The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center is pleased to announce the 2023 Dairy Marketing & Branding Services Grant Awards.
This grant increases the exposure and promotion of regionally produced dairy products, through projects guided by marketing and branding professionals. Nine dairy businesses from across seven states were selected for awards. Individual award amounts will range from $14,400 to $50,000 with a total of $363,926 in overall funding.
The following businesses have been selected for awards:
Clear Spring Creamery, Maryland – $28,223 to work with a contractor to develop and improve their online presence including website development and content updating, social media strategy and management, an email marketing campaign, logo and marketing material redesign, and market stand enhancement.
Crosswinds Farm & Creamery, New York – $50,000 to work with a marketing contractor to refresh their brand strategy and logo; develop and implement a 12-month marketing plan; capture professional product images of new product lines; and design and utilize brand-consistent packaging, signage, and marketing materials.
Fredrikson Farm, Maine – $49,600 to work with a marketing professional consultant to promote customer brand awareness and develop a strategy to tell the story of their farm and products through digital and social media marketing campaign.
Gifford’s Ice Cream, Maine – $50,000 to hire a consultant to design packaging and a social media campaign for the launch of a seven-flavor ice cream pint line in 2024.
Mystic Cheese Company, Connecticut – $14,400 to establish the Connecticut Cheese Guild as a legal entity and work with a contractor to design a logo and centralized website to support and promote Connecticut cheesemakers and their products, including with the development of a Connecticut Cheese Trail.
Pariva, Massachusetts – $50,000 to work with a branding and marketing contractor to establish a strong marketing and growth plan to propel its savory yogurt bites into the American market, creating brand recognition and addressing challenges related to product placement and online sales.
Rogers Farmstead, Vermont – $27,943 to work with a contractor to refresh branding, update their website with current content and make it mobile phone-friendly, and create packing and marketing materials with a new logo and regional pro-dairy branded messaging.
Sweet Rowen Farmstead, Vermont – $43,750 to collaborate with a team of marketing professionals to strengthen their marketing efforts, enhance their branding strategies, and position themselves to access large wholesale distributors with logistical elements required by distributors of that scale including case-based sales shipped in branded, coded boxes and pallets.
The Center for Dairy Excellence, Pennsylvania – $50,000 to develop a grant structure and application process to pair up to 11 value-added dairy businesses with consultants to develop comprehensive marketing plans, including brand building, labeling, creative design, multimedia production, web and e-commerce development, and strategic guidance to increase product sales and consumer engagement.
Photo: Brown Swiss cows at Crosswinds Farm & Creamery