New boys keep coming The consumer demand for organic food and drink is forcing the multiple retailers to react. And those few who are supplying the market are reaping rich rewards. Vintage Roots began supplying organic wines from the back room of a terraced house with the help of Margaret Thatcher's enterprise allowance scheme. In the past three years its business has grown at 50% a year and this year the turnover will be £2.7m. Organic wine is still less than 1% of UK wine sales, but it is growing. Vintage Roots director Neil Palmer says: "New producers are coming on line all the time. There are grants in France and Spain to go organic. Two years ago there were no organic Riojas, now there are 10. "People are jumping on the bandwagon and all the supermarkets are clamouring for organic wines. However they want it at £3.99 in big volumes, and it is just not there." He adds: "The business is changing rapidly. After every food scare people look for the organic alternative." {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

Topics