Simply confusing - Simply Organic versus Simply Organic Food Co - Brief Article

Eurofood, Feb 13, 2001

There is some continuing confusion, it seems, between the Edinburgh-based organic food manufacturer Simply Organic and the delivery food retailer of the same name. Simply Organic -- the food company -- produces a range of soups, pasta and baby foods. SimplyOrganic, the London-based food retailer -- or more correctly, the SimplyOrganic Food Company -- launched in 1999 with 650 lines. It now offers 1 750 products to customers, both through mailed printed catalogues and the internet.

Belinda Mitchell, marketing director of Simply Organic in Edinburgh, co-founded the company with colleague Christine Manson, back in 1998 -- a year before the other Simply Organic. "They obviously knew we existed because they could not get simplyorganic.co.uk, and called themselves the SimplyOrganic Food Company. It probably backfires more on them than on us, because we get a lot of irate customers of theirs, emailing us saying: 'Why haven't I had my delivery'. We get at least one e-mail a week. There has been legal correspondence and they changed their logo as a result of that because it was too similar to ours. They have also agreed that, if they put out any branded products of their own they are not allowed to call them Simply Organic." She said that they also agreed to call themselves The SimplyOrganic Food Company at all times, something they were not always doing.

The SimplyOrganic Food Company was aware of the other company's existence when it launched, said marketing director, Simon Grant. There was not, however, seen to be any clash of interests - presumably as both companies do very different things. "The only people who have a problem with getting through to the right people are journalists, and sometimes suppliers," said Grant. "Our customers know our details and get through to us without any problem." The SimplyOrganic Food Company do not currently sell Simply Organic products, but would be happy to do so, he said.