Canada-based fast casual, iQ, is partnering with The New Farm, an Ontario organic farm, to use The New Farm’s regenerative greens at iQ locations. The greens pull carbon from the atmosphere, trapping it in the ground, which helps stem climate instability, according to a press release on the partnership.
iQ will sell two different priced bowls this summer featuring the greens — one at the usual price and another selling for 50 cents more. Customers can choose the price point they prefer.
“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 en masse, has the potential to reduce the amount of carbon in the earth’s atmosphere and make our planet livable for a long, long time,” said Alan Bekerman, iQ founder and CEO, in the release.
“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,” said iQ Executive Chef and Partner, Christine Flynn, in the release. “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.”
Since the new price options launched a week ago, 85% of guests have opted in for the higher-priced offering.
“We’re firm believers that good commerce leads to change,” said Bekerman in the release. “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.
The New Farm co-owner Gillian Flies added, “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.”
