TORONTO, June 27, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iQ, Canada’s leading healthy fast casual restaurant brand, has partnered with one of Ontario’s most renowned organic farms, The New Farm to serve the farm’s regenerative greens across all of iQ’s locations. Because of the way the greens are grown, using a technique known as regenerative farming, the greens pull carbon out of the atmosphere and trap it in the ground, helping curb climate instability.
All summer long, iQ will be marketing two prices for its bowls featuring New Farm’s greens: its regular list price and a “suggested price” which sells for 50 cents more, leaving it up to customers to choose which they would like to pay. “In a bit of alchemy that combines cooperation, commerce, savvy marketing, and sales psychology, we’re excited to help create a market for a new type of product that if consumed on mass has the potential to reduce the amount of carbon in the earth’s atmosphere and make our planet livable for a long, long time,” says Alan Bekerman, iQ’s Founder and CEO.
“The greens we’ve committed to buying and serving this season do cost us more than conventional lettuce, but rather than forcing a price increase onto our guests like a traditional restaurant might, we’re including our guests in the decision-making process,” says iQ’s Executive Chef and Partner, Christine Flynn. “The suggested pricing is not just a way for us to help manage our food cost, it’s also a way to introduce the idea of regenerative farming to each and every one of the some 20,000 guests we serve each week,” continues Flynn.
Since the campaign’s launch only a week ago, 85% of iQ’s guests have opted in for the suggested price. The campaign’s success is a result of carefully considered sales psychology, much of which was developed in tandem with a behavioural economist that iQ consulted with prior to launching this initiative. “A ‘suggested price’ is a no obligation way for us to raise awareness about what we’re doing, allowing us to include our customers in the process and giving them the option but by no means the obligation to contribute,” says Bekerman.
“We’re firm believers that good commerce leads to change,” says Bekerman. “By selling a product like regeneratively grown greens at scale across a network of locations like iQ’s, we want to demonstrate to both farmers and restaurants that there’s a market for them, hopefully over time making it more accessible. We’re excited about this partnership because we have a real opportunity to create both commercial and environmental change. Regenerative farming, if widely adopted, will have a massively positive impact on reversing climate instability." adds Gillian Flies, co-owner of The New Farm.
“Our goal is industry-wide adoption,” continues Bekerman. “In the meantime, we’re excited to be leading the charge and making a tangible impact. We serve thousands of people each week. And for every bowl sold, a tiny bit of carbon is being pulled out of the atmosphere and placed into the ground, helping create more nutrient dense soil and curbing climate instability.”
ABOUT iQ
iQ is Canada’s leading healthy fast casual restaurant brand. Founded in 2011 in Toronto's financial district, iQ has steadily grown to include locations across Toronto's downtown core, and in August 2018, a flagship location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Largely responsible for introducing seasonal, sustainable and produce-driven fast casual cuisine to Canada's largest city, iQ has developed a reputation as one of the most innovative companies in Canada’s healthy hospitality space. While healthy and vibrant food is at the company's core, fashion, art, music, design, architecture and technology are central to inspiring the creativity that shapes the brand. Visit iqfoodco.com or @iqfoodco on Instagram.
ABOUT THE NEW FARM
The New Farm is a certified organic family farm located on the crest of the Niagara Escarpment just west of the village of Creemore, owned and operated by Gillian Flies and Brent Preston. The New Farm produces premium quality organic vegetables for restaurants, retailers and wholesale customers. The New Farm’s commitment to sustainability guides everything the farm does as they work to build a just, equitable and inclusive food system in southern Ontario. Gillian’s recent TED Talk on regenerative farming can be seen here.
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