Expedition Easthampton is River Valley Co-op’s marketing campaign for their new location in Easthampton, MA. The goal of this campaign was to inform the public and their customers of the progress with the member loans. In order to guarantee success of the construction of the second store a certain amount of money from member loans from the co-op was required. My contribution to this project was to design a look for the printed materials utilizing the cartoon style of River Valley Co-op and the chosen elements (paddle, compass, mountains, etc.). This resulted in a colorful but informative and playful design that is appealing for all ages.
River Valley Co-op started to charge 10¢ per bag in response to the single-use plastic bag ban as an effort to join forces in reducing waste. Verbiage, posters and other graphics were made to remind customers to bring their reusable bag.
Part of the National Co+op Grocers Association there is a kids program designed to get children excited about food. About 9 months ago I was tasked with creating an activity book. The book was designed to have 36 pages, with 3 being recipes for kids. Additionally, there was a sticker page featuring graphics/icons from the brand.
I did quite a bit of research in activity books to get a feel of the designs used as they tend to be less formal, fun and exciting and more flow-y and illustrative. I used leaves and fruits and vegetables as part of this design.
They currently tend 90 varieties of perennial fruit in the form of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, plums, cherries, pears and apples. Their apples are set up for Pick-Your-Own harvesting and they sell them at our farmstand here and at several farmer’s markets. Art In the Orchard is a walking sculpture trail which winds through our productive fruit gardens. The self-guided trail is about a half-mile long. A walk through the labyrinth adds about a quarter mile. This year’s exhibition is the fourth biennial which features all new works by sculptors as selected by their credentialed jury.
They currently tend 90 varieties of perennial fruit in the form of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, plums, cherries, pears and apples. Their apples are set up for Pick-Your-Own harvesting and they sell them at our farmstand here and at several farmer’s markets. Art In the Orchard is a walking sculpture trail which winds through our productive fruit gardens. The self-guided trail is about a half-mile long. A walk through the labyrinth adds about a quarter mile. This year’s exhibition is the fourth biennial which features all new works by sculptors as selected by their credentialed jury.
They currently tend 90 varieties of perennial fruit in the form of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, plums, cherries, pears and apples. Their apples are set up for Pick-Your-Own harvesting and they sell them at our farmstand here and at several farmer’s markets. Art In the Orchard is a walking sculpture trail which winds through our productive fruit gardens. The self-guided trail is about a half-mile long. A walk through the labyrinth adds about a quarter mile. This year’s exhibition is the fourth biennial which features all new works by sculptors as selected by their credentialed jury.
Every year River Valley Co-op hosts a variety of events that help connect the business to the local community and shows it’s support. Usually around the summer solstice they host a Strawberry Ice Cream Social where the proceeds go towards a local nonprofit.
Jon Steinman Book Tour: Grocery Story: The promise of food co-ops in the age of grocery giants
In-Store Meet the Author, 11am – 5pm Talk & Book Signing, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Presented by Jon Steinman and New Society Publishers
Jon Steinman will be making a stop at our Co-op as part of 100-city international book tour for Grocery Story: The promise of food co-ops in the age of grocery giants, published by New Society Publishers. A compelling case of the long and steady work of consumer-owned food co-ops and their relentless and remarkable work to remain relevant and impactful in their communities even in the age of modern chain grocery giants.
About the Author:
Jon Steinman has studied and worked with all things food for over two decades. He was the producer and host of the internationally syndicated radio show and podcast Deconstructing Dinner, once ranked as the most-listened-to food podcast in Canada. Jon is the writer and host of “Deconstructing Dinner: Reconstructing our Food System” – a television and web series currently streaming online. Jon coordinates and curates the annual Deconstructing Dinner Film Festival of compelling food documentaries and was an elected director from 2006-2016 of the Kootenay Co-op – Canada’s largest independent retail consumer food co-op, serving as Board President from 2014-2016. He lives in Nelson, BC.
WHY GROCERY STORY?
More than ever before, food co-ops are in need of differentiating themselves from chain and privately- owned retailers – many of whom carry products and services baring little distinction from what has commonly been considered “co-op food”. But where differentiation lies among food co-ops is in the diverse roles food co-ops play in their communities and through the democratizing of the economy that the cooperative model enables. The support food co-ops provide to local and regional foodmakers is also substantial, and Grocery Story devotes considerable attention to the promise of food co-ops to direct power in the marketplace back into the hands of foodmakers of all kinds – farmers, fishers, processors and manufacturers.
My intention with Grocery Story was to bring forward the co-op difference in the most penetrating, comprehensive, and inspiring way possible.
– Jon Steinman
the poster above won an honorable mention from the author
A cooperative is often founded and built on a membership/ownership basis in which owners are provided with incentives to continue to help support the business. As a result the business is an interesting blend of Organizational and Point of Sale systems in which it operates and markets itself. Part of their advertising practices involve an ownership drive which includes the incentives to join and promotional gifts. This year it was two produce bags, a tote bag, and wooden pencils.
My contribution was the poster and produce bags below:
