Marketing and Branding Cooperative Products

Posted by on October 27, 2006

Below and attached is an announcement for an exciting workshop featuring national and international innovators that have developed premier branding and cooperative marketing programs for sustainably-produced food products. Please share the following announcement with farmers, organizations, businesses, colleagues, etc. that may be interested. The workshop will be held at Glynwood Center in the Hudson Valley in NY?about 1.5 hours north of NYC. Please note that it is possible to arrange overnight accommodations at Glynwood Center.

Expanding the farmer?s share:
Marketing & Branding techniques to improve profitability

WORKSHOP

Saturday, November 18, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM

Why should farmers care about marketing and branding? Marketing is the art of creating demand for a product. The goal is recognition, so consumers know and want your products. Marketing also helps explain why these products are higher quality and are therefore, worth more. When consumers identify products with consistent images, messages, and names, a brand emerges. Since most individual farmers do not have the time or resources to create and implement a marketing campaign, joint efforts help farmers create a brand and establish a marketing campaign that will improve profits.

Expanding the Farmer?s Share workshop is for farmers, food marketers, chefs, extension agents, and consumers. The workshop brings together national and international innovators and leaders who have developed premier branding and cooperative marketing programs for sustainably-produced foods.

Featured Speaker:

Erik Bruun Bindslev, Marketing Specialist, Duchy Originals Brand. Duchy Originals started in 1990 with a farm owned by Prince Charles and is now a leading, premium food brand in the UK that sells over 130 value-added products. The focus of the company is to create a viable, healthy future for farming, and support environmentally friendly farming techniques.

Panelists:

Chris Fullerton, Manager, Tuscarora Growers. Tuscarora Growers is a growers cooperative founded in 1988 by neighboring farms in Pennsylvania to jointly market fruits and vegetables to the Washington, DC metro area. Now, Tuscarora Growers includes 25 producers and moves approximately 50,000 cases of produce year-round.

Tedd Heilmann, Cooperative Regions of Organic Producers Pools (CROPP). CROPP is the producer cooperative for Organic Valley and Organic Prairie brands. CROPP was started in 1988 by 7 dairy farmers in Wisconsin and has grown to include over 800 family farms nationwide selling everything from organic cheese to orange juice to prime cuts of steak. CROPP is a farmer-owned cooperative. Last year, Organic Valley had $245 million in sales.

Paul Willis, Manager, Niman Ranch. Niman Ranch was started nearly 30 years ago and works with more than 500 independent pork, lamb, and beef producers. Niman Ranch products are featured in some of the best restaurants in the country. They have built a national reputation on their incredibly delicious and high quality products as well as their strict humane and sustainable production standards.

Moderator:

Dr. Mary Hendrickson, Co-Director, Food Circles Networking Project, University of Missouri. Food Circles Networking Project works to connect farmers, consumers, and communities in building a regional food system.

For more information about Glynwood Center please visit http://www.glynwood.org.

Due to limited seating reservations are required.

Registration Fees: $35 per person; $25 for individual farmers; $40 for 2 farmers from the same operation.

Workshop includes continental breakfast and lunch.

You may make a reservation by contacting Anita Barber at (854) 265-3338 or abarber@glynwood.org or visiting our web site http://www.glynwood.org.