A Fresh Take on Charlie’s Produce

Why were the apple and orange all alone? Because the banana split!
Don’t worry – our branding services are far better than our fruit jokes, we promise. Fresh produce and fresh branding make a great pear, and together we’ve been able to grow the best ideas for the best product. Like the veggies and fruit Charlie’s Produce cultivates, rebranding at Creative Media Alliance starts from the ground up. They already had lemonade when they came to CMA, so we made a marketing lemon drop!

Charlie’s Produce came to us as an accomplished organization with a rich history of sourcing and providing the highest quality fresh produce to customers across the nation, improving the quality, inventory, and logistics of how produce moves from farm-to-table. Charlie’s organic growth had plenty of juice and was gaining tremendous momentum as they partnered with local growers, foodservice customers, philanthropic organizations, and businesses in each of their markets. As they grew, their pool of products, employees, services and partners continued to expand and Charlie’s found its brand being pulled in various directions.

Charlie’s hired Creative Media Alliance to refresh their branding both externally and within the company itself, seeking cohesive messaging to prevent brand dilution and build a collective identity amongst their extensive network of partners. Through a diligent discovery process involving in depth interviews, surveys, and accompanying Charlie’s on visits to local suppliers and customers, CMA uncovered the common thread between each facet of Charlie’s business.

By understanding the company and their processes, working through audiences and communication sequences, messaging maps, and tagline themes, CMA was able to help Charlie’s define its brand pillars and mission statement in a comprehensive brand guide. This new unified identity became the basis for brand storytelling across verbal, print and online communications.

CMA’s photographers and professional video production team captured high quality imagery and stunning footage of Charlie’s produce, employees, and local farms. The design and media teams at CMA created a detailed product catalogue including every specific company offering in a beautiful format for both sales and internal use. After evaluating wireframes and user interface specifications, CMA’s web developers produced an intuitive, mobile-friendly website. To facilitate self-service ordering for Charlie’s customers, CMA also created an app design manual.

Overall, Creative Media Alliance’s branding services helped Charlie’s Produce to align their different brands and reintroduce who they are and what they stand for in a consistent, compelling, and authentic way.

CMA has continued working with Charlie’s for nearly three years, providing annual updates for their product catalog, digital templates, and in-house marketing collateral. As they continue to grow, Charlie’s has acquired companies and encourages them to retain their own distinct brands, and CMA strategizes how those independent identities are woven into Charlie’s while still remaining unique. These ongoing efforts help Charlie’s to market themselves to customers and partners with a one-of-a-kind brand, and do their unique story justice.

Charlie’s Produce is an independent, full-service produce company focused on sourcing an extensive selection of fruits and vegetables from local growers whenever possible and supplying to retail and food service customers. They play a vital role in the farm-to-fork journey with strong, lasting relationships, community involvement, sustainability and forward-thinking as driving forces.