Kolonihagen Jakten på lidenskap

Documenting sustainability through selected farmers Good food with a good conscience

Strategy | Concept | Content | Art direction | Campaign | Packaging | Motion

Kolonihagen is one of Norway's leading providers of ecological food-products. In addition to curating and distributing products for the supermarket chain Rema 1000, Kolonihagen is running its own bakery, a restaurant and a brewery.

Skilhagen has been responsible for all communication and design for Kolonihagen, ranging from mini-documentaries and packaging design to advertising campaigns and editorial content. 

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

  • Meeting with the producer: A visit to the Netherlands to document the everyday life of the ice cream producer and the milk farmer behind the ice cream for the Kolonihagen. Photo: Paragon Features

The search for passion
Instead of focusing on Kolonihagen in the communication, we chose to focus on the actual producers Kolonihagen have chosen to work with – passionate farmers prioritising animal welfare, sustainability and good taste. 

Ice cream: Documentation from the ice cream manufacturer collaborating with Kolonihagen. Production: Paragon Features

Through dialogues with a selection of producers, we soon discovered several measures taken by the individual farmer to ensure optimal conditions regarding animal welfare and sustainability. Despite them all being certified as ecological producers, many of the measures taken exceeded expectations. 

Egg: Documentation from egg-farmer collaborating with Kolonihagen. Production: Paragon Features

Playing music for the hens: Weydahl plays classical music for the hens every morning. Photo: Paragon Features

Animal welfare: Documentation from the producer Heinrich Jung. Production: Paragon Features

Proof instead of fiction
For Kolonihagen, ecology is a minimum requirement. In the communication we therefore chose to focus on the producers working beyond the norm for ecological operations – often with quite curious, charming and sometimes humorous results.

USP communication (Unique Selling Proposition): Evidence and exemplification of the product benefits of the Kolonihagen products were exemplified on all relevant ad surfaces. The pigs have 200m2 each (animal welfare), the cheese are stored by the sea to give a subtle salty flavour (taste). Illustration: Tomas Lindell, Rithuset

Good taste with a good conscience: The oven used for baking bread has the air-pressure equal to the planet Mars (sustainability through less power consumption and a better tasting bread) and the egg farmer who has planted 1000 trees to accommodate the needs and wishes of the hens (animal welfare). Illustration: Tomas Lindell, Rithuset

Frequent product launches: Kolonihagen works with products across a number of categories, but they are always based on the principles of sustainability, animal welfare and taste. Packaging design: All Tomorrow's. Illustration: Tomas Lindell, Rithuset

Illustrated product benefits: On a number of packages, we chose to illustrate the specific product benefits, based on the choices the producers have made for the product in question. Illustration: Tomas Lindell, Rithuset

Instead of creating a constructed image of Kolonihagen, we chose to work with documentary and real stories. The stories were told through film, photography, text and illustration, and used in all of Kolonihagen’s channels of communication – from social media campaigns and outdoor advertising, to printed adds and on individual packaging.