LOCAL AND ORGANIC

Keene and Cindy Hollenbeck, owners of Keene Organics out of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, have been growing and selling exceptional quality garlic for more than a decade, providing seed garlic for gardeners and farmers. Keene Organics works hard to ensure that the garlic they sell is well-suited for Wisconsin’s climate and soil.

THE RIGHT TIME

2020 was the year of the small organic farmer. The pandemic amplified food insecurity which resulted in more people growing their own food. With its additional medicinal properties, interest in garlic skyrocketed. Couple this with concern about imported foods, grown under very different regulations, Keene Organics was in the right place at the right time. Many consumers have become aware that most grocery store garlic is grown outside of the United States. Also, a growing number of people want to support local farmers and have a high-quality, organic food product, so many consumers adopted garlic growing in home gardens and farms. Shared stories and posts on popular social platforms like Facebook and Instagram contributed to food education, and Keene Organics received a great deal of support from happy customers that mentioned Keene Organics via their social media posts.

With these positive consumer trends in organic garlic, the small farm faced new demand challenges. They were worried about letting down their farmers and customers. Farmers depended on Keene Organics, and they wanted to make sure they continued to receive their garlic orders.

GROWING PAINS

Keene Organics received more orders than they could physically ship out to customers. They made it a point to process sales quickly so their farmers could get paid. Staffing struggles because of COVID-19, consumers’ high expectations for fast shipping and shipping company issues all contributed to a turbulent 2020. Keene Organics had to ship hundreds of orders twice because their customers didn’t receive their products. They rose to meet these challenges many times, despite sleepless nights and long workdays. Their diligence has paid off — Keene Organics continues to grow and retain customers.

Throughout all this, Keene Organics knew they needed to invest in themselves. They turned to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) through the University of Wisconsin System to request assistance, specifically in eCommerce and user experience (UX) for their website.

LENDING A HELPING HAND

Nelson Schmidt, as a preferred vendor for the University of Wisconsin System for marketing services, offered Keene Organics consultation to improve their website’s user experience and provided them with a new site design, new search functionality and better ways to track their customers’ experience. Once the growing season is completed in September of this year, Keene Organics will implement Nelson Schmidt’s recommendations.

Keene Organics is an inspiration to local Wisconsin businesses. To learn more about Keene Organics visit them at https://keeneorganics.com/.

As businesses grow, Nelson Schmidt can provide support – from strategic business counsel to marketing execution – through their partnership with the University of Wisconsin System and the Small Business Development Centers.