From Farm to Shelf: How Produce Brands Can Win with Local Roots and Real Stories

Excerpt from an article originally published in Vision Magazine as written by Maeve Cronin, Communications Specialist at Merrick Creative

Farmers markets. Pick-your-own. Community gardens. No matter the format, demand for locally grown food is up, and shows no sign of slowing down again. Shoppers nationwide are questioning where their food comes from, how it’s grown, and the impact – both negative and positive – it’s had on their environmental footprint. In fact, 70% of consumers say sustainability is more important to them when making purchasing decisions than it has been in the past. 

Bottom line – for most consumers, it’s not enough for products to just taste and look good: they need to do good too. 

This is a welcome shift for small operations that sell at farmers markets and partake in co-ops – but for national brands, with massive networks of hundreds of growers and a presence on grocery store shelves in every state, it gets a little trickier. How can a multi-million dollar company come off as relatable but not inauthentic, sustainable but not greenwashing, and polished but not stuffy?