Two leading organic businesses in the Netherlands join efforts to promote healthy food

"Together with Udea, we will increase Dutch market impact in 2020," says Volkert Engelsman, founder and director of Eosta. “Although we are based in the Netherlands, we have always focused on other parts of Europe, in particular Germany, France and Scandinavia, ever since our foundation in 1990. Sales in the Netherlands never exceeded a few percentage points of the sales volume. So... there is room for growth! Last year Udea’s CEO Erik Does and I met each other, and we discovered that our views on the role of nutrition in society are very similar. That is why we have decided to join forces and help consumers to eat healthier."

Mutual reinforcement

Erik Does, CEO and co-founder of Udea, comments: “Eosta and Udea have a shared vision when it comes to social issues and the positive role of food and the food chain; Eosta as a major supplier of organic fruits and vegetables and we as the largest organic store chain in the Netherlands. We’re both strong in communication and through this joint effort we can inspire each other and have even more impact.”

He continues: “With Ekoplaza, we now have almost ninety organic stores throughout the Netherlands. We therefore need to strengthen our supply. In addition, Eosta is known as a good communicator and sustainable innovator, with campaigns such as The True Cost of Food and their Natural Branding laser tattoos. After working together on a small scale, we will now collaborate more intensively during our spring campaign and the rest of the year.”

Ekoplaza campaign and Dr. GoodFood
In the spring of 2020, Ekoplaza launches a campaign for health and vitality which will be the first focal point of collaboration, with Dr. GoodFood playing an important role. The Dr. GoodFood campaign was initially launched by Eosta. In the beginning, it focused on playful promotions, such as handing out pillboxes with fresh turmeric, mocking the marketing style of the pharmaceutical industry. In the new joint campaign, Dr. GoodFood will help consumers with shopping in a practical way. Smart nudges, information and promotions will encourage consumers on the shop floor to buy healthier and more balanced food.

The new collaboration has already started behind the scenes and will be visible on the shop floor starting in the late spring of 2020.

About Eosta and Udea

Udea is a wholesaler, brand keeper, importer and exporter of organic food and also the franchisor of the organic supermarket formula Ekoplaza. Udea is a family business with a personal and effective approach. It is a company where everybody is eager to connect with you positively on the subject of organic food. See also www.udea.nl and www.ekoplaza.nl.

Eosta, with Nature & More as its consumer brand and transparency system, is Europe's most awarded distributor of organic fruit and vegetables. Eosta is known for sustainability campaigns such as The True Cost of Food, Natural Branding (together with laser specialist Laser Food), Dr. Goodfood and Save Our Soils. In 2018, the company won the King William I Prize for Sustainable Entrepreneurship and the European Business Award for the Environment. See also www.eosta.com and www.natureandmore.com.