Having grown up around the time that Dick Smith made his fortune in the electronics industry I find  it hard to make the transtion to Dick Smith branded food. In principle what he is trying to promote is buy Australian made and owned and has selected well known brands to begin the Dick Smith  Magnificent  Australian Grown Foods business. He's tried to target vegemite, aeroplane jelly, tim tams and a number of other iconic Aussie brands in the past that are no longer owned by Australian companies but has recently changed tatics with the food that he is backing.

Recently, in The Sunday Age he published a sizeable advertisment for the St Dalfour fruit spread replacement he calls 100% Spreadable Fruit retailing at $4.29. In the Advertisment it is stated that 4 million of French owned and produced St Dalfours is consumed in this country and it's Australia's number one fruit spread. The claims are that his product is only priced 30 cents more than the overseas competitor which usually retails for around $3.99. However, the myPrice community is only prepared to pay $3.50 for the St Dalfours spreadable fruit so the gap to Dick Smiths product may be a little more than we are prepared to pay. (At the time of writing this article the St. Dalfours spread was on special at Coles for $3.00 which may be a response to the new threat)

Maybe if the Dick Smith label was a not for profit alternative to these iconic brands he might find a better marketing angle to get the average consumer on board with the idea. A quick check of the Dick Smith Foods website suggests that 90% of the profits were given away as donations or sponsorships so why not go the whole way and turn the business into a genuine not for profit. We are living in a frugal world these days and price has as much to do with purchases than just the quality or supporting a message. That said I agree that we should buy Australian Made and Owned goods when you can afford it.

Are you a fan of Dick Smith's alternative Aussie iconic brands?