Case Study - Horowhenua Taste Trail

THE BACKGROUND

The Horowenua Taste Trail is a unique experience where producers open their doors and provide you with an opportunity to experience the ‘paddock to plate’ journey, see how your food is produced and then enjoy it directly at the source. The Horowhenua also known as the food basket of the lower North Island, has an abundance of passionate producers. At each You can consume the local goodness in situ or fill up your Market Bag and take away the fresh produce to enjoy at home. Everyone’s a winner. Lemonface Design came on board back in 2016 and as the Taste Trail has grown, so has our involvement and passion for all that the Taste Trail represents. To be part of a venture that celebrates and champions local, grass root creativity and goodness sits well with us at Lemonface Design.

 

THE BRIEF

To design and produce a whole suite of collateral that reflected and embodied:

The Taste Trail Philosophy
To create a collective voice to showcase the depth and breadth of produce developed in the region, through a series of behind-the-scenes experiences for one day only.

Their Values

  1. Transparent,
  2. Engaged,
  3. Sustainable,
  4. Authentic,
  5. Quality,
  6. Proudly Rural.

Their Goal
For the Taste Trail to become THE annual event in the region and attract visitors from far beyond our boundary lines.

Their Objectives

  • Promote Horowhenua as a destination,
  • Celebrate the variety of quality food producers,
  • Build a connection with the end consumer,
  • Showcase  Excellence,
  • Provide a unique yet authentic experience,
  • Help eliminate the rural/ urban divide,
  • Celebrate our local people and our employees,
  • Highlight careers in the industry,
  • Highlight our contribution to sustainability.

 

THE WORK

Every so often a client comes along that lets you do what you love doing.
The Taste Trail folk wanted wholesome, fresh, vibrant goodness to be reflected in their designs. They were totally on board with bold, colourful, hero photography sourced and commissioned to let the local produce shine through.

The Taste Trail was born to welcome visitors with the promise of a fun filled, friendly day out. We decided to use a raw scripted typeface to reflect and embody this. We designed an icon for each producer and placed them within an easy to follow map to show the distance and space between producers in the district.

The collateral we produced was designed to cater for all, be they tech savvy or otherwise. Billboard by the Cake Tin to entice the Wellington population? Tick. Digital billboards? Tick. Mobile vehicle billboards that toured the region? Tick. Physical signage? Tick. Posters, flyers, passports with maps, tickets with lanyards, takeaway promo cards at participating producers, recipe cards, invitations, menus, site maps? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. We produced ads for publications, social media images for Facebook and Instagram. Website banners? Yup. Graphics for the roving videographers. Of course tick.

THE RESULT

Year on year attendance numbers have increased. As has the profile, the audience and the reach. 40% of attendees are now from outside of the region. Feedback and press coverage is both glowing and widespread. But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what the foodies had to say:

Raewyn Pegden travelled down from Hamilton to take part with family. “We saw it advertised and thought it was something a bit different. Seeing such a diverse range of food being produced by passionate people definitely makes me think twice about where my food comes and the choices I will make in the future. But more importantly I have had a great day out with my children, eating yummy food and now have a market bag filled with local produce to enjoy at home. I will definitely be back again!


Todd Charteris, Chief Executive of Rabobank, says “We are proud to be involved in an event which showcases some of the district’s leading producers and highlights the diverse range of food grown and produced in the region.
“Producers from the Horowhenua feed New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Belgium and the United States with high quality produce, an incredible feat for a district with a population of just over 33,000.”

THE CLIENT FEEDBACK

“Lemonface design is an integral part of the Horowhenua Taste Trail. They helped us establish our logo and branding and each year assist us put our best foot forward. Working with Lemonface design allows us to put innovative, professional and fresh material out for each event.”

Kathy Mitchell
Event Manager
Horowhenua Taste Trail