Bill's Blog

One of the most fascinating questions I'm frequently asked is always couched around - what brands made a comeback after being left for dead?   The Escalade raised Cadillac from the automobile brand graveyard, Puma had a rebirth in the shoe category and Pabst rocked back as the brew of college kids.  It happens, just not often.  Although it is more a category than a "brand," farms have never been more popular.

Farming is now cool and retro.  Farm-to-table restaurants are one of the hottest restaurant category niches.  Look no further than Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico, NY and Richard Gere and Carey Lowell's hot new restaurant Bedford Post, also in New York.  Fresh local produce, meat and breads are lucrative business today.  One look at your bill at the end of a great meal and you'll see that firsthand, and feel it in your wallet as well.

Farms are back in our consciousness in a big way.  Look around - almost every town has a weekly farmers' market that continues well into September and October.  What they've been able to do is sell quality over bland supermarket produce offerings.  You'll pay more, but it's worth it.  Farms have brand value and equity today.  Everyone wants to get on the sustainability train. 

There is something wonderful about growing and cooking with fresh local vegetables.  Being a long-time gardener, there is no better feeling than harvesting something you've grown, many times from a seed. The vegetables and fruits cultivated in the garden are vibrant in color, from lush, fire-engine red Big Boy tomatoes and regal orange carrots to dark green bell peppers and aubergine eggplants.  The colors of summer help make this fleeting season one to enjoy.

Supporting farms is not only good for you; it's good for the community.  Farms bring people together by promoting engagement and connection.  Who doesn't want to support a local farmer - it keeps money in the local economy.  A local butcher called Butcher's Best opened nearby where I live and the meat they sell is grown on local farms.  There is a discernible difference in the taste of the meat.  Pork and lamb taste like they used to before supermarkets ran independent butchers out of business.  You pay dearly for it, but doesn't taste prove quality?  The adage has always been that a great brand derives 10% to 15% premium - farms/farm fresh products bear this out. 

The farm trend is everywhere you look.  Just this past weekend, we went to the Dutchess County Fair which features a tremendous amount of agricultural/farming influence.  People were engaged and involved in all the barns, exhibits and demonstrations - ranging from cow milking to livestock auctions. There were four-mile traffic jams winding through the bucolic town of Rhinebeck waiting to get into the parking lot.   The awareness and appreciation of all things farming was certainly heightened, although you were hard pressed to find any healthy "farm fresh" dining choices throughout the fair grounds.  That's not such a bad thing - who doesn't enjoy a sausage and pepper sandwich, hand cut fries, fried dough and beer!!  Good thing they don't post calories for all the junk food we consumed. 

The Farmer's Cow brand, originated by six family-owned dairy farms in Connecticut, is an example of farm brands working.  They saw an opportunity to cash in on the farm-to-table trend by launching the Farmer's Cow brand back in 2005. Recently they stepped beyond milk, extending the brand to ice cream.  Brand extension - a sure sign of success!   The brand is found throughout retail supermarkets in CT, NY and southern New England.  They are a part of the State of CT's $2 billion agriculture industry.   They proved that revenue streams lead back to farms.  Their operating credo - "We believe in what we do - protecting open space and our precious agricultural heritage for future generations."   By supporting "farm brands" we're doing our part to make this happen.  That's great brand evangelism!