Manufacturer: Organic Valley/Dean Foods
Agency: Moxie Sozo
Organic Valley is a beloved mainstay in the dairy aisle, offering everything from butter and milk to eggs, cheese, and more. It also happens to be the largest farmer-owned organic co-op in America, with a commitment to bringing consumers fresh food and supporting family farms in an increasingly corporate-owned space. Created by just seven farmers in 1988, Organic Valley has since become a collective of more than 1,600 farmer-owners that help generate over $1 billion in annual revenue.
While the brand is rooted in the timeless values of providing good food, an honest living, and a sustainable future, it recognized times were changing. Evolving consumer sentiment, new category players, and just the passing of time—it had been at least five years since the packaging had been changed—led the Organic Valley team to consider a new package design. The brand engaged Moxie Sozo, a Boulder-based brand design agency, to help bring their brand values to life better on-shelf.
The goals were outlined at the start of the project, and included strengthening Organic Valley’s retail presence with an eye-catching design and clearly communicating the premium quality, safety, and taste of the products. Organic Valley even knew precisely the demographic it wanted to attract and a competitor it wanted to outpace.
“Our strategic marketing targets have evolved since we began the project, but we knew we needed appeal to our current buyers while also being attractive to category buyers who may not be loyal to Organic Valley,” said Josh Peters, creative director at Organic Valley. “We created a bullseye target we called ‘Organic Moms,’ who have a key role in family food purchasing decisions.”
The term “organic moms” refers to sustainability-minded consumers who check labels for high-quality, organic ingredients, and who are willing to spend a bit more on healthier products. Horizon Organics (a key competitor) had performed very well with this segment, and this target helped Moxie Sozo narrow its focus in the strategy stage of the project. “While each SKU required specific elements for that category, it was clear that the overarching goal of appealing to ‘organic moms’ who gravitated to a category leader,” recalled Derek Springston, CEO & managing partner at Moxie Sozo.
Research was a defining element of the entire process. For example, the teams interacted directly with consumers who regularly purchased Organic Valley, Horizon, and some reginal brands on “shop-alongs,” which allowed them to better understand the thought processes behind decision-making at the shelf. “It was really helpful in understanding the checkboxes that other brands were hitting with these consumers and how Organic Valley could actually break through in those areas,” Springston recalled.
Peters was grateful for consumer feedback at this stage of the process, in part because he hadn’t anticipated some of the outcomes. For example, Organic Valley tested the current packaging at the time to establish a baseline. It featured photos of animals, kids, and actual farmers from the organization, with a badge that included the farmer’s signature. To Peters’ surprise, when the brand tested the current design with consumers, the approach didn’t resonate with them. “At the time, the design was meant to convey these were our actual farmers on their farms, and look, they even signed it down below,” he recalled. “Consumers were not making that connection. They thought the ‘farmers’ were just models, which would impact our authenticity in consumers’ eyes.”
Armed with insights, Moxie Sozo created and presented eight design concepts, and the Organic Valley team once again included consumers in helping them select and refine a final design. They were particularly cognizant of not alienating the consumers who were already loyal to them. “We wanted to keep the brand presence intact,” said Peters. “So we actually conducted tests with our current consumers as well as category consumers. We wanted to make sure we were bringing our current consumers along as we changed the packaging.”
Based on the research, it seemed that farm-scene illustrations resonated with consumers best. “Even though the assets were illustrated, consumers were saying things like ‘this cow looks like it lives in a stress-free environment’ and ‘this farm looks like where I want my food to come from.’ The drawings of the farms and animals were communicating transparently and honestly even more so than the photos were, which was a pretty fascinating realization for us.”
Ultimately, the brand landed on a design concept the agency called “Nowstalgia,” which Peters said hit on several levels. “People want their dairy and egg brand to feel contemporary,” he explained. “But they also want it to make them feel good in the way that experiences with these products made them feel as kids. The illustration style we chose really delivered on addressing that dichotomy.”
Early in the project, the Moxie Sozo team had visited one of the Organic Valley farms, which helped them when it came to capturing the bucolic scenes and sensibilities correctly. The final design depicted illustrated animals in green pastures—chickens for eggs, and cows for cheese, butter, and milk—with the brand’s signature red barn and a much larger logo. The medium allowed the agency to portray the idyllic environment of real Organic Valley farms where the animals were thriving. “The anatomy and personality of farm animals isn’t easy to capture,” Springston mused. “There were a lot of rounds of creative just trying to really nail that perfect pose and that ideal impression that we wanted to convey.”
When it came to claims, Peters explained that each category had its own requisites (e.g., “Free to Forage®”, “ethically sourced from small family farms”, etc.) while “certified organic” was consistently highlighted. The brand had a strong story to communicate, but it was important to prioritize and simplify. “We tried to pull out the three to five claims that we knew were most important in the category, and focus on those,” he said.
Organic Valley’s new look launched in April 2023 and it seems to have struck a chord with consumers. During the six months following its rollout, sales grew by 10% compared to the same period during the prior year. Designalytics’ research affirms this outcome: When consumers were asked which design they’d prefer to purchase, 74% selected the new over the old.
Anecdotal feedback has also been positive, which has fueled enthusiasm across the board. “In addition to a great response from retailers and customers, we’ve received glowing reports from our farmers,” Peters noted. “We put the farmers on a pedestal at Organic Valley, because we work for them. And we kept hearing from them at co-op meetings: ‘This is great. It feels exciting again.’ It’s just been really fun to see everyone smile when they see the new design.”
As with so many successful design projects, Peters noted, collaboration was key for this redesign—and it was fueled by a shared spirit of curiosity and openness to different perspectives. “I think one of the reasons Organic Valley and Moxie Sozo work so well together is that each team wants to learn from each other and from consumers. There is a mutual respect between our teams, but also excitement about really diving into the challenges and finding creative solutions that are true to the brand.”