Sold on Branding

Bob and Allen Schmidt, co-owners of Schmidt Bros. Inc. in Swanton, Ohio, are strong believers in branding. The wholesale growers were one of the first operations to start using the Proven Winners branded pots.

“We believe in the branding programs,” said Bob. “We bought into branding early on and we think it really helps. For the Proven Winners plants we do 4½-inch pots and gallons. We also put the plants into a lot of hanging baskets and also use them in upright planters and combinations.” 

Schmidt Bros. sells finished plants mainly to independent garden centers within a 500 mile radius. Although the brothers don’t handle a lot of brands, they have added some other branded products. 

“We grow the Kong coleus in the graphic pots,” Bob said. “We also do a lot with the Wave petunias, including the Tidal Waves. We are using the branded handles and pots.”

The Schmidts are also planning to do some patio planters with Ball’s Simply Beautiful line, including the new black petunias and Voltage Yellow osteospermum. They will also be adding some Callie calibrachoas. They are also looking at new and different size containers.

“Last year we added three coco-lined hanging baskets and a 14-inch upright coco container,” Bob said. “This year we are adding a dark chocolate plastic pot in response to customer requests for additional colors. We replaced one style of patio pot with a more upright one to update our offerings.”

Bob said the company receives feedback from its retail customers and they go to the trade shows looking for new things.

“We try to visit with our customers regularly,” Bob said. “Attending and exhibiting at trade shows also gives us an opportunity to get feedback from our customers.”
They have also conducted surveys of both their grower and garden center customers.
 

1. Schmidt Bros. believes in branding and were one of the first growers to use the Proven Winners branded pots.
    
2. The success that Schmidt Bros. had with some of the national brands led the company to develop its own line of Homegrown Gourmet vegetables and herbs.
    
3. One of the most successful POP items for the Homegrown Gourmet program has been a 4-foot by 3-foot tomato chart that includes a photo of each variety offered along with specific information that consumers need to know.

Branded vegetables, herbs
Although the Schmidts are satisfied to grow and sell a variety of branded annuals, they saw an opportunity in 2005 to start their own line of premium branded vegetables and herbs named Homegrown Gourmet. 

“Since many of our garden center customers are competing against the big-box stores, they are looking for new and different products,” Allen said.

The Homegrown Gourmet line is available to retail customers as finished plants and to growers as rooted plugs. The plugs are marketed to growers through Michells and Grimes Horticulture.

Marketing manager Kathy Judge said the company has done a lot to improve the marketing materials available to garden centers and growers.

“We’ve also enhanced the Homegrown Gourmet website (www.hgplants.com) and we’ve expanded the offerings to include additional heirloom varieties,” Judge said.
The company has worked with John Henry Co. to develop eye-catching plant tags, bench tape and signs.

“The retailers like the POP,” Judge said. “A few years ago we added a 4-foot by 3-foot tomato chart that lists every variety we offer along with the specific information that consumers would need to know. The chart includes a photo of each tomato, information on whether it’s determinate or indeterminate, if it’s an early-, mid- or late-season variety, how it tastes and how it can be used.”

She said the chart is large enough so it is easy to read from a distance.

“Some of our retailers said the chart is like having another salesperson on the floor,” she said. “The customers used to ask all kinds of questions regarding the tomatoes. The tomato chart answers most of those questions.”

Based on the success of the tomato chart, the Schmidts began to receive requests for a pepper chart, which will be introduced to consumers this year. The chart separates the peppers into hot, sweet and bell peppers and includes a picture of the fruit. Information on hotness of the fruit (in Scoville units), production time to harvest, fruit characteristics (color, size) and use are provided.

The Schmidts are also trialing different containers to produce the vegetables. Last year they added a 1-gallon coir pot in which six of the tomato varieties were offered to retailers. These same varieties will be offered again this year.

“We are still testing the containers and haven’t yet offered them to the growers,” Judge said. “We are also looking at a 3½-inch coir pot. One of the best things in the POP program is the plant tags and we are still trying to find the best way to use the tags with the coir pots.”

Initially the vegetable plugs were available in a 200-cell tray. Now they are offered in 128- and 288-cell trays.

“The growers told us they needed a larger tray so we switched to a 288. However, some broker salespeople said they had small growers for whom a 288 tray is too many plants,” Judge said. “So a year ago we added the 128. The herbs are only offered in a 288. There are three herbs — rosemary, golden sage and lemon thyme — that are only available in an 84-cell tray.”

The company has worked to make the plug prices more competitive.

“We had received feedback from growers and the brokers that some of the varieties were too high priced compared to other suppliers,” Judge said. “We went in and looked at what each variety cost us to produce to determine whether the prices needed to be adjusted to make each item more competitively priced. We are trying to make the program more appealing and easier to sell.”

For more:   Schmidt Bros. Inc., (800) 200-7318; www.schmidtbrosinc.com; www.hgplants.com.