Wine packaging: The rare case where organic brands are cheaper

Organic foods and drinks cost more. That’s a given, right? Not so fast. Today I stumbled onto the rare oddball category in which organic products are generally cheaper.

And get this — the difference could all be in the packaging.

This comes from a recent article in Fast Company, which cites research from the University of California saying that wines with labels that trumpet eco benefits sell for 20% less than bottles of similar-vintage spirits. The study also claims that organic wines without the “green” claim on the label are 13% pricier than “eco-friendly” wines from the same year, variety and appellation.

Bizarre indeed. Could this be the only food and beverage product that actually loses pricing power by being green? I haven’t heard of any others.

The reasons for the weak pricing for organic wines are somewhat mysterious. But the article concludes that the wine industry could probably solve the problem with a more informative labeling system that emphasizes the benefits of organic wines.

But then, who among us would doubt the power of a great package to fix a brand?
d!b
Thanks to Lightning Labels via Twitter.

Photo by rick / Flickr.com