Born back in the late 1990s, Organico (now Realfoods by Organico) is on an ambitious NEW push to connect ever growing numbers of food enthusiasts with honest, properly sourced foods and meticulously curated ranges made by small-scale craftspeople.
Realfoods is an honest ode to joy and a call for people to enjoy real foods in much the same way so many high-quality delicatessen or farm shop brands are. Realfoods champions best-in-class ingredients and meticulous, small batch processes from artisan producers, in many cases working directly with the growers and farmers. Organic stays as part of a triple guarantee that consumers can explore should they choose to. “The organic and ethical bit,” founder Charles Redfern jokes “is free, we aren’t cheap that’s for sure because we have best in class ethical sourcing with specific origin ingredients and craft production principles, however, we are aligned and in many cases cheaper than equivalent high end grocery brands.”
In the case of Realfoods by Organico, there’s a strong Mediterranean undercurrent to a range that is unashamedly championing small, thoughtfully assembled staples over high end luxuries. Latest top-selling additions include an extensive yet moreish range of hand-twisted breadsticks, some sublime tongue-shaped cheeseboard crackers, two full-bodied passatas (a yellow and a cherry tomato), a number of authentic, slow-dried Durum wheat pastas, an anchovy-free Puttanesca sauce, a vegan-friendly Bolognese sauce, some organic yellow datterini tomatoes in brine, some organic Balsamic glaze, some specially selected raw apple cider vinegar (and so much more besides)……. If that wasn’t enough, the coming weeks will soon see the eagerly anticipated arrival of Mediterranean-themed pulses and beans.
“There is,” continues Charles, “A rising trend in the UK for high end beans and pulses and it’s certainly true that we should all be shifting our diet to more plant-based food. But these are also products that really fit the Realfoods philosophy of simple and quick home cooking, a lovely one pot dish that you can make too much of and part freeze for later.”
Unfortunately, it could be argued that organics in the UK has lost its way. Organics in the UK is a ‘slow burn’ movement standing at around £3bn, still a meaningful voice within the wider UK food and drink (1-2% of total food sales), albeit this is a gentle whisper compared to ‘over the Channel’ where organics sits at the heart of the EU’s Green New Deal policy which targets that 25% of EU land be organic by 2030 and where organic initiatives are visible at all levels of society – in public procurement and school canteens, in retail stores and in farming and environmental policy. The truth is the 25% target won’t be reached and there is as much back-tracking as there is positive news. BUT the big difference is organic is on the menu, at the heart of the debate on nature-positive farming and stoutly defended by many experts in the public, private and third sector. The same is true in the US. In the UK the silence around the O word is deafening.
It’s worth noting that proportionately Denmark is the biggest organic market in the world (13% of total retail sales with 99% of the population buying organic on a daily basis).
Farming wise in Austria 35% of all farming land is organic. In Germany, France and Italy this number drops to a ‘still respectable’ 18%, whilst in UK this number slides to a depressingly low 3%.
Charles’ love of great food originally stemmed from his half French roots, which sits at the very heart of his deep-seated food appreciation. After all this was a childhood spent for the most part in sunnier climes where Charles found himself growing up against a backdrop of great food, eating well, long benches of friends and family sitting outdoors, sampling amazing local fayre whilst children played outside.
Charles can look back on being a vocal organic activist for thirty years, initially as a food agent and latterly as the owner of Organico, which prioritises making a delightfully diverse array of simple yet effortlessly stylish larder staples.
Simply put organics resonated with Charles’s well-honed food beliefs, that every ingredient used is not only grown the right way but plays a pivotal role in any assigned recipe. Today, with the ongoing debate raging about the detrimental impact of hyper processed foods, (no emulsifiers, additives, sweeteners, processing aids, lazy fillers….) it’s clear to see how embracing an organic lifestyle would be one of the easiest ways for many consumers to effortlessly avoid this particular culinary black hole.
Today the UK like most of the Western World is awash with soulless junk foods, with 57% of all calories consumed in the UK coming from ultra-processed offerings
In 2024, Organico became Realfoods by Organico on account of a root & branch makeover to create a more contemporary yet unapologetic organic hero identity that mirrored the simple, unadulterated joy associated with real foods; bringing a new light-hearted energy and vitality to a wider category historically accused of seeming overtly tired, worthy or aloof.
Charles and his team wanted a fun yet eye-catching overarching design in tandem with a light-hearted yet approachable tone that could effortlessly encompass everything from olive oil and pesto through to pasta, pasta sauces, roasted aubergine spread and breadsticks. A more engaging, informal identity would certainly resonate louder with a new, younger generation of retail buyers whilst effortlessly trumpeting to end consumers that this was an incredible food offer that was not simply well made but painstakingly sourced from ‘in-the-know,’ small batch providers.
A light touch identity front of pack would effortlessly avoid any fear of looking unduly finger-wagging or judgemental whilst the backs of the packs politely reassure more inquisitive consumers about the business’s unrivalled triple lock reassurance (organic accredited, a proud B-Corp and a business that embraces France’s meticulous eco-label system Planet Score), which offers an unrivalled environmental rating covering biodiversity, climate and pesticides.
Perhaps most importantly of all, the NEW over-arching, designer-led identity places Realfoods Organico fairly and squarely in the fine food retail space (farm shops, delis, food halls) which is increasingly where the business sees itself in tandem with an already strong presence in Ocado, Amazon Whole Foods, Planet Organic and number of the more discerning wholefood wholesalers.
With Generation X now looking increasingly at food in terms of ingredient integrity, nutritional worth and sustainable convictions, Realfoods by Organico is now suitably re-energized to play a leading role in UK organic’s eagerly anticipated renaissance.
