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Artisan Grain Collaborative advocates have long observed a general lack of shopper awareness for local grains and the benefits of shopping for locally grown whole grains. After all, there are a lot more steps involved in getting grains from field to shelf than for locally-grown produce. Given that farmers, food and beverage businesses, and grocers have limited resources and capacity for targeted marketing and consumer education on local grain products, AGC set out to address the information gap with help from a Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The goal was to have signs and information available for grocers to place near their local grain products in stores. We thought that it would be a good opportunity to highlight the local grains available in stores, and emphasize that local grains equal local flavor and local impact—both economic and environmental.

AGC's Market Development Manager, John Clarke, led this project, engaging with member Greg Tyzzer of Dorothy Lane Market (Dayton, OH) to serve as project consultant, and forming a Retail Advisory Panel to help plan what should be included in a "local grains toolkit" for retailers:

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Retail Advisory Panel:

• Grocery Retailers
  
  • Dean Kallas, Willy St. Co-op, Madison, WI
  • Kathleen Miller, Outpost Co-op, Milwaukee, WI 
  • Daniel Arnett, Chicago Market, Chicago, IL
  • Renee Whisnant, Lakewinds Co-op, Minneapolis, MN
• Farmers supplying co-op/natural stores
  
  • Jeff Hake and Katie Funk - Funks Grove Heritage Fruits and Grain McClean, IL

Campaign Goals:

• Help grocers highlight their support for local grain farmers and makers
• Help shoppers identify food and beverage products made with local grains
• Educate shoppers about the benefits of the local grain chain

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We were thrilled to work with Jill Groendyk of Sift Consulting as designer to create materials that were eye-catching, fun, and interesting.

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Campaign Toolkit:

• Shelf talkers to highlight local grain products on shelves
• Vinyl clings to highlight local grains at bulk bins or in bread cabinets
• Hanging cardstock signage for the bulk or bread aisles
• “Be a Grain Changemaker” call-to-action poster
• Tear pads with cooking tips for whole grains, nutrition info, and recipe pairing suggestions
• QR code to a campaign landing page complete with additional grain recipes and benefits of supporting the local grain chain of farmers, millers, and makers.
• Social media kit to share about the benefits of local grain

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In December 2024 we began outreach to independent grocery stores in Wisconsin.

In March 2025, AGC piloted Grains Grown Here, a local grain education and marketing campaign, in partnership with 15 retail grocers in Wisconsin.

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Outcomes

We were so thrilled that 75% of reporting stores saw an increase in gross sales of local grain products during that month.

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Next Steps

AGC learned a great deal in this initial effort, and we are excited to be working on an expanded Grains Grown Here 2.0 effort for March 2026, in collaboration with network members whose products are on store shelves in our region.

Click here to see the campaign landing page.

Questions? Contact AGC Communications Manager Elena Byrne: ebyrne@graincollaborative.com