Beata Martynowska, owner of Spiżarnia (Pantry), buys from traditional producers from all over the country.
"The only chemical you will find in my assortment is salt," she says proudly. Regional gourmet food, from pickles and cakes to sausages and damson jams, fills the store's shelves.
For Martynowska, opening the store was her first private business experience. After many years working for international corporations she got tired of "filing reports to dozens of different co-workers." Martynowska reached her suppliers during cross-country travel or via the internet. The products, some of which, thanks to a lack of preservatives, stay fresh for just four days, were a hit with conscious consumers, who are ready to pay a few złoty more to resign from a mass-produced diet. Spurred on by the rapturous welcome of her selections, she is now preparing to open a second store in the capital by the end of April.
Food for thought
However, Spiżarnia is no longer unique. Several shops already operate in the Warsaw area, including Winniczek in Konstancin Jeziorna, a small town just south of the city. The shop has been officially certified by the Polish branch of the international non-profit organization, Slow Food.
"The clients first come out of curiosity, then they become regulars," says one of the shop mangers from Winniczek, adding that traditional meats and sausages are the top-sellers. In her opinion, the slow-food market is still seriously underdeveloped, mainly because the products are less affordable to Poles than, say, Italians-but the situation is improving.
"Last half of the year saw ecological food stores mushroom at an extensive rate," claims the president of Slow Food in Poland, Jacek Szklarek. Those stores, previously associated mainly with vegetarian products, are now switching to traditional and organic food as well, the latter not being bound with any particular region or tradition, simply produced without any intervention of chemicals or fertilizers. So far, the products tend to be 50-100 percent more expensive than their mass-produced equivalents.
Recent research shows that at least 39 percent of Poles pay a lot of attention to how much they pay for food. Thus, even with no direct competition to each other, some stores, particularly in rural areas, have gone bankrupt already, says Szklarek. The price relation could change if distribution between food makers and shops improves.
Spiżarnia's owner praises her suppliers for their devotion to the craft and their openness to new possibilities. Some of them already travel to Warsaw to bring her the freshest delicacies. It appears, however, that a lot of paperwork still needs to be done for Polish slow food to reach the EU market. The regional-product status granted by the European Commission bans production of cheaper, unoriginal substitutes. It also allows some relief from otherwise strict hygiene requirements, so traditional tools, such as wooden spoons, can be used.
In a stew
The benefits for small-scale manufacturers are obvious, but verification of an application takes the Commission up to a year, and Polish authorities are still not ready to submit them.
"Poland has no country system coherent with those of other European countries that would acclaim and promote products of a specific quality," says the president of the Polish Chamber of Regional Products, Grzegorz Russak. In his opinion, a country's system should be set before one starts talking about sending in the applications. The President is currently signing just such a bill, but specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture who prepared it admit months or years will pass until the system is fully operational.
Making a meal of it
"I agree that the bill just creates the guidelines, but they are indispensable to start other activities for developing the market," says Dariusz Goszczyński, the director of geographical indications and promotions at the Ministry. He expects that some 20 applications for regional status of a product will be sent to the European Commission before the year ends. Nevertheless, says Russak: "The number of applications sent so far is zero." This is a sorry state of affairs. Equally disconcerting is the realization that many producers do not seem interested or aware of the fact.
Maciej Jaros, a mead producer and the owner of Pasieka Jaros, says he was "talked into" applying for different certificates, but admits: "I don't care where I sell, the important thing is to sell it." To address these issues, the Ministry of Agriculture is publishing information for producers and potential customers. The aim is to convince the latter that traditional food is worth buying and the former that, in the words of Martynowska: "It is better to sell 400 pâtés than 40."
Higher production volumes could cause supermarkets to focus on the sector. According to Jacek Szklarek from Slow Food, large supermarkets are bound to introduce stands offering slow foods sooner or later, which would do wonders to promote the idea (as 42 percent of Poles buy groceries mainly at large stores) and increase profits. One Italian chain store receives two thirds of its supply from regional producers.
Bigger slice of the cake
The difficulties of promoting this form of produce is well-summarized by Russak: "My chamber consists of enthusiasts without significant financing. In France several thousand people promote regional specialties." The market in France is estimated at ?3 (zł.12) billion, and the French National Institute of Regional Indications operates on an annual ?19 (zł.77) million budget. This is a startling contrast to the support on offer in Poland, and exemplified by one shop manager from Winniczek, who highlights the lack of knowledge among producers: "We are getting signals from our suppliers that [obtaining certificates] is not at all easy."
The current situation is obvious-in non-mass food production and consumption Poland falls behind massively. No accurate numbers are available, but Slow Food estimates the share of organic, ecological and traditional products at two to three percent of total food sales. The German government issued an agenda identifying a target of 20-25 percent of food share for these type of products by 2007. Not to mention Italy, Spain or France where consumption already varies at between 30-40 percent.
Back at Warsaw's slow-food stores, regional and traditional products have to share room with yet another category-organic food. Among Winniczek's customers, slow-food fans often share an equal passion for organic products.
Fruits of labor
Getting an organic accreditation could prove harder than getting an item certified as a regional product, but many insist it is still worth trying. The managing director of UK-based Winterwood Farms, Stephen Taylor, says the process of obtaining organic certification took his blueberry plantation in Poland three years. During that time, an authorized auditor assessed whether any pesticides or fertilizers were used in the cultivation process. Organic production is more expensive and yields are smaller, but, says Taylor: "You can reach a 20 percent higher markup than from traditional fruits; blueberries fit very nicely there." The wider margin is the general border line of how much more customers are willing to pay for a healthier product. More expensive products, Taylor explains, are capable of attracting "very committed people," determined to eat organic at any cost.
In the UK the number of food fans who are committed to eating organic amounts to just two percent, and in Poland this percentage is far smaller. As far as more price-conscious consumers are concerned, slow and organic food could be dubbed 'elite food'-at least, until it gains in popularity and distribution channels improve. By then, specialists say, the price difference from regular food could be reduced to 10-20 percent-a differential people may be willing to pay.
The days of wide recognition for Polish sausages similar to that afforded Parma ham may seem far off, but there are certainly prospects for improvement.
Błażej Karwowski
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