Vital Earth, the manufacturer of environmentally-kind, peat-free composts, made from garden and food waste which would otherwise go to landfill, has triumphed at the Garden Industry Manufacturers’ Association (GIMA) Awards. The company won a GIMA Award for the Best Suppliers Information Website for its site, www.thegreenergardener.com, followed by a runner up award in the Best New Product category for its innovative Chicken Poo TM fertiliser.   

The Vital earth website, www.thegreenergardener.com was described by TV gardener, Joe Swift of BBC Gardeners’ World, who presented the Awards as, “in the words of the judges, vibrant, personable and easy to use ….. this totally refreshing approach to consumer education about green issues….” Colourful, engaging and highly interactive, the site targets both established gardeners and younger enthusiasts taking up ‘grow your own’ for the first time and needing friendly advice from a green perspective. Created in house and tested for both content and style in consumer focus groups, the site includes advice, information on going peat-free, product and stockist updates, a gardening calendar, recipes, a club forum and an ‘ask the experts’ feature.

Chicken Poo TM, which was praised by the judges in the new product category, is a fertilizer, made form natural recycled chicken manure sourced entirely from British free range hens. Ideal for all kinds of vegetables, fruit, flowers, trees and shrubs, Chicken Poo TM comes in 7Kg tubs with an rrp of £7.99. The striking name and colourful ‘happy hens’ packaging is proving extremely motivating to consumers and the product is currently running at 1000% over budgeted sales.

Marketing manager of Vital Earth, Maryanne Stokes commented, “This is a fantastic achievement on both counts and really shows the value of in house innovation and thorough testing with our consumers, both now standard practice at Vital Earth. I am really delighted for the whole team.”