Full Case study report Upplandsbondens - Sweden

Summary

Upplandsbondens (UB) is a farmer owned cooperative that was established in 2006. There are approximately 100 members. All members are organically certified meat-producing farmers (beef, mutton, pork) in the county of Uppland, Sweden. UB is certified according to the organic certification KRAV, the Swedish organic standard, which is somewhat harsher on e.g. animal husbandry than the EU organic regulation. The overall value chain in which the bulk of the meat is channelled is comprised of the farmers, the UB cooperative (in which only farmers are members), slaughterhouses, meat wholesalers, retail shops and consumers. UB negotiates prices and looks for market solutions for its members. Market partners have changed throughout the years. The largest voulmes of meat are channelled via a large meat wholesaler based in Stockholm, to supermarkets all over Sweden (a national retailer). This meat is sold under the retailer's own organic brand and thus the meat cannot be identified as UB meat. UB has its own brand for meat that is processed and sold in the Uppland region only. During the time of the case study data Collection (2014), only retail shops that could cut up and package their meat themselves could sell under this brand since the wholesaler UB Works with locally did not yet have the facilities to cut and package. Thus, only a minor part of the meat from UB members can be identified as such. Other (smaller) voulmes of the meat are sold directly to consumers in meat-boxes, to a restaurant wholesaler or in public porcurement processes. Many of the member farmers also sell meat directly from their farms, but this is outside of the UB value chain.