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By Chantal Wagner

branding transition

Red Hat Co-op now identifying as Big Marble Farms

Nov 2, 2020 | 4:48 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It was 54 years ago when Red Hat Co-op was established by a group of southern Alberta greenhouse growers.

But changes are happening, as the Red Hat brand is now being transitioned into the Big Marble Farms family.

President of Big Marble Farms Ryan Cramer says they made the decision to merge in April of 2020.

And the announcement was made to the public via social media at the end of October.

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“After we saw the success with Costco, we made a decision as a board to transition the brand across all of the banners so Loblaws, Save On Foods, Costco, and Sobeys were all going to carry Big Marble Farms product, and we would then at that point phase out Red Hat Co-op packaging inventory, and by early 2021 we would be 100 percent Big Marble Farms,” Cramer said.

Red Hat is still a cooperative but identifying as Big Marble Farms.

“We’re working together as we were before,” Cramer added. We’re one of 25 members of the Co-op but we’ve just taken a different direction in the marketing.”

Along with the brand change, there was also a change in leadership and direction.

Cramer says they needed to update the way they were marketing in order to remain relevant.

And keep up with brands in Ontario and B.C.

As for employment, he says jobs are as secure as ever, and growers are still growing from Red Hat.

“With the expansions that we’re seeing with some of our growers including us, we actually would need more employees and of course the same thing goes with the facilities that are expanding. We’re going to need more local people working in these facilities, so if anything we’re going to need growth in the employment sector,” he said.

Cramer reiterates that this is a brand change, and the Red Hat Co-op is operating the same as it always did.

“We still very much value the Red Hat Co-op and it’s not going anywhere. The Red Hat Co-op still very much does exist. There are 25 growers still working together as a co-op. It’s just identified in the marketplace now as Big Marble Farms. It’s the same great product, it’s the same great growers, the same great values and traditions that went into building the Red Hat Co-op. So all of the things that people have become to know and love about the Co-op, the community-minded spirit of it and everything.”

Cramer says Red Hat is the longest-lasting cooperative in Canada of growers and they are still working together.