ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

MINA WILLIAMS

SEATTLE -- Organically grown produce is a big deal for Town Country Market here. The five-store Thriftway banner operator is broadening its fresh organics program, a move company officials said is part of a storewide commitment to offering more choices in natural and organic foods.

"The company is committed to increasing organic produce and natural foods," said Brian Feller, organic produce specialist. "We want to give people the choice of organic produce to compliment the fat-free and earth-friendly items in the main grocery aisles."

Town Country is not alone. Organics are experiencing a revival of sorts within the produce departments of supermarket operators across the country, in some cases spurred by the proliferation and apparent successes of natural food supermarkets being opened by Fresh Fields, Rockville, Md., and Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas.

However, Town Country is thinking big, and betting that organics will be a significant draw for its stores. Feller, who was formerly with Whole Foods, said that rather than following the pack by dabbling in organics, the retailer expects its organic sections to play a leading role in setting it apart.

Town Country's latest remodel, of its flagship Shoreline Thriftway store, has an organic section that can be described as extensive by any measure. It includes 100 to 150 items merchandised on 96 linear feet of wet and dry racks.

The wet rack, which uses automatic misters, is a 24-foot, three-deck unit. Two four-by-four dry racks are adjacent to the wet racks across the aisle.

"We believe that we must have the freshest produce possible and we show our customers, on a continual basis, that we can provide them with the freshest, tastiest produce possible," Feller said. "When we do that, they will buy."

Prior to the remodel, Feller estimated, the Shoreline store's organics business was probably 2% of total produce department sales.

"I expect the Shoreline store now will reach 10% within a few weeks," he said. Feller based that expectation on what he called the potential of that particular marketplace, as well as the successes that other Town Country stores operating under the Thriftway trading name have achieved with the segment.

One of the first in the group to emphasize organic produce was its Bainbridge Island location. "Considering the Bainbridge store does 25% of produce sales off of the organics racks, I think 10% at Shoreline is achievable," Feller said.

Feller added that he did not expect Town Country's foray into more serious organics marketing to cannibalize conventional produce sales, but to add to department volume instead.

"Once consumers realize that the department offers the variety and selection that it does and they see the freshness and taste the products, repeat sales will follow," he said.

Town Country is using stickers and bands on each organic produce item to ensure that the addition of so many items does not spiral out of control at the checkout.

Yellow sticky tape bands with "organically grown" written in green are placed around each vegetable, including turnips, potatoes and onions.

The company is now reworking this program to create its own graphic look and help make the items more readily identifiable by customers and store staff, Feller said. This new look includes individual hot pink stickers with a globe for items such as apples and tomatoes, and hot pink wire and paper bands for green and leaf vegetables. They were designed by Margaret Clark, organics manager at the Bainbridge Island store.

Feller said the extra labor involved in affixing the identifying stickers or bands pays off in reinforcement of Town Country's corporate identity and more accurate rings at the front end.

"The stickers and bands are unique and they help set our company apart," he said. "They are bright and easy for checkers and customers to recognize."

To get any kind of payoff from an organic program, however, it is crucial to make sure you are marketing it to the right clientele and in the right store, Feller said.

"In order to succeed with organics, retailers have to pick geographic areas that organics will do well in," he explained. "Seattle is a prime area for this sort of merchandising, because there are a lot of wealthy, more educated people that are willing and able to pay the slightly higher price for organic fruits and vegetables."

The independent is dead on target in terms of clientele, said Ed Laster, director of produce procurement at Associated Grocers, the wholesaler based here that services Town Country.

"They are telling their customers that they stock the products and service the culture that seeks organics," Laster said. He added that the retailer is well known for tailoring its stores to the surrounding neighborhoods, and its emphasis on organics serves to highlights each stores' "uniqueness"

Town Country uses another identification program to cater to its customers: country of origin. According to Feller, the type of customers who care about where the produce is grown are also likely to be attracted to organics.

"Our customers are concerned where produce comes from, and they are more apt to support local produce as well," he said. "They are concerned with what is sprayed on their fruits and vegetables." Increasing numbers of customers are routinely asking about the origin of items, and expressing a particular concern about the pesticides used on imports from South and Central America, he said.

Feller uses those concerns to promote his organic section. He keeps in the stores a current list of certified organic farms, supplied to the company by the state's Department of Agriculture.

The department also relies on in-store signs, free recipes and handout sheets on organics and other pesticide issues to help educate customers.

"Information helps our customers buy product," Feller said.

A large percentage of the organic selections are grown locally, and the store often places orders directly with nearby certified organic growers, he added.

"We support local farmers because it is beneficial to us and our customers," Feller said. "We bring in local organic produce to support the local economy and to support family farms."