If you’ve ever purchased organic fruits or vegetables, almost anywhere in the world, you’re likely a user of True Organic, a Monterey, California-based maker of organic fertilizers used by the world’s largest organic produce farmers, along with thousands of backyard gardeners.
The family-owned corporation was founded in 2002 as a mission as much as a business. Founder and CEO Jake Evans was looking to be part of a solution – creating authentic and innovative organic fertilizer products for healthier plants, healthier soil, and a healthier planet.
Today the company is a worldwide leader in the creation of organic fertilizers for growers big and small. Over 2,000 retailers stock the company’s products for an army of loyal gardeners, and agricultural customers grow fruits and vegetables for the world’s biggest brands.
But True Organic had a display challenge: its plastic racks were costly and, because of their durable, re-usable construction, retailers sometimes stocked them with other products instead of re-ordering True Organic products.
Showtime for a Better Bin
Last year, with a busy 2023 trade show season on the horizon, the company began reaching out for help with creating a new bin display for its four-pound bags of organic fertilizer in three varieties: for tomatoes and vegetables, berries, and all-purpose use.
The company had been using expensive, heavy-duty plastic racks, but they weren’t cost effective, according to Regional Sales Manager Jim O’Brien. When the 36-unit racks sold out, store personnel would often stuff other products into them instead of restocking.
“If you went back in two months, you’d find hoses and gloves and whatever else they had” stacked on the racks, O’Brien said. “We needed a more economical version.”
O’Brien’s search eventually led him to TPH Global Solutions®.
TPH Senior Project Manager Ted Natzel got right to the point with “What do you need and let’s get it started,” O’Brien recalled. “Which was what I needed. I didn’t want to talk to 10 other companies. He understood from start to finish what I was looking for.”
Fertilizer Display Case Study: By the Numbers
- 2,000: retailers carrying True Organic products
- 2002: year True Organic Products was founded
- 20 million: estimated number of people who took up gardening during the pandemic
- 48: number of 4-pound bags in True Organic fertilizer display
- 26: number of 12-pound bags the convertible display can hold
- 6,000+: True_organic_ Instagram followers
- $60: cost of each display
- $575: retail value of 4-pound backs in 48-count display
Guidance, Stability & A Test Run
TPH provided guidance around the best design for stability and support and proposed a convertible feature that would allow the display to hold (26) 12-pound bags, or (48) 4-pound bags.
“They had a ton of different options,” O’Brien said. Natzel, he said, “did a good job on pushing back and giving ideas, like the design of a riser and making sure everything was sturdy enough. He gave us some suggestions which helped out tremendously. He has also given us ideas for some products down the road.”
O’Brien also liked the fact that TPH required full bags of product for testing to ensure that the loaded design was up to the rigors of cross-country travel. “They put these dump bins on a truck simulator and tip it over and bounce it around like it’s going 1,000 miles across the country.”
Rigorous testing is a value TPH Global Solutions shares with True Organic Products, where the fertilizers are tested every 90 seconds during the manufacturing process, O’Brien said.
Making Deadlines & Earning Fans
The end result of O’Brien’s collaboration with TPH was a Coroplast® wax-coated, corrugated display designed to stand up better than uncoated corrugate in the humidity of many garden centers. One thousand fully-packed displays will hit the road for real early next year, in time for spring planting season.
In the meantime, O’Brien was happy to note that TPH Global Solutions crushed their earlier deadlines to ensure the displays would be ready in time for this year’s upcoming trade shows.
“Everything needed to be on a timeline, and they were able to surpass that for sure, which kept me out of trouble,” O’Brien said. “If we have the best product out there and the worst display vehicle, that points to us,” he said.
A True Partner for Your Next Retail Display Project
Plant the seeds of your next retail campaign success with the help of the TPH Global Solutions team. We have decades of experience helping clients succeed with retail campaigns for major retailers of every type and size including Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Kroger, Publix, Target, Blaine’s Farm & Fleet, CVS, Petco, PetSmart, Home Depot, and many others.
Whether you need help with packaging, displays, logistical or project management support, we can help. Contact a member of our team to let us know how we can help you get started growing your business.
