Some of you may be wondering why, after 22 years, Applegate is changing its logo. We are still owned and run by our founder, Stephen McDonnell. We still believe in producing natural and organic meats on our network of over 300 small family farms.

But what began as a lone impulse has evolved into a movement embraced by Applegate’s devoted employees and customers alike.

With the profusion of farm imagery on food packaging everywhere – from authentic organic products to substandard factory farm fare, it has become harder and harder to distinguish the real thing from marketing hype. We have come to believe that our beloved farm logo does not adequately convey our mission, which is to Change the Meat We Eat based on our principles of Taste, Truth and Trust, and to create a viable economic model that empowers family farmers. We want to point the way for Americans to eat smaller amounts of higher quality, sustainably-raised humane and antibiotic free meats. It’s a mission that requires courage, fortitude and above all good aim.

We are not just another corporation slapping the word “natural” on our packages. We have spent the past two decades criss-crossing the back roads  of rural America  working with family farmers developing protocols for safe, humane, antibiotic free meat production. So, how do we tell that story so a consumer zinging past a wall of farm scenes in the deli case grasps that we are not your average bear? Armed with a large supply of colored pencils, we set out to find a straightforward simple image that could represent us as a company and a group of individuals committed to a common goal.

Along the way these themes emerged: The arrow is the worlds’ oldest traffic symbol, predating the wheel. 

A weathervane sits on a barn roof and responds to the winds of change. The apple is a symbol of knowledge and health that is also edible and delicious.

In 1307, William Tell shot an apple balanced on his son’s head, demonstrating total mastery of a skill and a profound degree of trust.

The William Tell apple/arrow bears an uncanny resemblance to a heart pierced by Cupid’s arrow; a symbol of timeless love and devotion.

EUREKA! A logo is born!

May you join us on the road to fulfilling our mission, and may you enjoy Taste, Truth and Trust!