Backround:
LRF Trädgård (Federation of Swedish Frames/Horticulture) (www.lrf.se/tradgard) is nation wide organization for commercial horticulture growers. LRF Trädgård is a part of The federation of Swedish Farmers, (LRF) a interest and business organization for the green industry. LRF have 150 000 individual members represent some 90 000 enterprises and is the largest organization for small enterprises in Sweden.
LRF Trädgårds aim is to create conditions for competitiveness and profitability in its member companies. LRF Trädgårds main tasks is business policy, plant protection, business development and promotion projects.
Historically, there has been a Fruit & Vegetable Promotion and a Flower Promotion. But the Fruit and Vegetable Promotion was laid down about 20 years ago. A growing need to show added value has led to the launch of a number of new projects over the years, such as Bärfrämjandet, Växtforum and Örter och sallat. The newly started projects are owned by LRF Trädgård with various forms of financing.
Description:
The National Food Agency of Sweden recommendation is to eat 500 g fruit and vegetables a day, and a major part should be coarse vegetables. The results show that only every 10th women and every 25th man take fruit and vegetables in the recommended amount. The proportions are unchanged over time. And even tough the trend in Sweden is a rising in consumption of vegetables and fruit during many years a clear majority of that consumption consists of imported fruits and vegetables. The import of fruit has risen with 46 % since 2006.
In order to to increase knowledge and awareness about the benefits of choosing Swedish products in season LRF Trädgård funded Säsongens Bästa in 2017 with the aim of create and distribute engaging content. In the long run, communication aims at changing consumer behavior, increasing sales and securing the industry’s future.
LRF Trädgård has chosen to target a group called millennials, which are consumers of the future. The millennium group includes people born 1981-2000. In addition, most of grocery purchases in Sweden are made by women. The goal is to focus on reaching the consumer directly through social media and creating content that engages and wakes emotions – rather than informing. To meet the target audience in its environment, strategic communication via mobile is required.
Säsongens bästa works to customize the content after a seasonal calendar, but also according to the changing needs that the consumer has during the year. At Säsongens Bästas website the interested consumer can find material, both recipes, articles and direct information about the products. Säsongens Bästa has on average published a weekly post on Facebook and Instagram and has chosen to sponsor its posts. The number of followers has increased continuously and posts focusing on environmental issues or highly appetizing images are the most popular.
Säsongens Bästa is financed by LRF Trädgård (through LRF’s investment money), and the aim is that the existing projects and sections are going to run some of their activities through the common channel.
Results:
LRF Trädgårds promotion projects has been the source to a lot of the Swedish medias articles the last ten years, about horticulture products and the aim is that we thorough the existing and new promotion projects will be able to change the consumers behavior, increasing sales and securing the industry’s future.
Contacts and webbsites
Elin Windfäll
Master of Science in Horticulture
LRF Horticulture
+45413559025
Elin.windfall@lrf.se
www.lrf.se
www.lrf.se/tradgard
www.sasongensbasta.se
www.barframjandet.se
www.orterochsallat.se