Country Crock Toasts to a More Sustainable Future by Launching Cover Crop Whiskey

Ogilvy's creative team worked with Upfield’s Country Crock brand to raise awareness of critical sustainable farming practices through the development of the Cover Crop whiskey project – a program to bring awareness to sustainable farming and The Cover Crops Project, which provides Kansas-area farmers with financial resources and training to plant cover crops. W

Country Crock has been America’s beloved buttery spread for decades, and the iconic brand depends on soybeans grown by Kansas-area farmers. Unfortunately, today’s farmers are dealing with soil fatigue from planting and harvesting the same crops over and over again. This leads to soil erosion and deteriorating nutrients in the soil. Country Crock recognised an opportunity to help educate farmers and the public on a sustainable solution: cover crops, like cereal rye, are plants grown in between harvested crops to improve soil health by returning nutrients, minimising pests, and increasing water retention. This has proven to be a sustainable way to keep the land healthy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by returning carbon to the soil as a nutrient. Still, many farmers have yet to adopt the use of cover crops, and the general public is hardly even aware of them.

As part of The Cover Crops Project, Country Crock asked Kansas City neighbour, J. Rieger & Co., to make a one-of-a-kind, limited-edition bottle blended with a touch of whiskey distilled with cover crop cereal rye. It’s a special batch of rye whiskey born from the very same Kansas City area which farms the soybeans that find their way into Country Crock. 

Chris Turner, executive creative director at Ogilvy, said: “Cover crops are a game-changer for maintaining healthy farmlands. We were thrilled that Ogilvy could help raise awareness for sustainable farming practices through this limited-edition Cover Crop Whiskey.”