Full case study report: Ekodar - Slovenia

Summary

Ekodar is the commercial name for organic beef produced by Agricultural Cooperative Šaleška Valley. The brand was established in 2009. Currently, 76 producers-farmers label their products with the Ekodar brand. Successful marketing of organic beef in Slovenia, as well as further product development, relies on the product being recognised as a healthy, local and high-quality food product. The brand can be recognised as a connection between producers and consumers. The meat is available in 11 mega shops of the retailer Mercator, 2 organic shops, 2 agricultural cooperatives and via online selling. Delivery is available in 12 cities throughout Slovenia. Marketing and distribution happens via the central umbrella cooperative‚ Agricultural Cooperative Šaleška Valley (the owner of the brand). A unique characteristic of the Ekodar brand is the ‘quick response (QR) Code’, which allows consumers to check the origin of the meat. By using a smart phone and scanning the QR code on the packaging before the purchase, consumers can get detail information about the product’s origin farm location, size and herd size. The case was considered for investigation under the HealthyGrowth project because of the company’s transparency (using QR codes on packages) to consumers, and as an example of good-practice growth of the food supply chain in Slovenia, which happened in relatively short time. The brand does not have a long history, and it started when the production capacity of organic beef was low. More details about production, organisation and specifics of this value-based food chain are represented in this case-study report.