In a world of consumer options, it’s critical for your business’s brand to stand out. What’s even better is making your brand impactful. I know this firsthand from my time with Paonia Soil Co.
The town of Paonia, which lies in the heart of the North Fork Valley in the headwaters of the Colorado River, is also home to the highest density of organic farms in the state. For years, growers worked to keep their operations as local as possible, however they couldn’t locally source an ingredient key to their annual success—potting soil. In 2012 when the Eller family founded Paonia Soil Co., they did so because they saw a need in their community, and they stepped up to address it.
For any business turning a profit is a primary focus, however, the emotional driver for the work at Paonia Soil Co. also includes empowering as many people as possible with the ability to grow their own organic, nutrient-dense food with ease and confidence. As the Soil Co. has grown, this emphasis on community empowerment has expanded too. From the LiftUp of Routt County Greenhouse in northern Colorado, to the Montezuma School to the Farm Program in Cortez down south, year after year, the company partners with non-profits, providing them countless yards of highly discounted, living organic potting soils. The results of these efforts are locally sourced, high-yield, nutrient-dense community gardens across the state.
When I joined the Soil Co. Team in 2020 and began to familiarize myself with the business—talking with Executive Director, Bart Eller, contacting customers, reviewing past projects and current marketing efforts—I recognized that the company’s previous non-profit contributions were at once both hugely impactful, and wildly untold. Having spent the prior decade working with non-profits, I knew just how impactful dedicated non-profit partnerships can be in affecting a business’s bottom line and strengthening their brand. The key to unlocking that power? Communicating it.
Over the course of the next year, the Paonia Soil Co. team workshopped ideas for doing just that and affectionately dubbed the effort, “marketing that matters.” We collected stories and photos from current and past partners. We built a webpage highlighting our impacts and providing interested new partners with a place to apply. We began using blogs and social media to share these stories and resources. In 2022, we formally launched Soil That Serves, a program committed to supporting nonprofits, schools and community gardens working to address food security and nutritional quality.
Since launching Soil That Serves, our customer base, our brand recognition, and our in-store retail presence have expanded. This is thanks in part to direct customer requests that resellers stock Paonia Soil Co. products. Beyond increasing sales, the program itself is expanding to include collaborative in-store promotions with retailers. For example, businesses are running month-long “Round Up” programs on Paonia Soil Co. products with proceeds benefiting local Soil That Serves non-profits.
Over the last two years, we have welcomed 15 new Soil That Serves partners to whom we’ve provided in-kind donation discounts totaling $25,000, and delivered just under 100,000 pounds of premium, organic potting soil to community groups across the state. Soil That Serves enables us to showcase the efficacy of our potting mixes alongside our unwavering commitment to the health of our communities and the environment. As the dog days of summer cool and the season changes, consider your community and identify where your business (and your customers) can make an impact this giving season. The time is ripe to get creative and make your marketing matter.
