Contents Our Single Origin Approach The Real Basmati Rice Co The Real Sugar Co If you can’t see where your food comes from, how can you be sure that it is healthy, and of good quality? The truth is, we often have no idea what we’re eating or where and how it was grown. But The Real Co is changing that. We work directly with a team of outstanding people worldwide, who are committed to Organic Growing and Farming. Our Single Origin approach helps to grow communities, and ensures that your customers know exactly what they are putting in their mouths, and where it came from. We believe that Organic farming and growing is the only way to heal and sustain the world around us.
The Real Coffee Co The Real Water Co The Real Retail Co
Single sourcing is not just a slogan - it’s the way we do business. Up until a few decades ago, we knew where our food came from. Our meals were made from scratch using local produce, so we knew that the quality was reliable. But lifestyle changes led to massive changes in the way we consumed. We began to have more choice and variety of foods than ever before, due to exports from worldwide sources. Then came the arrival of “ready meals” and “fast food”. Eating became less about goodness and more about choices and speed. And it wasn’t long until we became completely disconnected from the source and quality of our food. Now allergies, health issues, obesity and ethical concerns have led consumers to question exactly what they are putting in their mouths. It is understandable that you want to know: •
Where does your food come from?
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Is it healthy and of good quality?
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Who are the growers?
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Do workers on the farms or plantations have fair pay and working conditions?
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Are pesticides or harmful chemicals used on the farms?
The Real Co believe that single sourcing answers those important questions. That is why we work directly with a few selected organic farmers, and growers from all over the world. We visit and get to know our growers, and see the passion, and attention that they give to their produce. In a world where the origin and quality of most products is untraceable, our commitment to the quality of our produce stands out. Most of the rice that is consumed worldwide is imported from India and Pakistan. But in most cases, that is as much as we know. We have no idea how it is farmed, or what harmful chemicals we are consuming. Single Sourcing enables the Real Company to label a bag of rice with the exact farm and harvest that it come from. So the consumer knows the exact origin of their food and that it was farmed organically, safely and ethically with premium quality in mind.
Every grain tells its own story. Most of the rice consumed throughout the world is of questionable quality. In traditional rice production, farmers are forced to sell their produce to auction houses for a pittance. As a result, they are unable to produce premium quality rice because they are forced to cut corners. So most of the rice on offer to consumers is low quality, and contaminated with chemicals. You can also be sure that the grower did not receive fair pay. This is where the Real Basmati Rice Co is different. We work directly with a limited number of farmers who produce the highest quality basmati rice in return for fair pay. “Traditional commodities are price based. Because of this farmers receive a pittance and they simply don’t have the means or the incentive to produce good quality rice, coffee, sugar, etc. This is why the Real Co’s single sourcing method is so successful. We care about the farmers and the land, and in return they are able to offer us top quality produce.” The Real Basmati Rice Co deals directly with 5 farms and the local mill in the Gujrat region of the Punjab. Our single sourcing model and close relationship with the farmers enables us to: •
Access a consistent supply of the highest quality rice.
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Have long term sustainable prices, that benefit the consumer and the farmers.
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Gain an in depth knowledge on the growth of the rice, so we can make better decisions for our customers.
Our growers in the Punjab region value and respect the land they farm. They know that avoidance of over-farming the land, or using harsh chemicals is the key to their future. They use only what the land produces as fertilizer, and their source of pure water is drip fed into the surrounding rivers by the mighty glaciers of Kashmir. The Real Basmati Rice Co currently works with only 5 organic farms in the Gujrat region. But there is the potential to work with around 30 to 40 of these organic farms in the future. Working with more farmers in a single community benefits everyone because: •
We can provide more organic rice to a wider consumer base.
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The growers are treated fairly and they don’t have to sell their rice to the auction houses for a pittance.
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Fair pay ensures that farmers aren’t tempted to cut corners
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Working with more farmers from one region makes it easier to monitor quality.
Real sugar + real organic farming = real quality Sugar is widely consumed throughout the world. The trouble is, most of the sugar you consume is bad for your health. The refining process actually removes essential vitamins and minerals and adds phosphoric acid, sulphur dioxide and formic acid to the sugar. This type of sugar has no nutritional value at all. Our Organic Raw Cane Sugar is a completely different story because, it is grown and farmed organically and doesn’t go through the refining process. So the sugar contains no harmful substances and the consumer still benefits from the sugar’s essential minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. The Real Sugar Co were determined to find the best quality Organic Raw Sugar Cane available, and our search for the best Organic Raw Cane Sugar spanned 10 countries. When we arrived at the Turriabla Valley in Costa Rica, we knew we had discovered something special. Even though Costa Rica is a small country that covers 0.03% of the world’s surface, it is home to nearly 6% of all the earth’s biodiversity which means it has one of the most healthy ecosystems in the entire world. Combined with a Carribean climate, this makes it a perfect area to grow superior quality sugar cane. The farms we work with in the area are owned by the Ortuno family and the history of their business spans as far back as
1877 when Don Gaspar Ortuna founded the bank of Costa Rica. He developed a passion for the coffee industry, which became the driving force behind Costa Rica’s democracy and growth. In 1963 the Ortuna family moved their business to the Turrialba area, and added raw sugar cane and macadamia cultivation to their produce . They are dedicated to producing top quality sugar cane, contributing to local development and preserving Costa Rica’s environment, history and culture. Our Organic Raw Cane offers superior quality because: •
Growth is kind to the land: no machines are used, just a 100% animal traction process.
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The Raw Cane is 100% Organic: with Global Certification.
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No wastage: even the boilers are fueled by the roots and leaves from the sugar cane.
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Healthier: the sugar is not refined or processed, so it retains all of its minerals and vitamins.
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Carbon Positive: the farms create their own natural energy.
Real water is pure water Water is natures greatest gift to humanity. Unfortunately what now comes out of most of our taps is far from pure and pristine. So many people have made the switch to mineral , or spring water to benefit from the taste as well as the health issues. We all know we need to drink plenty of water to remain healthy but if it doesn’t taste good, you don’t want to drink it. The challenge of the Real Water Co was to find the highest quality best tasting water we could find. We settled on the United Kingdom as the islands provide some of the purest mineral water on earth. We have 3 bore points in Wales and England and our current source of water is the Pembrokeshire Hills in Wales.
We chose this spring water because: •
The water flows through Organic farmland over a period of 15 years.
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The plant committed to the environment and due to be carbon neutral by 2014.
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Bottles are PET a non-toxic substance that contains no harmful BPA.
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The site of the spring is a fully operational Organic Dairy Farm.
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The spring water tastes great.
If you want to drink great coffee, you need to make great coffee... The Real Coffee Co is passionate about single source organic coffee, roasted and re-profiled with each new harvest. On our extensive yearly travels in South America and India, we visit producers and cooperatives in search of the most amazing coffee on the planet. Our suppliers come from single farms, estates and cooperatives and we focus on relationship building during our travels. We learn so much about coffee growing and processing this way, as well as the challenges faced by growers. This enables us to build “real” relationships with the growers, and negotiate fair pricing to enable sustainable coffee production. •
We offer single sourced coffee that is roasted onsite along with a full range of our beans from around the world, all of which can be tasted and brought to enjoy at home.
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Organic Real coffee production is kind to the land, and fair to the farmers, which guarantees top quality coffee for your customers.
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We only offer top quality organic coffee – no freeze dried tasteless products.
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Each unique harvest is labelled and named, because every single crop produces a unique, tasty coffee.
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We offer workshops for customers to discover the “Real Coffee Co Methods” of producing superior quality coffee.
We believe that the magical ingredient of top quality coffee is the consistent care that organic farmers put into the land and their harvests. This is only possible because we pay them a fair price for their coffee. One of our growers, Balmaadi Estate in New Delhi is so passionate about the quality of their coffee that they offer a front of business retail outlet on-site. Visitors can taste the freshly roasted coffee of the day, or any other coffees on offer before choosing which to buy. The grower is based on an old spice farm, so his superb quality coffees offer a delicate hint of aromatic spices. Originally he struggled, because the coffee was so delicious that local elephants would sneak in at night to snack on his crop of coffee cherries. He overcame the problem by employing some bee farmers to set up beside the farm. It worked. The elephants stayed away, and the grower was able to produce exquisite organic roasted coffee without having his crops stolen. By giving customers the opportunity to try Real Coffee, its hard to revert back to standard vacuum packed mass roasted beans that are poorly cared and badly roasted. And it’s so simple to also enjoy at home or work, as they don’t need expensive or complicated equipment. All that is needed to produce top quality coffee every day is a small hand held grinder and a cafettiere. “The Real Coffee Co, the worlds local coffee company.......”
Real Retailing – Giving Consumers the opportunity to engage with Real Food Real Co Retail is passionate about sustainable agriculture and single sourcing. We believe that it is essential to: •
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Protect the land and avoid over-farming and the use of harsh chemicals Show consumers exactly where their goods came from and how they were produced
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Ensure that farmers and growers receive fair rates for the produce
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Offer consumers top quality organic produce that is free of harmful chemicals
The Real Co’s retail branch enables customers to buy real food, with the confidence that it is of superior organic quality. We visit and maintain relationships with all our suppliers, and label produce accordingly, so we are able to offer our customers real transparency. They get to know exactly where their food comes from, right down to the farm that produced it, and in some cases, even the exact harvest that it came from.
All our products are created with sustainable farming in mind. This not only appeals to consumers but ethical shareholders too, as all our products are produced using farming methods that avoid damage to the land, and harsh chemicals. We also pay a fair rate to our suppliers. We aim to sell the highest quality natural and Organic products available We appreciate and celebrate that great food and cooking improves the lives of all of every human being. Breaking bread with others, eating healthfully and eating well — these are some of the great joys of our lives. Our goal is to sell the highest quality products that also offer high value for our customers. High value is a product of high quality at a competitive price. Our product quality standards focus on ingredients, freshness, taste, nutritive value, safety and/or appearance. While we have very high standards for product quality, we believe that it is important to be inclusive and open minded, and not overly restrictive or dogmatic.
Our focus... ...is clearly centred around delivering “the highest quality produce in the world, sourced ethically and delivered to consumers who can see exactly where it came from and who grew it. �
The Real Co.
26 York street, Mayfair, London W1U 6PZ Tel: 02078732483 www.therealco.com