Partner article from The Cornucopia Institute
In partnership with our friends at INFRA, The Cornucopia Institute’s Independence Matters campaign kicked off its second year in July. From California to Maine and Montana to Florida (not to mention Hawaii and Alaska!), 87 independent retailers representing 127 locations are showcasing the value of independence in organic food (If you’re participating, you’re in good company: check out our map.)
Determining who is ultimately behind the products on your shelves is harder than ever. Cornucopia’s tool, which uncovers the ownership structure of organic brands, is the result of hundreds of hours of research that entailed reviewing trade show lists, scouring investment statements, and reading industry chronicles, making our one-of-a-kind Who Owns Organic booklet a valuable tool for you and your shoppers. This kind of nuanced education is what sets INFRA Member stores apart.
Things change quickly in this industry! You can find updates to our research on our website or by using the QR code linked in our Who Owns Organic booklet. According to SPINS, the independent organic brands on our list represent over $100 million in sales at INFRA alone, with an average growth rate of over 44%.
This year, an increasing number of INFRA Members used our tools and signage to create independence-themed endcaps and shelf tags, providing valuable information at the very moment that shoppers are deciding which brands to place in their carts. Our friends at SPINS are working with us to measure the project’s impact. Data from last year showed that 25% of the independent organic brands on our list saw a lift in sales of more than 10% in one month (stay tuned for this year’s data.)
Examples from INFRA Members Kimberton Whole Foods and The Health Hutt
Inspired but wary of the amount of time participation will require? Signing up is easy:
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Reach out to Michele Marchetti at marchetti@cornucopia.org if your store wants booklets to share – our supply is dwindling, but we have some left. Also, they’re free.
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Support independence in organic at any time using our Digital Toolkit.
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If you’re giving out our booklets, celebrate your good work by uploading images to our Photo Wall!
Join your peers and donate to keep this work going. Cornucopia is a nonprofit organization: 67% of our funding comes directly from individuals like the informed consumers who shop at your stores, and another 12% comes from values-aligned businesses like yours. We rely on all of you to continue our research and investigations.
Our work isn't about demonizing corporate or private equity-owned brands; it's about giving clarity to consumers. As INFRA CEO Pat Sheridan aptly said on a recent INFRA's Buyer's Desk podcast episode, "That’s actually what the Good Food Movement is about — transparency so people can make informed choices.”
And, as we happily learned while we were in town to present at the INFRA Conference, INFRA is making Independence Matters an annual celebration! Working together — Cornucopia, INFRA, and you! — we can keep the best organic food on the shelves and community-scale farmers on the land, while strengthening the infrastructure for tomorrow’s independent organic brands.
Thank you for going above and beyond to keep your communities informed. You make it possible for Cornucopia’s work to get into the hands of organic advocates who want to help change the food system, and we’re grateful for your partnership.