Great Basin Co-op Brings Farmers In-store

The Great Basin Community Food Co-op is introducing the Meet Your Farmer App to its customers in Reno, Nev., on Sept. 19 as part of its 10 year anniversary celebrations.

The app features 25 local produce farmers who aim to connect with customers to tell the story of the fresh, healthy produce they’re purchasing. Customers download the free app and then point their smartphones at the Meet Your Farmer signs throughout the store to launch the video of that farmer. Customers will “meet” the farmer and see where the produce was grown.

“We are excited to be the first grocer to incorporate this technology,” said Amber Sallaberry, general manager of the Great Basin Community Food Co-op. “It reinforces our emphasis on local food and community, and our core belief in complete transparency about what we sell to our customers.”

While customers are increasingly conscious about where their food comes from, most will never have the opportunity to see where it is produced or interact with those who bring it to market. The app was conceived by Steve Cook, creative director of NEON, a Reno-based marketing firm. “I went on a farm tour and saw how people really enjoyed getting to know their farmers and seeing how their food was produced,” he said. “It set me off thinking of ways to use new technology so it could be done easily in-store by potentially thousands of people.”