If you’ve ever driven through Southwest Michigan, you’ve likely felt the heartbeat of places like Dad’s Farm. Part local market, part scratch kitchen, part wholesale operation—and all community—the brand had deep roots but was ready for a new chapter.
Dad’s Farm partnered with GFK to rebuild, relaunch, and reintroduce themselves to a region that loves them. What followed was not a neat, linear project. It was real, scrappy, ambitious work—the kind where obstacles pop up, learnings stack quickly, and breakthroughs happen at the eleventh hour.
In other words: the kind of work we love most.
Because at GFK, we’re here for one thing:
Every bump. And every success.
Below is the story of how this relaunch came to life.
A Brand Ready to Level Up
Before designing anything, we started with brand discovery: understanding the story, the team, the market, and the evolving vision.
Dad’s Farm wanted to keep its local charm—but sharpen its message, unify its visual identity, and create a brand system capable of serving three audiences at once:
- Retail (farm market + café customers)
- Wholesale partners across SWMI
- Seasonal visitors + tourists
GFK refreshed the brand with:
- A cohesive new voice built around grit, hustle, and heart
- Messaging pillars that could flex across retail, café, and wholesale
- A visual identity update that stayed true to Dad’s Farm authenticity while elevating consistency and professionalism
- Merch-ready illustration assets, textures, and typography
This foundation allowed every next step—digital, print, social, and event-based—to speak the same language.
Website Relaunch — In Real Time
The plan was simple: rebuild Dad’s Farm’s website on a modern platform with intuitive navigation and clear pathways for retail customers and wholesale buyers.
But on day one of development, we discovered something:
The client’s backend access was limited and full-feature gating prevented traditional staging.
So we pivoted.
GFK executed a fully live website rebuild on SquareSpace, designing, developing, and updating the site in real time—while ensuring customers still had uninterrupted access to hours, menus, and ordering links.
The result:
- A faster, cleaner, mobile-optimized site
- A refreshed brand experience throughout
- Clear wholesale pathways
- Merch shop integration
- Flexible landing page structures for events and product features
It wasn’t the original plan. But it worked beautifully.
And it proved, again, that we show up ready to solve the problem that’s in front of us—not the one we hoped for.
See our Work: https://dads-farm.square.site/
Social Campaigns With a Voice of Their Own
To bring the refreshed brand to life publicly, GFK built and launched a multi-month social strategy focused on:
- Showcasing the “Grown with Grit” brand personality
- Elevating seasonal produce and local partnerships
- Driving awareness of the café, bakery, and new menu releases
- Reintroducing wholesale services with clarity and confidence
- Spotlighting the unique, hardworking humans behind Dad’s Farm
We created:
- Templates for Reels, static posts, and story sequences
- An editorial calendar that balanced education, sales, and brand storytelling
- Copy that felt warm, clever, grounded, and unmistakably Dad’s Farm
This campaign not only increased engagement—it helped customers reconnect with the brand after a period of transition and quiet.
Content Capture: The Heart of a Real Local Business
GFK visited the produce dock, café, and market to capture photo and video content that matched the new visual direction.
This included:
- Seasonal produce photography
- Behind-the-scenes footage of baking, juicing, prepping, and market life
- Wholesale operations and packing
- Team portraits
- Branded lifestyle content
Authenticity was the north star.
Nothing polished for the sake of polish—just the real grit and goodness of Dad’s Farm.
Merch Design + Fulfillment
Dad’s Farm wanted merch that customers actually wanted to wear—not just promotional swag.
GFK designed a full merch suite:
- T-shirts
- Hoodies
- Market totes
- Stickers
- Seasonal items
We also coordinated vendor sourcing, ordering, and fulfillment to ensure the products were production-ready and on-brand.
Many items are now top sellers in the market and became an unexpected hit at events and the trade show.
Trade Show Prep — and Showing Up in Person
When Dad’s Farm confirmed their attendance at a major regional trade show, GFK stepped in to help them show up prepared and polished.
We delivered:
- Wholesale-focused sell sheets
- A branded booth kit
- Merch for display
- A wholesale-specific messaging framework
- QR-coded digital materials for easy follow-up
- Packaging samples and visual direction
And because partnership matters, GFK attended the trade show on-site to support the team through setup, conversations, and lead capture.
It was a long day—and such a win.
ERP Software Vetting: Building the Backend of Growth
As the business grew, Dad’s Farm needed an ERP system that could unify:
- Inventory
- Café orders
- Wholesale fulfillment
- Seasonality
- Financial tracking
GFK led initial exploration, vetting, and recommendation conversations to help ensure the system they eventually choose is aligned with their scale, staffing, and long-term goals.
Because smart operations are as much a part of brand success as visuals and copy.
The Outcome: A Brand With a Clear Voice and a Confident Future
The relaunch of Dad’s Farm wasn’t one moment—
it was dozens of tiny, meaningful victories:
✨ A cohesive, heartfelt brand
✨ A fully rebuilt website the team can now maintain
✨ A social presence that truly reflects their identity
✨ Merch customers love
✨ A successful trade show debut
✨ A path toward operational scaling
But the real win?
A partnership built on trust, honesty, and showing up—even when the work gets messy or unexpected.
Because that’s the GFK way:
We’re here for every bump.
And every success.
And every next chapter.
GFK Consulting, LLC. 
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