Organic Jams and chutneys- Photos copyright of Trove Foods

I came across Trove Foods at the weekend after using the shop local feature on Etsy. I instantly loved their shop and the whole look and story from the outset. Based in Manchester, England, Trove Foods are a joint effort between Marcus and Katy. They sell from market stalls in Manchester, their main website and from Etsy.

The main thing that stood out for me was how they use branding to reflect what they believe it. From the packaging to the product descriptions, it all says eco-friendly, earth-conscious, and kind. They are also friendly which makes me want to meet them, buy their products and spread the word. Truly small business branding at it’s best.

So how have they used branding to reflect what they believe in? Trove Foods have done this in a number of ways by keeping the message consistent. The message:

organic, locally sourced, homemade, sustainable food company who create delicious fodder for you.

The look: They use natural brown kraft paper for labels, shop banner and website. The writing on the labels is hand written and minimalist. The photographs work well together with a similar look and feel but not too samey. They show a sense of fun with the little origami perching on the top of some products. The natural look is also carried through to gift set packaging for which they use wooden hampers.

Organic jams and chutneys- Photos copyright of Trove Foods

The copy (Profile+ Product descriptions):

“Our apple + plum chutney is deeeevine!, its especially scrumptious with cheese or curry and it comes in a 400g recycled jar. At Trove we work our hardest to source organic food from the Northwest of England to make our wares. If we can’t find it here then we will look further afield but we try not too. We mainly use recycled jars which we gather from cafes in the city of manchester. We clean, sterilise and spruce them up, in our aim to cut down on the footprint we make on our planet. We now own a citroen 2cv van which we’ve named cyril, he’s economic and although not as good for the environment as our bicycles are he isn’t too harsh on it either. So all of our sourcing and deliveries are now done in him.”

Cyril- Trove Foods delivery van (copyright Trove Foods)

Don’t be afraid to inject your personality into your copy. In fact, the more we can see of the real you the better! You want consumers to feel like they know you, to be interested in what you are doing and to be brand ambassadors telling all their friends about your business. The easiest way to do this is to show us who you are. I love how Trove mention Cyril the car and added a photo. I can imagine them driving around Manchester from cafe to cafe picking up empty glass jars in the lovely Cyril. They are telling their story.

Hamper boxes- Photos copyright Trove Foods

Product offering: Not only is their look natural and organic, their product is too. Trove Foods provide homemade food using locally sourced ingredients. They have a wide range of products which are available depending on the time of year. Their Etsy shop is full of different jams, chutneys and dipping sauce. The food all sounds delicious and the combination of ingredients is mouth watering but still in keeping with their organic values. The branding fits with the product. So simple but so important.

There are many ways to use branding to share what you believe in. First you need to know who you are. Revisit the reasons why you started your business. What was and is most important to you. Once you know this you can be creative in sharing that story and your values through everything relating to your brand.

Since originally posting this Trove expanded to an artisan bakery with various locations in Manchester. They closed in 2024 citing challenges they faced post covid pandemic.