From My Farm Sets Sights on National Recognition

From My Farm, which offers supermarkets and specialist retailers a one stop shop buying solution for fresh regionally sourced produce, is launching a PR campaign to support its ambitious expansion plans.

From My Farm, which was launched in October 2008 in response to growing consumer concern about food provenance and food miles, has employed Mustard Communications to help raise its profile in a bid to make it a nationally recognised brand by June 2012.

The brain child of Yorkshire farmers daughter Charlotte Falkingham, the From My Farm brand plans to celebrate its second birthday this autumn by rolling out into several new regions.  From My Farm branded produce can currently be found in Scotland, the South West, Yorkshire and the East of England as well as in selected quality retailers in London.  It has its sights set on expanding into the South East, East Midlands and West Midlands, followed by the North West next Spring and at a later date the North East and Wales.

These expansion plans come hot on the heels of From My Farm being shortlisted for IGDs small business award, which is sponsored by Morrisons.

Charlotte commented:  The From My Farm brand has come a long way in the last 20 months but there is huge potential to raise awareness amongst the growing army of consumers demanding local produce and to which increasingly retailers are listening.  We think our PR campaign devised by Mustard Communications will help to do that and also encourage more local growers to enquire about joining us in regions where we already function and in those where we are looking to expand.

The From My Farm brand is a unique supplier concept in which the UK is divided into eight regions from where From My Farm identifies and works with top quality growers. Hubs collate orders, liaise with regional growers and deliver to the nearest regional distribution centre or, in some cases, direct to store. In this way national supermarket chains have the convenience of a one-stop-shop buying solution for perishable, regional, fresh produce while small local growers have the opportunity to supply major multiples in their region when they would not otherwise have the volume of scale to do so. Stockists currently include some branches of Morrisons and Waitrose, Jimmys Farm in Suffolk, a National Trust property at Wimpole Hall, Sourced Market at St. Pancras International, Whole Foods Market in London and Harrods.

From My Farm is built on five distinct values around which Mustard has been able to devise an impactful campaign:

• Regional all produce is truly regional.  Nothing is imported from other UK regions or from abroad
• Traceability & Provenance each pack carries the growers stamp so the consumer can be sure it has been grown and packed locally
• Seasonal only produce in season is available meaning the From My Farm offer changes with the crops and time of year.  The produce is therefore always at its freshest and tasting its best
• Consideration for the Environment where products can be bunched they are eg leeks but where packing is required the sustainability, compostability and recycle-ability is carefully considered
• Growing Trust a penny for every From My Farm pack sold is given to the Growing Trust a charitable organisation aimed at helping local charities in the eight From My Farm regions.  Consumers can log onto the From My Farm website and suggest which local charities to support.   In addition, From My Farm is a member of Slow Food UK , a non-profit organisation that campaigns for fairly produced food and which supports local producers (www.slowfood.org.uk)

Charlotte added: We genuinely care about where our food comes from, its impact on the environment and local economy and its freshness and taste.  Thats why we select only the best products when they are in season, from trusted and quality assured growers.

Wendy Akers, MD of Mustard Communications, said: Were very excited about working with From My Farm.  It is a genuinely different supplier concept working to clearly defined values and messages.  The PR campaign is practical, hard working but exciting much like the From My Farm brand itself!

From My Farm is part of the Produce World Group, based in Yaxley, Peterborough.  It was a conversation on a plane journey between Charlotte and group agricultural director Andrew Burgess, who had been visiting growers in Spain, which led to the formation of the brand.

Andrew and I both agreed that there was a genuine and real need for locally produced food which could be bought by consumers in the area in which it was grown and branded as such, said Charlotte.

For more information about From My Farm visit:  www.frommyfarm.co.uk