Organic Valley partners with grocery chain in stewardship program
Eco-campaign gives shoppers opportunities to support local environmental stewardship
by Sustainable Food News
October 23, 2009
Organic Valley Family of Farms said Thursday it has partnered with Northwest grocery chain Ray's Food Place to launch a program with EcoUnit, a shopper rewards program that awards customers with credits that can be redeemed to support local stewardship projects like tree planting and river restoration.
La Farge, Wis.-based Organic Valley is America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation’s leading organic brands with annual sales of $528 million. The company sells a full line of organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce and juice. OV also sells organic meats under the Organic Prairie Family of Farms label.
C&K Market is a family owned company based in Brookings, Ore. The company operates grocery stores, including Ray’s Food Place, Shop Smart and Price Less Foods.
Through the end of this year, shoppers that purchase an Organic Valley product from Ray's Food Place stores will earn 10 EcoUnit credits or 25 credits for purchasing two or more Organic Valley products.
Shoppers can then collect EcoUnit vouchers at the checkout, then visit http://ov.ecounit.com to sign-up and to register their EcoUnit credits to support local environmental projects, including willow tree planting along Hay Creek, a lower tributary of Oregon's John Day River; restoring the Deschutes River basin habitat; reviving and protecting the salmon runs of California’s Blue Creek and Klamath River; or cedar-tree planting efforts along Oregon's Elk River.
“We believe this partnership is a great fit for our company and our commitment to supporting the communities that we are a part of,” remarked Greg Sandeno, COO of C&K Market, Inc., parent company of Ray’s Food Place. “Together with Organic Valley and EcoUnit, Ray’s is doing its part to work towards a sustainable future for our families.”
Shoppers who participate in the EcoUnit promotion will also be eligible to enter to win one of three prizes of a year's worth of free Organic Valley dairy products.
“Consumers today are learning that their buying decisions impact the environment, especially when it comes to food purchases,” said Tripp Hughes, director of category management for Organic Valley. “Now, shoppers in southern Oregon and northern California who make environmentally responsible choices, like using reusable bags and purchasing local and organic products, also have the chance to make a real difference in the region’s watershed.”
Over the past 20 years, shoppers who have selected Organic Valley products have collectively kept 89.5 million pounds of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and 12.5 million pounds of synthetic pesticides and herbicides out of America’s soil and water.
By partnering with Organic Valley and Ray's Food Place stores to launch this program, San Francisco Bay area-based EcoUnit hopes to create awareness throughout the United States and the rest of the world of the loss of forests and degredation of fresh water supplies.
