The Saga of an "Organic" Food Product

So, one really hot afternoon, after going through the malls with a fine-tooth-comb, looking for some decent clothes my size, I give up and decide it's time to quench my thirst. I walk up to this juice counter that is in the shape of an orange.

Me: Hi, do you have fresh fruit juices?
Counter Guy (CG): No sir, but we have better than that. We have [brand-name-I-cant-recollect] “naturals”.
Me: Oh, what is that?
CG: Sir, it is a new product that we launched few weeks back. Try it out sir. Natural is good for your health .. blah .. blah ..
Me: Oh that's great. But don't you have plain old orange juice made from real oranges?
CG: No, sir. You see, this is better .. this is completely natural – no chemicals, no preservatives .. .. yada .. yadaa ..
Me [cutting him short]: So, your company has invented some organic formula for orange which is more natural than orange itself?
CG: No sir, but this juice here is natural and does not have any artificial flavors. It is organic and it is good for your health. Also, sir, this is a best-selling product. You can see how popular it is by looking at the queue behind you.

Sure enough, when I turned, I saw about a dozen people lining up to have this “organic” and “natural” juice. The question of what can be more natural than fresh orange juice is of zero relevance for these people.

That's when I realized you can sell anything to the urban crowd by labelling it as “organic” or “natural”. Anybody wanna join me in venturing into the “natural synthetics” business?

9 comments to The Saga of an "Organic" Food Product

  • I had almost a similar experience at a mall in Gurgaon.
    I didn't try the juice. Did you?
    It is all about marketing and establishing a brand.

  • Anonymous

    Haha...so true!! Here in the US too, in every mall you'll find 10 racks of 'organic' stuff, and just a rack or two of fresh, and I can't understand why!
    And yet, what with all the chemical fertilizers and pesticides, how natural and fresh our natural products are, one can only guess...

  • Haha... how common this scenario is. Seriously, just try and find some place that will sell fresh carrot juice in our urban cities, let alone organic. it's damn near impossible. How easy it is to get our city folks drool over whatever the crap may be by using adjectives thick, sweetened perfectly, refreshing and yummy!!!

    I am in for the "natural synthetics" business.. :)

  • so true.. use some scientific words and some alphabets of vitamins thrown in with some survey like best in so-and-so and one can sell any crap...

  • Hey! how exactly did he pitch it...any mention of 'organically grown' or 'GM' cos organic produce is actually salubrious but yes there is no way to establish the authenticity of that particular product.

  • Anonymous

    It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. I guess a lot of time one has such products, because there is very little choice...

  • The big O for marketeers :)

    We have a kiosk in one of the Gurgaon Malls as well. Never felt like having it.

  • Hehehe... Its an advertising era. You can sell anything to people these days as long as you advertize well :)

  • @BK Chowla, @Purba: This experience was at a mall in Gurgaon too :) - although it was over 3 years back. I remembered it when my mom recently purchased an organic juice concentrate - only to find out it is completely tasteless!

    BTW - I did have that juice in the mall - it tasted like medicine; and it did nothing to quench my thirst.

    @amruta: Yes - you're right. You can never be sure how natural "natural" really is

    @PC: Great - let's found a company then. We'l then come out with more innovative products like .. "organic honey", "natural milk powder" .. and within no time, we'l be rich :P

    Centaur: Oh yes - the survey statistics form yet another tool in the hands of the marketer.

    @Raghu: No - he dint mention GM or anything. Just the same rhetotic about natual and healthy etc etc.

    @IHM: I think absence of choice is a less frequent reason. The more common reason is being blinded by all the buzzwords.

    @Richa: Absolutely. Advertising is *the* place to be in these days.

Disclaimer: This is my personal blog. All the views and opinions expressed on this blog are entirely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer, organization, relatives, friends, acquaintances or any other person/entity.