STUYVESANT, N.Y., July 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Maple Hill
Creamery started out in 2009 as a small New York State dairy selling their 100%
grass-fed, organic yogurt from a tiny storefront less than a
half-mile from founding farmer Tim
Joseph's farm. Tim began making yogurt for his family
on his kitchen stove from milk from his own 100% grass-fed herd,
and knew he'd created a unique product: an organic, 100% grass-fed
whole milk, cream on top style yogurt with little added sugar, no
artificial flavors, coloring, gums, or thickeners.
Fast forward to 2016, and the Maple Hill Milkshed has grown to
include over 70 New York State family farms, added Greek, Kefir and
Drinkable Yogurts, as well as Raw Milk Cheeses to the product
lineup in addition to the original Cream On Top style yogurt, and
can be found nationwide in over in over 6,000 retailers, including
Whole Foods Market, Target, Walmart, Safeway, Sprouts, and Stop
& Shop.
While this growth is impressive, the dairy category is
competitive. The original, handcrafted-looking original packaging
didn't resonate with conventional yogurt consumers at shelf.
In fact, based on the packaging, shoppers said they thought the
yogurt would taste "boring", "plain" or, "taste like grass."
However, after these same people tasted Maple Hill Creamery yogurt,
their opinions changed to, "oh, that's really good", "it tastes
fresh, creamy, not too sweet" and "I love it."
"We quickly realized we did not have a product issue, but we did
have a packaging emergency," said founding farmer and CEO
Tim Joseph. "We also learned
that as a company we have to continually do more to educate people
on what 100% grass-fed dairy means, and why it is better for the
cows, consumers, the farmers and the land."
#ThisIsMapleHill
Maple Hill Creamery's new packaging
is making its way on store shelves this month, along with a
brand-new website and a #ThisIsMapleHill social media campaign to
provide deeper education on the benefits of 100% grass-fed dairy,
highlighting the dedicated farmers who are the backbone of Maple
Hill Creamery's success.
Maple Hill Creamery's new look elevates the 100% grass-fed
message, while creating appetite appeal and stronger shelf
presence, so the packaging more closely aligns with the artisanal
quality and distinctiveness of the product line.
"When we launched Maple Hill Creamery in 2009, we knew we had an
incredibly fresh and distinctive product that was different from
any other yogurt, and in just a few years we became one of the
fastest-growing dairy brands in the natural channel," said
Tim Joseph. "Our mission now
is to bring 100% grass-fed dairy to a broader market of
consumers. As we grow our presence at retailers both in the
natural and conventional channels, we needed to evolve our
packaging to be competitive on-shelf, yet remain true to our
heritage and mission."
Some distinctive changes on the new packaging include:
- A simplified and cleaner company logo. The original
Maple Hill Tree still appears on the
container, but not as prominently.
- Bolder 100% grass-fed and product messaging (e.g., no added
color, thickeners or gums, excess sugar or 'natural' flavor, just
100% real ingredients.)
- Original flavor icon artwork. For example, Wild Blueberry
products will depict a fresh blueberry nesting into a bed of meadow
grasses, with the flavor name and other copy highlights in blue
type. Maple flavor features a maple leaf and syrup nesting in grass
with accents of maple colored text.
"The current packaging did not do justice to the quality of the
product inside the cup. Our goal with the redesign was to
change consumers' whole perception of the brand, and to be bold in
our 100% grass-fed dairy differentiation," said Josh White, Principal, OffWhite Co.,
Maple Hill's design and branding
agency.
About Maple Hill Creamery
Maple Hill Creamery
is a farm-family owned dairy manufacturer founded in 2009, and is
widely recognized as the preeminent leader in the emerging 100%
grass-fed dairy category. MHC is the first dairy brand to receive
the Pennsylvania Certified Organic 100% Grassfed Certification.
Since day one, Maple Hill has stood
by their conviction that 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming is
better for everyone from cows to consumers. 100% grass-fed dairy
farming produces the highest quality milk, supports the healthiest
lifestyle for cows, improves the fertility of grazing land, and
allows farmers to prosper. The Maple Hill Creamery Milkshed now
numbers over 70 small farms, and is looking to transition at least
several dozen more farms to certified 100% grass-fed in 2016.
Maple Hill Creamery products are available nationwide
at Natural Grocers, Stop & Shop, ShopRite, PCC Markets,
Safeway, Albertsons, Wegmans, Harris
Teeter, Earth Fare, Target, Sprouts, Costco, BJs, and Whole
Foods Market, as well as many specialty and independent retailers.
For more information, visit www.maplehillcreamery.com, and follow
us on Twitter @MapleHillCream, Facebook
(www.facebook.com/maplehillcreamery), and Instagram
@maplehillcreamery.
CONTACT:
Meghan Flynn, MS, RDN
Wild Hive
203.667.0241
Meghan.Flynn@wildhive.com
Video - https://youtu.be/7MTC80Rro04
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160719/391195
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SOURCE Maple Hill Creamery