Organic Processing Vol.6 #3

ucating the transitional consumer, one the case. Oftentimes for just a few pennies more, consumers can have the or-
of the biggest obstacles for organic, es- ganic option and in some cases, organic cereals can even cost less than conven-
pecially in this economy, is price. tional,” he said. “Because of this, cereal serves as a great gateway food to enter
Spalding said that this is where the ce- into the organic lifestyle even in hard economic times.”
real category as a whole serves one of Spalding theorizes that one of the reasons why conventional cereals are often
its biggest purposes—to make the tran- priced so close to organic is due to conventional brands’ massive marketing
sition affordable. “There is a percep- budgets. Barbara’s Bakery is also able to provide a more economical option be-
tion that organic is much more cause of its multi-tiered approach which includes private label and industrial in-
expensive, but with cereal that is not gredient manufacturing. Through this, the company can keep machines
productive and equalize the ups and

PHOTO: BILL SCHOLTZ

Saving the Puffins
downs of sales in an unsteady economy.
For Barbara’s Bakery, “Puffins” is much more than a brand Overall, connecting with today’s con-
name, it is a mission. Ever since the cereal was first intro- sumer is a game that involves engaging
duced in 1995, the company has used a myriad of resources, consumers in ever more interactive and
from the back of its cereal box to its website and a host of empowering ways while balancing this
promotions, to educate consumers on the Audubon Soci- with a strong product at a price con-

ety’s efforts to restore puffins to their former habitat off the coast of Maine. sumers can handle—and in this game, Puffins once had thriving colonies on eastern Egg Rock Island and Seal Island but by Barbara’s Bakery is definitely scoring 1973, the orange-footed birds had nearly been hunted into extinction. Today, thanks high. to Audubon’s Project Puffin, and those that have supported it, over 101 pairs of puffins have nested on Egg Rock Island, and over 375 pairs on Seal Island. Learn more by visiting Audubon’s www.projectpuffin.org.