Value creation in a successful organic potato supply chain from grower to professional kitchen

Summary

Successful supply chains create value for not only consumers, but also for the other partners in the supply chain. When marketing organic products, the organic certificate alone is often not valuable enough: in most cases the organic product must also contain other properties that are valuable to the consumer. For a successful organic potato supply chain, many other value dimensions are required: both the supplier (farmer) and the end-user (kitchen) must perceive that the benefits outweigh the sacrifices. The crucial point in a successful organic potato chain is the mutual understanding of the meaningful values for each partner in the supply chain. The whole idea of sustainability is more than the use of organic products in itself; it is also how the kitchen operates – how to make food from the ingredients. From the sustainability viewpoint in an organic potato chain, the whole concept of sustainability is also worth considering. One issue, for example, is the necessity of processing; the unpeeled potato is also serviceable. Leaving potatoes unpeeled also reduces energy and water consumption as well as waste compared to processed potatoes. Perhaps the next step in the value creation of an organic supply chain is to create shared value, which means creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society.