One of the many decisions to be taken by a food producer as their business grows is whether to supply large food retailers with own brand products.
The elements of this decision involve scale, loss of brand awareness, margins, cashflow and dedication of resources to a part of the business which may not be core to their plans in the future.
Not every large retailer is the same and that is part of the complexity. If the decision involves retaining the producer brand as part of the product packaging then that can mitigate that element of the compromise.
This is 2 product shots from the Co-op chain in Sweden (taken while on holiday recently in Stockholm). In each you can see the consistent way in which the producer is named and credited on the packaging – adding to the authenticity of the range. This is a link to the page (in Swedish) on the Prima range which these are taken from.
From that page “We’ve tasted our way to the very best and will start with 50 carefully selected delicacies. All are original label and produced by suppliers with a passion for really good food. Now it’s your turn to enjoy the Coop Prima.”
Like that a lot.
biabeag (small food) 
Hi Keith, I am interested in supporting small food producers in my area. At the moment I am doing an assignment for a rural development course and I am focusing on co-operatives. I feel that this might be a way for a group of small producers in an area to promote and sell their produce in a more efficient and centralized way i.e. making their product more accessible for the consumer.
Any thoughts on this or any experience of co-ops? I have been looking at the Tipperary Food Producers site also and while internet shopping is ok and convenient for certain products, I always feel that food needs the see and smell senses to truly appreciate what you are buying.
Regards, Mary