Co-op’s ‘Made By Us’ campaign is back

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL)’s spotlight on its private-label products is proving to be a hit with customers.

Last fall, Co-op launched a marketing campaign, “Made By Us,” which featured Co-op private-label products and the partnerships with small Canadian producers and manufacturers behind them.

Co-op, which has around 250 stores in Western Canada, saw major sales lifts on the products featured in the five-week campaign. Co-op Gold Pure potato chips, made by the Covered Bridge Potato Chip Company in Hartland, N.B., had a 56% lift; Co-op Gold Pure Cold-Pressed Juices, made by Calgary’s Well Juice Company, had a 54% lift; and Co-op Gold Sorbetto, made by Vancouver’s Mario’s Gelati, had a 32% lift.

“We talked about having an ROI at the beginning, but it was really more brand building and brand awareness than anything,” says Sav Bellissimo, store brands manager at FCL. There wasn't, in fact, a set budget or target but it did exceed expectations, he says.





The idea behind the campaign is that Co-op wants to be as transparent as possible and celebrate the growers and producers of its products, says Bellissimo. “Especially now , Canadian products are top of mind . That’s very important because people want to know where their products come from.”

Now, Co-op is running the “Made By Us” TV and social media campaign for a second year. This time, it features six private-label products: Co-operative coffee made by Canterbury Roasters in Richmond, B.C.; Co-op Gold Pure Jam-Type Spreads from Saskatoon’s Riverbend Plantation; Co-op Gold Almond Toffee Cookies baked by Winnipeg’s Gourmet Baked Goods; Co-op filler-free pet food from Guelph-based Trouw Nutrition; and Co-op Gold Pure Northern Pike, Walleye and Lake Trout. In that case, Co-op is working with a fishery in northern Saskatchewan that packages fish from two small co-operatives owned by First Nations members. On the non-food side, Co-op is spotlighting its Imagine Paint Applicators made by Bennett Tools in Concord, Ont.


“A lot of suppliers we work with, especially in this year’s commercials, are vendors that we’ve nurtured,” says Bellissimo. “They’re individuals or really small companies. We’re trying to get more profile for them and help them along. In return, we get some fantastic products.”