ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (Feb. 6, 2020) – Farmer-owned cooperative Land O’Lakes, Inc. has unveiled new packaging for the company’s consumer-facing LAND O LAKES® products featuring the farmers who are the foundation of the cooperative’s membership.
The new packaging will show up in a variety of ways, including through a new front-of-package design that features the phrase “Farmer-Owned” above the LAND O LAKES brandmark, “Since 1921” below it and a vibrant illustration of land and lakes. Some products, including stick butter, will also include photos of real Land O’Lakes farmers and co-op members and copy that reads “Since 1921” and “Proud to be Farmer-Owned: As a farmer-owned co-op, we stand together to bring you the very best in dairy.”
Land O’Lakes was founded by a group of Minnesota dairy farmers in 1921, and as it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2021, the co-op has reflected on its treasured history and made the decision to showcase its greatest strength—its farmers.
The logo, which has been the company’s label for nearly 100 years since it was founded in Minnesota in 1921, has been called “racist” and criticized for its use of the “butter maiden.”
The Front Of The New Land O’Lakes Butter Packaging
“As Land O’Lakes looks toward our 100th anniversary, we’ve recognized we need packaging that reflects the foundation and heart of our company culture—and nothing does that better than our farmer-owners whose milk is used to produce Land O’Lakes’ dairy products,” said Beth Ford, President and CEO, Land O’Lakes.
“As a farmer-owned co-op, we strongly feel the need to better connect the men and women who grow our food with those who consume it,” Ford said. “Our farmer-to-fork structure gives us a unique ability to bridge this divide.”
Over the past few years, Land O’Lakes has launched a number of marketing initiatives to better tell its farmer-owned story. Specific to the Dairy Foods business, the company partnered with country music star Maggie Rose in a remake of the classic song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” The remake, called “SHE-I-O,” featured Land O’Lakes member farms in Rose’s music video. Member farms and farmers have starred in several other videos highlighting the strength of the cooperative model and centered around the Land O’Lakes’ tagline, All Together Better™.
“Research shows that consumers care about farmers and are excited when they learn Land O’Lakes is farmer-owned. We’re eager to share that message with shoppers and extending that farmer-owned story to our packaging is arguably our most direct vehicle to communicate with consumers,” said Heather Anfang, Senior Vice President, Land O’Lakes U.S. Dairy Foods.
The new packaging has already started to appear on tub butter spreads, foodservice products and deli cheese, and will begin appearing on stick butter in spring/summer 2020. The new farmer-owned packaging is expected to be fully rolled out across LAND O LAKES® products by the end of 2020.
