Naturipe Farms, a farmer-owned produce company since 1917 has its sights set on millennials and Gen Z with a rebrand that is as fresh as their berries. A new logo, packaging and in-store merchandising are now in grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada.

The rebrand is a result of a comprehensive consumer research study that determined what Millennials and Gen Z — the largest demographic of shoppers — wanted to see from the Naturipe Farms brand.

“We wanted our rebranding to be representative of our long history and current market research,” said CarrieAnn Arias, Naturipe Farms’ VP of Marketing, who led the initiative. “We knew, just like growing our berries, that we needed to take our time and carefully cultivate this rebrand. That started by listening directly to our customers.”

Naturipe Farms’ year-long research study led the company to highlight components of the brand that were not always immediately visible before, including:

• Communicating the berries’ freshness. When selecting produce, 89 percent of millennials and Gen Z participants surveyed said that “freshness” is their main decision driver. 
• Emphasizing honesty and transparency. Consumers will now know the origin of their berries by the map and state represented on the label.

The research findings also revealed the truthfulness in the name. Consumers that participated in this effort expressed that the Naturipe Farms name conveyed that the company’s products are “naturally ripened” or “allowed to ripen in nature.”

Additionally, the study confirmed that millennials and Gen Z are passionate about how brands treat the environment. Naturipe Farms is currently exploring the best sustainability practices and innovations as part of their “Cultivate with Care” initiative. This means research in eco-friendly packaging, water conservation and natural pest management.