Barbara's Celebrates 'Almost 40' Birthday With a Natural Makeover

PETALUMA, Calif., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A fast-approaching 40th birthday is a time when many people just hitting their prime undergo a bit of self-examination, consult with those who love them, and decide to make a few changes to set themselves up for success in the decades still to come. The brand team at Barbara's Bakery – a natural foods pioneer since 1971 – took that same approach and the result is a natural makeover designed to shout "check us out!" to today's shoppers searching for healthy and delicious cereals and snacks.

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"To understand where we're headed it helps to understand where we started. Barbara's was there at the beginning of the natural foods movement when seventeen year-old Barbara followed a simple recipe to create great tasting food using all-natural ingredients. Nearly 40 years later, Barbara's team is as passionate as ever about following that same recipe but what has changed is the opportunity," says Kent Spalding, Barbara's Vice President of Marketing.  

"We know that more shoppers than ever are educated and eager to find healthy options but we also know the choices can be overwhelming. Even our loyal customers were telling us it could be challenging to find our products. Through bold, simplified and consistent packaging against our entire product line, a new web presence and a new marketing campaign, we want to make it easy for people to find us so they can say yes to the good stuff."

Barbara's teamed with Macchiatto, a design firm located in San Francisco, to develop the rebranding design. Barbara's nearly 40-year heritage was at the root of the re-design.

"One of Barbara's desires with the new design was to find a way to show a sense of place with the main logo," said Michelle Regenbogen, principal and owner of Macchiatto. "Barbara's hometown of Petaluma, California, played a large part in the new branding look. Showing off the area's rolling hills and natural landscape in the logo's background seemed to be a perfect fit with the 'All Natural Since 1971' slogan," Regenbogen added.  Just as important is the heart shape to the logo, which links today's Barbara's to the "heart" of the natural foods movement.

All 55 packages in the Barbara's line have brand new elements, including the new logo, nutritional highlights, a natural looking background and stunning gourmet photography with high appetite appeal. The new packaging also uses sustainable Green Choice® cartons, North America's only certified recycled paperboard. Every carton's bottom flap features a chart showing energy conserved and offset for zero greenhouse emissions. The bold, simplified and 100 percent recyclable packaging will be hitting shelves in the natural foods sections of major grocery stores as early as June, 2010.

Consumer Contest Celebrates Barbara's Makeover

To celebrate the brand's new design, Barbara's invites families across the country to consider their own all-natural food makeover in 2010 by entering the Barbara's Natural Makeover Contest. Consumers can visit BarbarasBakery.com for information and tips on leading a balanced lifestyle, and enter an online contest for a chance to win a consultation with celebrity nutritionist Cheryl Forberg, RD, and a trip to the Napa Valley in Northern California, where Barbara's began making healthy and natural food 40 years ago.

New Product Hits Shelves in June, 2010: High Fiber Cereals

The newest addition to the Barbara's cereal family is Barbara's High Fiber line: Original, Cranberry and Flax & Granola. Bursting with at least 40 percent of daily fiber needs and 50 percent whole grains, each spoonful of the new High Fiber cereals stimulates the taste buds with a mix of crispy whole wheat, naturally sweet corn flakes, crunchy bran strands and whole oats. High Fiber Cranberry is made with real, tart cranberries and a hint of pomegranate. High Fiber Flax & Granola is made with crunchy granola and 500mg of Omega 3 ALA.

Provocative New Advertising Campaign

Barbara's also unveiled a new advertising campaign that focuses on saying "yes" to great taste, variety and all-natural goodness with Barbara's cereals and snacks, while encouraging people to say "no" to artificial preservatives, artificial ingredients, hydrogenated oils and refined white sugar. The online ads tease readers with over-the-top URLs like "www.MMMpreservatives.com" and "www.raiseyourcholesterol.net." Ads will run online, in food trades and consumer publications nationwide beginning in June, 2010. To complement the new brand design, Barbara's new Web site debuts in mid-March and its revamped Facebook fan page debuts in May 2010.

A New Partnership with the "Renegade Lunch Lady"

As part of its 2010 initiatives, Barbara's also announced a partnership with the "Renegade Lunch Lady," Chef Ann Cooper, and TheLunchBox.org, established to arm advocates with tools to create healthier school lunches. As a leader in the natural foods industry, Barbara's commitment to healthy living has always extended into programs addressing environmental, children's and food issues. Barbara's supports a number of organizations including Project Puffin, The Teaching Garden and PRBO Conservation Science.  

About Barbara's Bakery

Founded as Northern California's first natural bakery in 1971, Barbara's Bakery has remained at the heart of the natural foods movement for four decades due to an uncompromising commitment to providing high quality, real food that tastes great and is good for you. Closing in on its 40th anniversary, Barbara's, located in Petaluma, California, is committed to making a positive contribution to the world with donations to national and local non-profit organizations involved in environmental, hunger, and children's issues. For more information, please visit BarbarasBakery.com.  

SOURCE Barbara's Bakery