Case Studies

Case Study - Grove Fresh

Any regular shopper will have seen the vast choice of different juices on supermarket shelves. It may, therefore, be considered brave to launch yet another competitor in what could be defined as a market nearing saturation point. But the team at Product Chain were sufficiently convinced by the quality of Grove Fresh to believe that it was a product that the buyer would welcome, and one that would fill a gap in current supply.

The story began with food entrepreneur, John Taylor, who had built up, and subsequently sold, the brand Freshbake. Living in Florida, surrounded by trees bearing succulent sunshine packed oranges, John saw an opportunity to bring pure, organically grown juice to the UK. After a faltering start during which little real progress was made, John approached Product Chain who took the organic juice and applied their unique enthusiastic approach to its marketing. In 1997, Grove Fresh orange juice was listed with Waitrose, whose buyers recognised the potential of a juice made from pure organic oranges, without additives, and without concentrate direct from the fruit, with no added water.

From there, the Product Chain team successfully gained entry to health food stores and other major supermarkets. Orange was soon joined by a number of other juices to create a wider choice whilst retaining the exemplary quality for which Grove Fresh is recognised. Apple, apple and mango, and vegetable juice were eagerly received, and today the range has been expanded with cranberry and apple, and ruby orange.

The company’s involvement in this product produced dramatic results:
Grove Fresh is now a multi million pound concern and is a winning product in most of the leading UK supermarkets. With Product Chain’s input into the packaging, marketing, and positioning of the product, Grove Fresh has become a brand that has a distinguished history and promises to grow again this year, next year and so on!

Case Study – Dentyl

In common with many business opportunities, Product Chain’s involvement with Dentyl pH began with a touch of serendipity.

The Fresh Breath Centre in London, whose premises were at one time occupied by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was looking to raise awareness of the problems of bad breath, its causes, and what could be done for sufferers. The Centre wanted to create PR by running a story about how bad breath could be cured, and they were to aim this story at the female leisure readership via a woman’s magazine. For this they needed a model, and that is where serendipity came into play. The model in question turned out to be the wife of Simon Dunn, owner of Product Chain.

Never one to let an opportunity pass, Simon was intrigued by the mouthwash pictured alongside his wife in the press. Unlike anything he had ever seen before, the mouthwash contained a layer of oil on top of liquid, requiring the bottle to be shaken and an emulsion created before use. Imported from the Middle East, with local branding, the result was somewhat unappealing to the discerning UK market.

On further enquiry, Simon discovered that this mouthwash was used regularly in the Fresh Breath Centre. The oil content allowed the active ingredients of the mouthwash to effectively bind to particles and plaque in the mouth. Gargling and rinsing for thirty seconds produced incredibly effective cleansing and eliminated the major cause of bad breath – food debris!

Before long, the team at Product Chain had thought up the name Dentyl and added the pH tag, successfully introducing it to Superdrug, where it was listed in 1997. Today, Dentyl pH is the number one unit selling mouthwash in the UK. Listed in all major supermarkets and health stores such as Boots, its efficacy at treating bad breath has been proven beyond doubt.

Simon Dunn and his team saw a unique product in Dentyl pH, but they
saw too the opportunity to create a brand that would be eagerly
received. Their in-depth knowledge of the routes to market
enabled them to transform Dentyl pH from a little known –
and little used – product to one that is on every UK
supermarket buyer’s list and in many consumers’ bathroom
cabinets.