You Call This Work?

Yesterday I had the tough assignment of representing our company at an event at Zingerman’s Roadhouse. It was a Live radio show called Radio Free Bacon that features different local artists each week. Yesterday they had Michael Waite playing alongside Terry Farmer & the Roadhouse Revival Band.

So I “had” to sit there with my wife in the brutal sunny 72° weather, eating crab cakes and sipping on lemonade, while Michael Waite reminded me why I love music.

Seriously, if you like indie artists and dig a little Jack Johnson-style folk music, check out Micheal Waite. He and his family live in a cabin up in Marquette, Michigan (just a couple minutes to the West of where I was last weekend).

Spread the Love Around – Michael Waite

I woke up in the morning. I pulled the covers over my head
I tried to use the telephone but the telephone was dead.
I looked outside the window and saw the snow piling high
I bid good morning to my pink catfish but my pink catfish had died
“This cannot be happening. I’ve been such a nice guy.”
So I called on my old Grandma and this was her reply:

We all know what to do.
We all know what to do.
We all know what to do.
We’ve got to spread the love around.

I stood beside a river
Saw a spirit come bubbling up
He tried to tell me I was wrong and that I should not look up
I said “I understand you man. I’ve said the same thing many times.
But the only place it ever led me was wallowing in slime.
You too can give up your grief. Your life can be peaceful.
You may have to lose your pride but at least you’ll feel alive.”

We all know what to do.

I know someday I’m gonna go that way.
I’m gonna take a little walk in the valley of death
Walking in the valley in the shadow of death
I’ll be walking on down that road.
And His rod and His staff are gonna comfort me
Like a whole world of brothers gonna comfort me
Like a father and a mother gonna comfort me
Though I walk on down alone.

For I’ve seen it on Earth how He makes me to lie
In the pastures of plenty with the clear blue sky
Birds and bumblebees bumbling by
Singing this song to me:

We all know what to do.
We all know what to do.
We all know what to do.
We’ve got to spread the love around.

Filed under: Eden Foods, Lyrics, Michael Waite, Michigan, Music, Zingerman's Roadhouse

Eden Organic Gomasio

Every month Eden Foods puts out an email newsletter highlighting a different product. It also contains organic news bits, recommended books, a recipe, and a discount offer.

This month features Gomasio.

Gomasio is a condiment made by dry roasting sesame seeds in a skillet and grinding them with sea salt. When the hot sesame is combined and ground with salt, the seed’s oil melts and coats the salt, mellowing it so you get smooth full-flavor and yet consume less salt. Today, sesame is recognized as one of the most concentrated sources of important nutrients including essential fatty acids, calcium, iron, and high quality protein with amino acids such as methionine, tryptophan and lysine that are often missing in other vegetable protein sources.

Eden offers Gomasio in 5 different varieties: Black & Tan, Black, Garlic, Seaweed, and Regular. It’s been said to be good on baked potatoes, salads, vegetables, and popcorn, but my favorite application is Garlic Gomasio on some spicy noodles!

Filed under: Condiments, Eden Foods, Food, Gomasio, Organic, Salt, Sea Salt, Sesame Seeds

Food of the Gods

Extracted from Edenews: February 2008.

Historians aren’t exactly sure how chocolate became known as a symbol of love and Valentines, but people certainly have a long standing love affair with chocolate. Cocoa has been so valued throughout history that it was given the Latin name Theobrama, meaning “food of the gods.”

Like all EDENSOY, Chocolate EDENSOY is made with only whole, USA family farm organically grown soybeans. The cocoa in Chocolate EDENSOY is not just any cocoa. It is the finest, organically grown on family plots in the Dominican Republic. We employ fair trade practices to ensure farmers are paid a fair wage. (Sadly most of the world’s cocoa is produced under devastating working conditions. Eden and other socially conscious companies are working to turn this around.) After harvest, the organic cocoa is finely milled in Holland into the pure dark cocoa powder that helps make Chocolate EDENSOY so smooth, rich, and delicious.

Receive 20% OFF any Chocolate Edensoy you order today by simply entering the coupon code “COCOA” when prompted during checkout. Offer expires March 31, 2008.

Filed under: Chocolate, Cocoa, Eden Foods, Edensoy

Cousins w/ a Side of Ham

Jason and I had the great opportunity of taking some pictures of Tanner, and his cousin Jacob, last week for some advertising. It went as well as could be expected with a couple of 4-year-olds who like to play off each other, but I think the ads are going to turn out nicely. I’ll tell you one thing, I have major respect for child photographers!

Tanner has been spending way too much time at ragamuffinsoul.com.

Filed under: Advertising, Cousins, Eden Foods, Edensoy, Kids, Photography, Tanner

Photoshop Love

Part of my day-to-day job is to keep things current on our website. Today I was tasked with updating the image of Natto Miso.

First I had to run out to the warehouse and find the product. Then I had to take a quick picture with our sweet digital camera. The lighting out there isn’t great, and I was too lazy to lug a tripod out there, so I had to tweak the image a bit in photoshop. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

Gotta love what you do, right?

Filed under: Eden Foods, Miso, Photoshop, Work

Edenews: January 2008

This month’s Edenews encourages you to enjoy intestinal fortitude with Eden Bifa-15, and offers a 20% discount on any Bifa-15 you order through February 29, 2008.

Eden Bifa-15 is a one-of-a-kind probiotic food supplement harnessing state of the art food science technology to help us restore vital balance. Its most unique feature is its patented tiny seamless micro capsules, designed to deliver bifidobacteria alive to the large intestine, their natural home address.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Bifidobacteria, Eden Foods, Intestinal Fortitude, Organic, Science, Technology

Edenews: December 2007

This month’s Edenews features Eden Organic Matcha, and offers a 20% discount on any Matcha you order through December 31, 2007.

Matcha is a stone ground tea powder, and originated in China as an herbal medicine. It was introduced to Japan in the 13th century, where it was embraced with a passion and has been enjoyed and revered ever since. To this day matcha remains the national beverage of Japan, and the centerpiece of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

» Eden Organic Matcha
» How Matcha Is Made
» Matcha Recipes

Filed under: Coupons, Eden Foods, Japan, Matcha, Organic, Tea

I’m Published

So it’s not CA, or HOW, or PRINT, but it is published! And the magazine, US Ad Review, claims to contain, “The best advertising at work in the American workplace.”

The ad they’re using is actually one in a series I did of similar style. Basically I was poking fun of different types of people who would enjoy our product by describing them, and then calling them a name at the end—in this case Foodie (I also had Tree Hugger, Smart Pants, Hippie, and Goodie Two-Shoes versions). In poking fun, I hoped to strike a cord with them and let them know that Eden Foods is like-minded in their passions.

The best part about this honor is that I didn’t submit it. They called my boss and asked for permission to use the ad, and for the names of those involved in the project. I also happened to be the photographer in this one, so that’s doubly cool.

So check out Issue #57, page 72, of US Ad Review if you ever get a chance. (Or click here to view it now.) It’s not the best ad I’ve ever done, but whatever works, eh? I think it’s nice, and effective, because it’s simple and very colorful.

Filed under: Advertising, Eden Foods, Foodie, Marketing, Tree Hugger, Work

Edenews: October 2007

I was chatting with Joel at CECWorship last week and realized that I could (and should) be passing on some Eden Foods discounts for any tree huggin’ and/or organic lovin’ friends that might be reading this here blog.

So without further ado, and fresh off the press, here is our newest email newsletter. This month features our Sea Vegetables and offers a 20% discount on any of our sea vegetables you purchase through November 31, 2007.

Here’s a link to sign up for the newsletter, should you be so inspired.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Discounts, Eden Foods, Food, Organic, Sea Vegetables

Wasabi Chips + Photoshop

I ran across some POS posters done for our Eden Wasabi Chips today. Aside from the fact that these ads aren’t sanctioned by Eden Foods, and it’s In-House Design and Marketing Department, these are great!

The tagline is: Eden Wasabi Chips: Wakes You Up With Every Bite. My only complaint about the series is that the picture of the product is so small (and I’m not just saying that because I happened to have designed the bag). I know the photoshopped image is the drawing feature, but proportionally the smallness of the bag isn’t sitting right with me.

Check out all four ads.

And if you feel spunky enough, buy some Wasabi Chips for yourself! They’re one of my favorite items that we sell over here.

Filed under: Ads, Eden Foods, Marketing, Photoshop, Wasabi, Wasabi Chips