Food and beverage industry entrepreneur Scott Mendelsohn has signed on to assist authentication and customer insights platform Orijin Plus ahead of launching into international markets later this year.
Mendelsohn, who runs his own Natural Raw C label, focused on coconut water products, said Orijin Plus was an exciting offering for exporters as it maintained product security and integrity.
“Having access to that end user data helps brands to further educate consumers in overseas markets and build loyal followings, and that’s something that no other platform is offering,” said Mendelsohn
According to Mendelsohn, consumers in overseas markets held Australian produce in high regard due to its clean credentials, but that also created higher risk of fraudulent products entering the market and posing a threat to the Australian provenance story.
The Orijin Plus platform utilises blockchain technology to help trace a product’s journey through the entire supply chain, on to retail shelves and right through to final consumption.
“The platform is designed for both brands looking to enter overseas markets and those that may already be exporting but want greater visibility across the value chain, right through to understanding end consumer behaviour,” Mendelsohn said.
“From a consumer perspective, the products presented through Orijin Plus are premium quality and unique. It’s not about creating competition, but about positioning select brands alongside one another to build and maintain a collaborative environment and tell a quality story.”
Consumers are encouraged to contribute to the story and close the blockchain when opening a product thanks to an associated loyalty program - the program issues consumers who sign up with points that can be exchanged for a range of exclusive rewards.
Mendelsohn said early engagement was important to garnering loyalty in consumers, especially younger people.
“If you can engage people early –particularly younger people – and reward them for being loyal, then continue to engage and build the brand story, they’ll develop belief in a brand,” Mendelsohn said.
Mendelsohn said the biggest benefit offered to brands was access to detailed consumer data.
“Retailers around the world spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on data to know what consumers are doing... and data is often the missing link for exporters. Orijin Plus gives retailers the ability to see who's buying their products and a whole range of information about demographics and buying preferences,” Mendelsohn said.
Mendelsohn is focused on building the premium brand portfolio that Orijin Plus intends launching later this year, first focusing on Singapore.
The company has also brought on board specialist strategic public relations, advocacy and government relations advisor Danica Bunch, who is a well-known advocate for the Australian agri-food sectors, and will assist Orijin Plus to develop strategic relationships in the leadup to launch.
Orijin Plus founder and director James Williamson said the company’s strategy was to build a high performance team to help develop relationships with premium brands targeting export markets.
Scott and Danica will be instrumental in building the right mix of premium brands for each target market; they’ll join our growing team of international experts to ensure Orijin Plus achieves its goals of building and maintain a unique, targeted and competitive edge for premium Australian food and beverage brands,” Williamson said.
