New online market place for organic businesses launched

As the Christmas shopping rush hots up, the Soil Association is supporting all organic businesses by guiding customers to a more sustainable Christmas with the Soil Association’s new online Organic Christmas Market. Seasonal recipes and tips on how to enjoy the festive period will also help people make a choice that’s better for people and the planet.

Sales of organic online and through box schemes increased 11.6% in 2014, and the Organic Christmas Market will capitalise on this trend. It is the first of its kind, helping shoppers skip the high street and source organic gifts and produce from the comfort of home. The Market can be searched by product type or by location, linking up even the most remote organic businesses with the people who are looking for a more ethical Christmas, in the click of a button.

This year also features an online 12 Days of Organic Christmas, with tips to help people make easy, sustainable choices throughout the holiday season, like choosing an FSC Christmas tree – or sourcing FSC paper for wrapping presents.

Alongside both is the Soil Association’s ‘meet the farmer’ series, giving customers the story behind their Christmas purchases. Soil Association organic farmers and growers across the UK are participating to give customers an easy to experience understanding of how organic can make a difference.

Juliet Holt-Wilson from Monmouthshire Turkey’s said; “We are a small family run farm that has been rearing turkeys for almost thirty years. We sell the majority of our birds directly to our customers and the Soil Association’s Organic Marketplace will be a fantastic way to profile similar and new organic businesses. I would encourage anyone looking for new customers at Christmas to get involved online and share the reasons why organic can make a difference.”

To top it all off top chefs and foodies are sharing their best festive recipes throughout the season – all featuring on social media and the Soil Association website. Join in the Christmas conversation with #OrganicChristmas

Clare McDermott, Business Development Director of Soil Association Certification said, “Our Organic Christmas Market will be the biggest yet, helping to grow the market and encourage people to buy gorgeous food and gifts that don’t cost the earth. We’re supporting our licensees and providing people with a much larger variety of organic produce right at their fingertips.

With our online marketplace it’s even easier for organic businesses to reach new customers during the festive period. The marketplace is free for Soil Association Certification licensees to upload information to and we want as many businesses as possible to get involved in our 12 Days of Christmas on social media to help share the reasons why organic food and farming is good for wildlife and biodiversity.”