One and Only: Single-Origin Items

JEFF WELLS

The source may be singular, but the end product represents a confluence of trends like gourmet, fair trade and locally grown.

Single-origin items have a lot going for them right now. Sourcing from such far-flung locales as Sumatra and Kenya is allowing companies to capitalize on shoppers' desire to know where their food dollars are going, and that the goods they buy are sustainable. This has helped push the fair trade industry to sales increases of 40% a year, according to data from global co-op Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International. It's also helped boost sales of origin-specific coffees, for example, to a 17% increase over last year, Information Resources Inc. data shows.

A touch of sophistication doesn't hurt, either. Now single sourcing is moving into the mainstream, and companies are promoting not just the source of the product, but the “terroir,” a term used to describe the taste profile associated with a particular region. Green Mountain Coffee, for instance, provides information about the different countries that grow its new line of single-origin brews and their different taste characteristics. African beans contain lively citrus notes, said Susan Cote, Green Mountain's wholesale marketing manager, while those from Indonesia provide more smooth, earthy tones.

“Sometimes the most unique and distinctive tastes come from getting the product from a single source, and not blending away its unique characteristics,” said Cote.

Companies are also expanding into new categories. Frontier Natural Co-op, for one, just came out with a line of single-origin vanilla beans that's sourced from three different countries, each with a different flavor identity: Uganda, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

According to Brett Karminski, the company's brand manager, single sourcing creates more of a challenge for manufacturers, especially since crop production can vary from year to year in the countries they enlist. At the same time, the process helps develop control over the quality of the product, and over time, it can build a following.