Chatting recently with the owner of Wellington’s organic retail chain, Commonsense Organics (not a client of ours), I was encouraged to hear that unlike most other retailers at present, they aren’t losing customers.

Indeed, their customer base is expanding and despite organic produce sitting at the high-end, they are seeing more customers from a wider a range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Why? People have a “huge yearning for integrity”, believes founding owner Marion Wood who started Commonsense more than 10 years ago with her husband. People want to put their money behind an alternative business paradigm to the one which has led to the global recession. So the idea that consumers are willing to downgrade their ethical values and expectations during a downturn is a myth.

Ethical-organics seems to be an international trend. According to an international organic information service, Organic Monitor, people are now demanding more from organic produce - they also want ethical sourcing, traceability, the carbon footprint, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Indeed, consumers in all sectors are becoming more sophisticated in their expectations. It is the pioneer businesses such as Ideas Shop, which I am proud to say carries up to 10 per cent of its work pro bono to support community groups, emerging businesses and not-for-profit organisations, which are rising to meet the challenge.