Marketing Compost (EAWAG) - The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Various compost brands
Photograph: Sandec
Developing a range of products
Different market segments will want different things from compost. Developing
a range of products, a ‘product line’, can be a useful means by which to
access different segments. For example, a car manufacturer rarely focuses
all its efforts on a single model but develops a range of cars each suited to a
different market segment. In addition to a budget car for young families, they
may build an executive sporty car for wealthy businessmen. This way, they
capture sales by appealing to different market segments. This strategy is also
valid for compost producers.
Enlarging target market in the Philippines
A compost producer in the Philippines supplies mainly large fruit plantations
with compost produced from agricultural waste. However, he developed
a different range of products to enlarge his customer base, including:
bulk compost as soil amendment;
very mature compost as nursery media; and
vermi-compost as high value compost product for households.
This diversity increased his overall sales.
While developing a range of products can be beneficial, it is advisable to keep
the number of different products to a minimum. Having too many products
can increase your production costs, and confuse customers.
Enriched compost versus natural compost
Compost has a natural nitrogen content of 1–2 per cent, which is low compared
to chemical fertilisers or even animal manure. To compete with such
products and to meet customer requirements, compost can be enriched with
additives (e. g. urea, potash or poultry manure) to obtain a balanced NPK ratio.
However, prior to enriching compost, a detailed market demand analysis
Marketing Compost—Product, positioning and location 55