Spar Austria has introduced a range of traditional seed varieties, packaged and promoted under the brand name 'Spar Wie Früher' ('Spar As Before').
Since 2012, the retailer has been working with Arche Noah, a German seed-savers’ association and has helped to preserve around 40 forgotten varieties of vegetables to date, the company said.
One such rebooted variety is the Etsdorfer Buschbohne, a dwarf bean, which made its way from South America to Central Europe in the 16th century. The Etsdorfer bean produces edible green pods as well as shiny black beans.
Cultivating Brand Loyalty
In presenting these traditional but little known seed varieties, together with matching recipes, the 'Spar Wie Früher' brand promotes the idea of tasty meals, made with homegrown fresh produce, at the same time as promoting loyalty to the Spar brand, the company explained.
The seeds, which are cultivated by local organic market gardens and farms in Austria, will be exclusively available from Spar, Eurospar and Interspar stores in Austria.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Martha Sparrius. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
