New RocketGro launches garner great response from buyers
With a River Cottage endorsement for its compost range, its new liquid plant food range shortlisted for a Glee New Product Award, and buyers clamouring to start listing the exciting new lines on offer, it’s safe to say that RocketGro had an extremely successful summer.
The game-changing growing media brand showcased 6 brand-new bagged products on stand at Glee in June, along with a collection of new liquid plant feeds; all of which were very well received by the industry. The new additions take RocketGro’s portfolio to an impressive 22 products and mean the Somerset manufacturer can now provide garden retailers with a comprehensive offer of peat-free growing media and associated products. It was welcome news from buyers who attended the show and RocketGro had some great conversations and fantastic leads to follow up.
The liquid feed range has proved a huge success, taking up residency in all five Haskins Garden Centres before it was even showcased at Glee, followed closely by a listing with Klondyke, which now carries the collection in all 22 of its centres. Testament to the strength of the RocketGro brand and the quality of its products, other retailers are pushing to follow suit, with more orders being taken behind the scenes and further stockists to be announced soon.
New additions
Created to provide a value proposition for gardeners seeking a sustainable and organic option, RocketGro’s newest range comprises five liquid concentrate feeds: Tomato Food, Rose & Shrub Plant Food, All-Purpose Plant Food, Ericaceous Plant Food, and Lawn Feed.
Offered in 1.5 litre bottles (RRP £6.99), including a generous 50% extra free during 2023/2024, the liquid plant feeds boast an attractive price point for retailers and gardeners alike.
Meanwhile, the 6 new additions to RocketGro’s bagged offering comprise Premium Bark Chunks, Farmyard Manure, Rose Compost, Chicken Manure, Top Soil, and a 50-litre bag of RocketGro Multi-Purpose Compost.
The manures and new speciality composts contain bio-active microbes and feed plants for up to three months, whilst the Premium Bark Chunks offer a superior finish, with quality bark pieces and absolutely no shredded cheap wood! As well as being decorative, the bark chunks also improve soil biodiversity and are pet and child friendly.
These exciting new products join RocketGro’s existing organic, peat-free line up – including its flagship Magic Mulch, the UK’s biggest Tomato & Veg planter, and impressive River Cottage-endorsed collection of composts – meaning RocketGro can now provide garden retailers with a truly comprehensive offer.
All products are chemical free, 100% organic approved, British grown, sourced and manufactured, and are the by-product of renewable energy production. Packaging is also 100% recyclable. Vibrant packaging across the range, with impactful imagery and clear messaging, is guaranteed to catch the eye of consumers in store. Add to that RocketGro’s unbeatable eco story and these products are set to fly out the door in the 2024 season.
Fantastic response
RocketGro had always anticipated a good response from the market to its new products but was still overwhelmed by just how positive the reaction has been now that buyers have had the opportunity to get hands-on with the ranges.
Managing Director, Toby Thomas said: “We’ve had a brilliant year so far and we had a great show. We always have a story to tell when we exhibit but we were particularly excited to go to Glee this year with a fantastic new chapter in the RocketGro journey. We saw the need for these new products, and we know the power they can have on shelf for a retailer, but it was still a pleasant surprise to garner so much interest from buyers. That has continued apace after the show, which is great.”
He continues: “Our enhanced offer, including our River Cottage-endorsed compost range, means we can fully service garden retailers and continue to build and develop relationships with garden centres across the market. It is a really exciting time for the business!”
RocketGro has teamed up with EP Barrus and now benefits from an increased number of territory representatives – currently 21 in number – who will provide garden centres across the UK with hands-on support for the ongoing sales of RocketGro products.
With pre-season orders going strong, RocketGro assures retailers it has stock ready to go and has capacity to meet an uptick in demand for 2024.
Toby concludes: “By partnering with RocketGro and stocking our products, garden centres and nurseries have the opportunity to work with a reliable and supportive independent manufacturer that has the scale, investment and manpower in place to become the UK’s leading producer of affordable, quality, 100% peat-free only compost in the UK.”
Find out more
If you want to learn more about RocketGro or are keen to discuss adding its product portfolio into your 2024 offering, please contact Toby Thomas (hello@rocketgro.co.uk /07936 928 981) or Andy Abraham (andy@rocketgro.co.uk / 07446 937902). View the full range and discover more about the RocketGro story at www.rocketgro.co.uk
Words: 816
For more information, interviews or images please contact:
Kimberley Hornby
Tel: 07851610573
Email: kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk
Notes to editors:
RocketGro was founded in early 2021, born out of a meeting of minds of two friends, Tim and Toby. Tim’s family has been successfully farming on their 5000-acre farm in the heart of Somerset for over 100 years. The farm produces an amazingly rich soil nourishing organic by-product from their biogas plant. The biogas powers thousands of homes, and until RocketGro was born, this by-product was only spread over the farmland, meaning the farm could avoid using chemical fertilisers.
Tim wanted to share this wonder product with gardeners all over the UK and he approached Toby to help him make this dream come true. RocketGro was born.
The RocketGro mission is to help gardeners move away from peat and therefore do our bit to help the environment. Our fabulous range of products is a near-total solution to any gardeners’ needs and the range is expanding even further. RocketGro puts a great deal of care and effort into producing our premium growing media products and aims to produce the finest compost products in a sustainable and nature loving eco-friendly way. Gardeners who become ‘RocketGrowers’ will see the difference.
