Opinion: Valerio Simonetti
As Organic September begins Valerio Simonetti, managing director of Mr Organic, writes about his route into the world of organic food, from an inherited tomato farm in Italy to the shelves of UK retailers.
Organic food has always been a part of my life. When I inherited the tomato farm in Pontinia, Italy, I knew I wanted to launch my own plant-based, organic Italian brand. Italians have a strong passion for good quality food. With the farm being passed down from three generations of tomato producers, I grew up in an environment where I naturally gained a passion for tomatoes. I have a holistic outlook on life and believe that we should do things in a way that is respectful to the planet and our health. For me, launching Mr Organic made the most sense.
When I first inherited the farm, it was an adjustment. It happened when I was just 29 years old; there was a lot I had to pick up and I had to do it quickly. However, being thrown into a role with so much responsibility inspired me to do more. I started using the Italian tomatoes to make organic tinned tomatoes, passata and purée. Then I decided to hire a chef, Andrea, who developed the recipes for our pasta sauces and pestos. Ever since then, he has been in our on-site kitchen after harvest, making some of the UK’s best-selling Italian organic pasta sauces. The ideas flowed from there; we released flavoured passatas and purées, made our own ketchups, and even award-winning baked beans in an Italian tomato sauce.
One of my goals is to be able to offer as many organic products as possible
Using the tomatoes on my farm to make all Mr Organic’s Italian organic tomato-based products sparked more drive to widen the range. One of my goals is to be able to offer as many organic products as possible so that people have the option to eat high quality, organic food. I found myself being drawn to producing organic beans and legumes, plant-powered ingredients that are naturally high in protein, tasty and have a low carbon footprint. Of course, with any organic product it will be better quality than conventional, and I wanted that to be obvious to the customer. I brought in our very own bean connoisseur, Giovanni, also known as Mr Bean. He has 30-plus years of experience working with beans and legumes and has been a great addition to the Mr Organic family, helping us produce 23 different SKUs, including bean-based soups.
Over the last 15 years, Mr Organic has grown and I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve. We now have more than 120 products in our range, creating more availability of organic and plant-based products.
However, even though we have so much to offer, one of the biggest challenges has been getting customers to understand the importance of buying organic. When Mr Organic first launched, there was less interest in organic. It has improved since then, but I still feel like the education in the UK is not as strong as it could be. We have seen some scepticism from mainstream UK supermarkets about organic products, and I think that we need additional support from them to motivate people to eat good, honest, organic food. It would be beneficial if more retailers could commit to increasing their organic offer to make organic products readily available. Of course, we are grateful to some retailers who have decided to push for organic, but it all ties into the bigger picture of everyone working together to make improvements for the planet and our own health.
from a producer point of view I can understand why organic is slightly more expensive
The last few years have been difficult for everyone, with the pandemic and then the aftermath with the cost of living crisis. It is harder to get people to justify the price difference during times like these, but from a producer point of view I can understand why organic is slightly more expensive. We have a smaller yield of production, stricter certification processes and more things can go wrong. For younger generations it seems like they are aware of these factors, and they are willing to put the planet and their health first, no matter the cost. At Mr Organic, we want to motivate people to buy organic not only because of the benefits, but also because it tastes delicious. At first, it can be hard to convince shoppers to purchase a more expensive product, but the great thing about organic food is it tastes as good or better than conventional, without the added chemicals or detriment to the earth.
It is refreshing to see younger people gain an interest in organic food, helping to shift consumer demands. Hopefully, as time progresses, more people will be educated and supportive of the organic industry. With Mr Organic being one of the leading organic brands in the UK, we will keep encouraging further education and working towards expanding our organic offer so that customers can look out for themselves and the planet.
By Valerio Simonetti, managing director, Mr Organic