The Power of 99miles Brand

    99miles™ is the brand of non-brands, enabling consumers to easily identify, recognize and remember food that is grown or manufactured locally (within a 99-mile radius). Consumers generally prefer local products and 99miles™ helps local firms to increase shelf visibility and differentiate their offering from national competitors.

 

     99miles™ certification guarantees that a product or the majority its ingredients have been grown or produced locally. 99miles™ serves as a "trustmark" for consumers and boosts sales for independent vendors and retailers.

 

        Examples of in-store displays:

	Dairy Aisle	Produce Aisle	Deli Aisle

 

 

 

 Standard Definition

 

   There are two categories of food products eligible for the 99miles™ program: non-packaged and packaged food.

 

     Non-packaged food (including fruits, vegetables, meat, some dairy products) can become certified 99miles™ under the condition than being grown or produced within a 99-mile radius from their final point of sale such as a supermarket, farmer's market, or other retail locations. This can mean that the same product could be authorized to use 99miles™ marketing accessories at one retailer within a 99-mile radius but not at another outside of this radius.

Ex. Peaches from Santa Barbara, CA could be authorized to use 99miles™ displays within 99 miles of production facility but not in Phoenix, AR.

 

     Packaged food (including packaged food, prepared food, wine, bakery items…) can become certified 99miles™ only if they use a majority of ingredients produced within a 99-mile radius of their manufacturing facility.

Ex. Strawberry Jam made in New-York City with strawberries from Long Island can be certified 99miles^TM but certification would be impossible if these strawberries came from Brazil or China. 

 

 

 Who Are We?

     99miles™  is a program developed by LOTRA (The Local Trade Alliance, www.lotra.org). LOTRA is a mission-driven organization that aims at developing sales of local products in North America. LOTRA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of local trade to benefit the environment, farmers, independent businesses, the public and local economies.