has copied his drinks – “and this in bad way. What at first glance looks like our fairtrade lemonades made from 100% natural organic ingredients, are drinks with a list of ingredients like from the laboratory,” the company Lemonaid states on its website.

What Lidl says about Lemonaid's accusation:

At the request of bio-markt.info, Lidl’s press office informs: “With the design of our product, we have responded to the customer's wish for a modern, attractive packaging, and on the bottle we clearly declare the ingredients used.” The lemonade is a promotional product that was available for a limited period in some regions of Germany in mid-July and is no longer available. Lidl did not answer the question of which ingredients had been used for the soda pop.

Lemonaid: Social media campaign against Lidl-Limo

On its social media channels, Lemonaid shows the differences between the social original and the supposed Lidl copy:

Hashtag #lidlklontdich

By using the hashtag #lidlklontdich (English: #lidlclonesyou) Lemonaid calls for “comrades for a fair economy” to tell Lidl what they think. Some reactions from Twitter and Instagram:

 

Via Twitter Bio Company, a German organic retailer, also shows its disapprovement of Lidl's alleged copy of Lemonaid by holding signs saying "Pretty cheap, Lidl!":

 

Honey Works, a German Content Campaigning Agency, posted the following text on Instagram: "Together with our friends from @lemonaid, we have created a social media campaign to draw attention to the cheap Lidl copy. LIMO by Lidl is neither organic nor fair, nor does it support social projects. Pretty unfair."

 

About Lemonaid

The Hamburg-based beverage manufacturer Lemonaid Beverages has been producing sustainable lemonades and iced teas since 2009: Lemonaid and ChariTea. The ingredients are organically grown and, according to the company, are produced by and bought from smallholder cooperatives all over the world.

 

Voelkel BioC
Voelkel BioC © Voelkel




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