RENO, Nev. — Do you know where your produce comes from? To help customers answer that question, the Great Basin Community Food Co-op in Reno, Nev. is launching an innovative app that allows shoppers to virtually connect with the producers of their food. Launching in-store later this month, the Meet Your Farmer app is the first-of-its-kind for a U.S. grocery store – designed to increase awareness and appreciation of local food.
The Meet Your Farmer App will feature 25 producers local to the Reno area sharing their love of farming with consumers. With facts about their history, farming practices and produce, these growers will connect with individuals to tell a story not only about the produce, but also the farmers working behind the scenes to deliver fresh, healthy foods to the store.
The free app will enable shoppers to connect with local farmers simply by pointing their smart phones at Meet Your Farmer signs throughout the store. An introduction video from that farmer will instantly play on their smart phone or tablet. Shoppers will be able to literally meet their farmers and see where their produce was grown.
Steve Cook, creative director of NEON, a Reno-based marketing agency, is the architect of the idea. “I went on a farm tour and saw how people really enjoyed getting to know their farmers and seeing how their food was produced,” he said. “It set me off thinking of ways to use new technology so it could be done easily in-store by potentially thousands of people.”
Even as consumers become increasingly conscious about where their food comes from and how it is produced, he continued, few will ever have the chance to visit a farm or interact with those who bring their food to market. Meet Your Farmer will connect shoppers to their local producers right in the produce aisle.
“We are excited to be the first grocer to incorporate this technology,” said Amber Sallaberry, general manager of the Great Basin Community Food Co-op. “It reinforces our emphasis on local food and community, and our core belief in complete transparency about what we sell to our customers.”
The co-op will launch the Meet Your Farmer app in-store on Sept. 19, as part of its 10 year anniversary party celebrations. For more information, visit www.greatbasinfood.coop. The Great Basin Community Food Co-op is a member of National Co+op Grocers (NCG).
About NCG
National Co+op Grocers (NCG), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCG helps unify food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. Our 143 member and associate co-ops operate more than 190 storefronts in 38 states with combined annual sales over $1.7 billion. NCG is a winner of the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence and a Certified B Corporation. Find a map of NCG member and associate co-ops. To learn more about co-ops, visit www.strongertogether.coop.
Source: National Co+op Grocers (NCG)