Country Natural Beef

The Challenge

Ranching co-operative and meat provider Country Natural Beef (CNB) had a robust history as a forward-thinking cooperative of family ranchers who have been raising healthy beef in harmony with the land since 1986, but their identity was failing to tell the full story. To better communicate their pride-ridden work and shared philosophies, CNB needed to create a more telling visual identity.

With an opportunity to carve out an elevated brand identity, CNB tapped The GRO Agency to deliver unique packaging design and mouth-watering product photography.

Our challenge with the CNB product packaging redesign was to 1) tell the authentic story of CNB’s progressive and sustainable approach to ranching, deeply ingrained in the communities and families of the Co-op, and 2) make a premium and more ownable visual identity centered around their community engagement and sustainable practices.

The Solution

In the meat industry, brands must avoid appearing like a big corporate supplier at risk of subconsciously being thrown in the overarching category of ‘over-processed’. WIth the rebrand, CNB wisely made it clear to consumers that whenever they buy CNB products, they are buying quality beef directly from a ranch family, not a big corporate supplier.

First, amongst many of CNB’s philosophies is the strong belief that they would not market products that their own families would not eat. To serve as an anchor for the rebrand, the GRO Agency rallied the brand behind a new credo, families feeding families, to emphasize their community-driven roots and co-operative practices.

In addition to the human component, the packaging design introduced a modern style to some of the existing design elements that the Co-op had owned for many years, like strong typography reminiscent of a hearty meal. To make the brand name treatments for both CNB and their sub-brand Oregon Country Beef more distinctive and therefore more ownable, the communication hierarchy was rearranged to focus more on the logomark, and appear less of a white-label brand.

Finally, to seal the deal, the website design showcased mouth-watering product photography that captured the sizzling, juicy goodness of a perfectly-prepared meat dish.