Village Farms Bows Eco-friendly ‘Barefoot Plan’
As part of its ongoing sustainability initiatives, Village Farms recently unveiled a “barefoot plan” designed to build awareness within the trade of the green agricultural methods the leading hydroponic greenhouse grower employs to benefit the environment, as well as among consumers who purchase its products. Details of the plan are now featured on the Eatontown, N.J.-based supplier’s Web site, while additional details will be introduced to the trade to further explain highlights of each of the plan’s key components.
There are key five points covered by Village Farms’ plan, which collectively focus on the efficiencies and environmental benefits of its hydroponic greenhouse growing methods, including water conservation, land preservation, integrated pest management, recycling carbon dioxide, and food safety. Different creative icons, which are to be integrated into Village Farms’ product packaging, will communicate the barefoot plan’s attributes, along with simplified marketing messages to educate retailers and consumers about the plan’s environmentally friendly growing methods and overall commitment to reducing its ecological footprint.
“We are seeing the trend in seeking an understanding about how food is grown and produced as becoming more and more mainstream for consumers,” explained Helen Aquino, marketing manager at Village Farms. “However, we also realize it is a bit of a catch-22 because agricultural systems are complex, while consumers require simplicity at the grocery store. A fresh product has little opportunity to convey complex messaging compared to, say a CPG product,” adds Aquino, noting that the company’s barefoot plan “was created to simply and clearly build awareness of what Village Farms has been doing from the very beginning, is currently doing and will continue to do in the future,” as part of its efforts to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.
For more information, visit www.villagefarms.com.
There are key five points covered by Village Farms’ plan, which collectively focus on the efficiencies and environmental benefits of its hydroponic greenhouse growing methods, including water conservation, land preservation, integrated pest management, recycling carbon dioxide, and food safety. Different creative icons, which are to be integrated into Village Farms’ product packaging, will communicate the barefoot plan’s attributes, along with simplified marketing messages to educate retailers and consumers about the plan’s environmentally friendly growing methods and overall commitment to reducing its ecological footprint.
“We are seeing the trend in seeking an understanding about how food is grown and produced as becoming more and more mainstream for consumers,” explained Helen Aquino, marketing manager at Village Farms. “However, we also realize it is a bit of a catch-22 because agricultural systems are complex, while consumers require simplicity at the grocery store. A fresh product has little opportunity to convey complex messaging compared to, say a CPG product,” adds Aquino, noting that the company’s barefoot plan “was created to simply and clearly build awareness of what Village Farms has been doing from the very beginning, is currently doing and will continue to do in the future,” as part of its efforts to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.
For more information, visit www.villagefarms.com.