SALINAS, CA - If it feels like Naturipe Farms was just celebrating a centennial anniversary, it was! And as the company's strategy on how it will take on the next hundred begins to unfold, it is starting off with the debut of a whole new brand.
“We are extremely proud of our company’s history and feel that this brand refresh revitalizes us as we enter our next 100 years,” said Dwight Ferguson, President and CEO. “Growing the freshest berries has always been our priority, and it was time for us to prioritize our brand as well.”
What goes into something as vast as a rebrand, especially within a company that has operations going as far back as more than 100 years? Naturipe Farms Vice President of Marketing, CarrieAnn Arias, said it was definitely not an overnight decision.
“Over the past year, we conducted a combination of quantitative and qualitative market research studies to determine what Millennials and the next generation of berry-buyers wanted from their brands,” CarrieAnn explained. “With these younger customers poised to be the largest consumer group in history, it was important for us to ensure Naturipe Farms’ brand refresh spoke to this demographic.”
The result, CarrieAnn and her team said, is a sleek new look that highlights its long heritage, introducing itself to younger demographics while maintaining a connection with its established customer base.
“It was really important for us to ask our customers directly about all aspects of our brand. We want to talk with—not just to—our customers. We want Naturipe Farms to be relevant to berry-buyers for the next 100 years, and we committed to listening to them,” CarrieAnn shared, detailing that the berry producer executed a 5-phase consumer research study of nearly 4,000 participants in the U.S. and Canada.
“Through the company’s market research, the consumers have spoken, and Naturipe Farms’ investments in innovation and R&D going forward will help ensure the brand evolves with changing customer priorities,” she said. “With these combined efforts, the company intends to make the next hundred years every bit as successful as the previous hundred.”
Naturipe Farms’ new design elements are already rolling out in grocery stores and will continue to do so over the next several months, including new packaging, in-store merchandising, and a new logo that showcases its fresh “Farmed fresh since 1917” tagline.
And there is more already planned in the way of new packaging and beyond. Naturipe Farms said this refresh offers more than a new brand, that it will reinforce focusing on the company’s three core principles; farmers, quality, and heritage. As part of the company’s Cultivate with Care™ initiative, it has committed to conducting business in a way that minimizes environmental impact. Not only is it exploring eco-friendly packaging in hopes of being a leader in sustainability practices, but also researching multiple areas of better practice in its business like water conservation and natural pest management. Read more about the new look and all that comes with it here.
With over a century of growth built by generations of growers, this looks to be an exciting reintroduction—celebrating Naturipe’s past while promoting its future.
