The grocery delivery service Gorillas and the organic retailer Alnatura have agreed on a strategic partnership for the German market. The Berlin start-up will therefore include over 250 Altnatura products in its range from June 10th, both companies announced on Wednesday. The cooperation had previously been tested in a pilot project in North Rhine-Westphalia.
With the increase in the segment of organically produced products to a share of over 15 percent of the entire range, a frequently expressed customer wish is being met, said Gorillas CEO Kağan Sümer of the German Press Agency. 56 percent of the orders already contained organic products.
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“For us, it’s not about doing greenwashing and adding more organic products to the range just because of a better image. That’s a matter close to our hearts.” Sümer admitted that customers are very price-sensitive due to general inflation. “But organic doesn’t automatically mean expensive either.”
The Berlin start-up Gorillas is not without controversy. On the one hand, traditional retailers fear that companies like gorillas will undermine them with large cash injections from the investor scene. On the other hand, unions criticize the working conditions for the gorilla drivers. Sümer said there is a clear contradiction between reality and public perception. 90 percent of gorilla drivers would also recommend their job to friends and family members. “It shows that we’re doing a lot of things right.”
Gorillas was also a pioneer in the industry by offering drivers permanent employment, said Sümer. Gorillas also has a works council and offers employees opportunities for advancement. According to him, around 450 of the gorilla drivers have already advanced to more highly qualified positions. The company currently employs around 14,000 people worldwide as drivers and in the warehouses.
