From Soil to Shelf

UNFI Climate Action Partnership Case Study From Soil to Shelf: How Lundberg Family Farms Communicates Its Regenerative Values to Shoppers

A Legacy of Stewardship Lundberg Family Farms is dedicated to growing the highest quality rice using organic and regenerative farming practices. For generations, the family has been driven by the belief that the health of our bodies and our planet depends on how we steward the land. This commitment traces back to 1937 when Albert and Frances Lundberg left Nebraska because of the Dust Bowl. This environmental disaster, caused by drought and destructive farming practices, prompted them to move to California with their four sons—Eldon, Wendell, Harlan, and Homer—a flatbed Chevy truck, a Farmall tractor, and a new philosophy: “Leave the land better than you found it.”

In the 1940s, this meant choosing not to burn the rice straw left in the fields after harvest. Instead, Albert incorporated the nutrient-rich rice straw into the ground to promote soil health and protect air quality, nearly 50 years before a 1991 act curbed the practice of burning it. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Eldon, Wendell, Harlan, and Homer continued this legacy by using what we now call organic practices, decades before national organic standards were established.

In the early 2000s and 2010s, Lundberg Family Farms took Albert Lundberg’s philosophy beyond the fields by becoming the first organic food company to offset 100% of the power used at their headquarters with wind energy renewable energy credits (RECs), installing their first solar array, and becoming ENERGY STAR Certified and Platinum TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Zero Waste certified.

In 2023, the company raised the bar by becoming the first U.S.grown rice brand to launch Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) rice. They also set a goal to certify all the organic rice they grow as ROC by 2027. In 2024, they are set to launch 70+ products made with the ROC rice, becoming the leading regenerative organic food brand in the U.S. At this time, approximately 75% of their acreage and 80% of their sales are either Certified Organic or ROC.

Telling the Story of Lundberg’s Commitment to Soil Lundberg Family Farms has continued to evolve how they communicate about their soil health practices. The brand has faced the added complexity of having a portfolio of products that includes both organic and sustainable rice. When they redesigned Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms

their packaging a few years ago, they featured their farming practices and sustainability story in their on-pack copy. To minimize complexity, they used language that was highlevel enough to describe both their organic rice and their sustainable rice, which is grown using a blend of organic and conventional farming practices (no carcinogens, mutagens, PAN Bad Actors (as established by the Pesticide Action Network), or glyphosate). In other words, the on-pack copy didn’t differentiate between Lundberg’s organic and sustainable farming practices, and they quickly discovered that the approach wasn’t very effective.

One of Lundberg’s largest retail customers asked for a meeting to discuss the new packaging, saying the company’s Photo courtesy of farming practices were top-tier but they needed to do a better Lundberg Family Farms job of telling the story. The same customer also asked them to become ROC. Lundberg didn’t actually have to change their farming practices to become ROC, so the certification feels like a validation that the Lundbergs were farming regeneratively already, but it does take time to become certified. Lundberg is now in the process of transitioning their organic acres to ROC and, eventually, upgrading all of their Organic products to their new ROC packaging.

Though Lundberg’s farming practices themselves are the same, they’re just telling the story differently than before, with more data and details that bring the farm right to the consumer.

Learning from their experiences, Lundberg redesigned their packaging, this time to communicate about their ROC certification and soil health commitment, dropping the generic copy. They replaced it with an eye-catching infographic that digs into what ROC farming practices look like in their fields—from soil health to animal welfare to social fairness.

Ensuring Authenticity From Soil to Shelf Lundberg’s brand and business are relationshipbased, catering to customers and retailers who care about where their food comes from. The company believes that trust and transparency are built through honest communication, connection, and thirdparty certifications. Certifications like Organic and ROC ensure alignment between farming practices and communications and help hold the industry accountable for making meaningful change.

Beyond certification, to ensure authenticity and relatability, the company tells super specific, personal, and unique stories. They want retailers and shoppers to see that there is a real farm and a real family behind Lundberg Family Farms. On social media, they often post unfiltered iPhone videos taken Better Food. Better Future.

Bryce & Brita Lundberg Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms

out in the fields by Brita and Bryce Lundberg, a father-daughter farming duo. Other times, Lundberg’s authenticity shows up on packaging, where they share stories about Albert and Frances and the family’s legacy of soil stewardship.

Brita Lundberg, Fourth-Generation Farmer and Chief Storyteller at Lundberg Family Farms, captures this balance perfectly:

“These days, there’s so much emphasis on data. And data is super important! But stories about real people doing real things are important too. After all, people don’t connect with brands, they connect with people. And stories are how we create those connections.”

The Role of Education in Lundberg’s Communications Since the term “regenerative” is not legally defined and means different things to different people, Lundberg sees education as a key component of their communications strategy. They are actively working to help consumers and retailers understand what ROC means and why it matters. In their words, “One of the challenges we face is not only helping consumers understand what ‘regenerative’ means but, more than that, what ROC means and why it matters. With this in mind, a lot of our copy leads with direct questions and differentiation. For example: ‘What in the world is regenerative rice? If you ask us, it starts with organic.’”

For their retailer community, Lundberg hosts about a dozen farm tours at their headquarters in Richvale, CA. During these events, they invite retailers, media, and other strategic partners to visit their farm to see regenerative organic farming practices firsthand.

Brita Lundberg shares, “Whenever possible, we invite retailers to visit us so we can get into hip waders and out in the fields together! Once they see how we study, select, and cross natural, non-GMO varieties of rice in our onsite nursery or witness the thousands of birds who call our fields home or walk our facilities with our sustainability manager, they ‘get’ what we do, how much we care, why it matters, and how to tell the story.”

When communicating with consumers, Lundberg uses infographics on their packaging, detailed content on their “Regenerative Organic” content hub and blog, and Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms

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publishes their Anti-Impact Report. They also share authentic stories on social media and held a World of Regeneration Sweepstakes to invite winners to visit the farm (the sweepstakes period has ended).

Connecting With Consumers’ Hearts and Minds Lundberg recognizes that for ecological practices to influence consumer purchasing habits, those practices need to be conveyed in ways that create an emotional connection and connect with consumers’ values. One of the biggest takeaways for the brand in their regenerative work is to meet consumers where they are and make communications relevant and relatable to them.

For example, in 2023, Lundberg launched the Ducking Good Rice™ campaign to share their commitment to regenerative organic farming.

The campaign featured ads in the New York Times, digital and broadcast ads, and social media content highlighting their efforts to save baby ducks. The second act of the campaign in

Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms

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Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms

2024 included a full-page ad in the New York Times, a billboard in Times Square, a presence in the World Trade Center PATH station, and Albert the Duckling who strolled the streets of New York in a custom duckling costume while handing out rice samples to pedestrians and visiting local grocery stores. Lundberg’s duck rescue ads have a 12.3% engagement rate and receive positive comments from consumers, demonstrating the success of their communication strategy. The creative campaign was a celebration of their feathered friends and a fowl-mouthed reminder that for regenerative organic farmers like Lundberg, “Earth Day isn’t just once a year, but every ducking day.” Between the Ducking Good Rice™ campaign and the new packaging, Lundberg has seen an increase in sales, which they attribute to increased velocity.

Each winter, Lundberg floods a portion of its fields to replicate California’s once-abundant wetlands, providing food and habitat for wintering waterfowl. They also grow cover crops on another portion of its fields, which can help sequester carbon, restore nutrients to the soil, and provide nesting habitat for ducks.

When Lundberg finds duck nests in their fields, they hand carry the eggs to safety.

Over the years, they’ve rescued an estimated 30K+ ducklings.

Lundberg works closely with partner organizations, including retailers and nonprofits, to ensure the credibility and impact of its campaigns. For example, collaboration with organizations like the California Waterfowl Association, Audubon, and California Trout lend credibility to Lundberg’s conservation storytelling and help tap into an audience of conservation-minded consumers.

Beyond the Ducking Good Rice™ campaign, Whole Foods and UNFI have been strong partners in Lundberg’s transition to ROC. For example, UNFI has stocked Lundberg’s assortment, hosted Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms new item webinars, and spotlighted Lundberg and other ROC brands to their sales team. Lundberg has also found opportunities to connect their story to retailers through their association partnerships; for instance, the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) featured the company on their podcast, The Buyer’s Desk, and the Climate Collaborative featured Lundberg’s work as part of their UNFI Climate Action Roadmap series.

What’s Ahead for Lundberg Looking ahead, Lundberg Family Farms is committed to continuing to lead in regenerative agriculture, targeting full Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) status for all its organic rice by 2027.

By aligning their measurable efforts on the farm with their messaging, Lundberg is creating a through line from soil to shelf that supports authenticity and transparency in their marketing.

This strategic alignment not only strengthens their market position but also ensures the longevity and integrity of their environmental commitments, demonstrating how regenerative practices can drive genuine business value and consumer trust.

Our Deep Thanks!

The Climate Collaborative and UNFI wish to extend our deep appreciation to Lundberg Family Farms for their incredible climate leadership and for their willingness to share their insights in support of our food community.

Photo courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms

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“Whole Foods Market deeply appreciates Lundberg’s commitment to creating products that aim to nourish soil, farming communities, and our customers. “ “As a brand, they have inspired trust and loyalty among customers who value sustainability and responsible farming practices. Lundberg’s legacy of environmental stewardship and compelling storytelling has solidified their position as leaders in their category. We’re proud to share their products with our customers and support them as they continue expanding their regenerative organic acreage.”

Alyssa Vescio SVP of Center Store Merchandising Sourcing and Product Development for Whole Foods Market

UNFI Sustainability & Impact discover.unfi.com/climateactionhub climateaction@unfi.com

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