Impossible Foods has opened a cattle rescue farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to promote the ingredients behind its plant-based meat products.
On Earth Day, April 22, the 70-acre Impossible Ranch opened its doors on a former cattle ranch in South Carolina.
In addition to serving as a home for nine cattle rescued from slaughter for consumption, the ranch represents a commitment from the brand to demystify the ingredients and process behind creating its plant-based meat products.
“Impossible Ranch allows us to bring consumers on a journey straight to the verdant source and present a tangible representation of our farm-based roots,” Jeremy Davis, Impossible Foods VP of brand strategy, said via email to Campaign US. “It’s a living, breathing place on earth where the new way of making meat –– from plants –– replaces the old way of making meat.”
While Impossible Foods will not actually use crops grown on the farm, which include soybeans, sunflowers and coconut trees, in its products, it will document daily ongoing operations at the ranch as it “facilitates the property’s transition away from traditional cattle ranching,” Davis said.
Consumers can follow along on social media, creating a way for them to “engage with our products and brand in a way they haven’t been able to before,” Davis said.
“We all know people are paying closer attention to what’s in their food and the impact it has on the planet,” he continued. “…Consumers are very confused by how meat from plants is made, especially when they can so easily draw a direct line between animals and animal meat that’s been established for millennia. As newer entrants to the meat game, we felt an urgency to demystify the ingredients in our products but in an approachable, fun and super social way.”
On Earth Day, Impossible invited consumers to share suggestions to name the six cows, two steers and one calf living on the 70-acre ranch. The brand also advertised its ranch efforts on 22 screens at the Oculus Transportation Hub in Manhattan.
A campaign video features bluegrass music and opens with animation of cattle and a truck on a ranch. The brand then encourages viewers to “follow all your favorite rescue cows and watch as we grow meat from plants.”
“Impossible’s mission has always centered around making a positive impact on the planet as well as on the people and animals who live on it,” Davis said. “The goal is to reveal a more visual and understandable connection between meat from plants and the positive influence our products have on both animal welfare and the environment.”
Impossible created the campaign in house.
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