The Amundsen Family of Locally Laid Egg Company
Locally Laid Egg Company is one of FOUR companies vying to win Intuit’s 30-second spot at the Big Game. Daily clicks are needed at VoteLoLa.com (no login)
I bought my family new underwear last night. We’re that far behind, and the thought of tackling all that laundry was too much. With 21 days of voting going through Dec 1, we’ve been sprinting a marathon and absolutely CANNOT stop to take a breath.
The reason isn’t as obvious as you might think. Sure, I want my start-up farm to land a big commercial; it would do great things for Locally Laid. But how much attention does one bird need?
Boy with chickens
It’s way bigger than LoLa*, herself. I mean, you can get someone to vote for a funny chicken with a saucy name once. However, people are giving us the DAILY clicks we need to stay in the race. And even better, they’re are out there advocating for Locally Laid to win that 30-second spot on the Big Game – not for one farm in Wrenshall, MN, but for a lot of good reasons. (Ok, that a commercial for a company named Locally Laid would be hilarious is a pretty good reason, however…)
I’m convinced our daily clickers want to start a national conversation about America’s food system. We, as a people, need to ask ourselves tough questions about the ecological footprint of that prepared snack product grown several states away then shipped and processed out-of-region, before getting on another truck to head our store. And I like Cheetos as much as the next girl.
Locally Laid eggs stay local to where they’re produced, within 400 miles, and we plant a tree with every delivery.
As a nation, we need to talk about non-GMOs and assure farmers that if they invest in a more-expensive crop, it will sell because we, as consumers, are willing to pay a little more for our food. We need to look at more choices in the egg industry, tout the health benefits of hens on pasture – for both chickens and eggs. I can thank the folks at Intuit, makers of Quickbooks, who sponsor this contest for this opportunity.
VoteLoLa shirts are available at the Duluth Grill or online by clicking here.
Even Made in the USA groups are championing the fact that all our t-shirts are made in America…by grown ups. We don’t make nearly the money on them that we could, especially given we plant a tree with each shirt sold, but hey, money truly isn’t everything. Though perhaps the banker holding the 3rd mortgage on my house would say differently.
UPS store in Kenwood Mall, Duluth has our pre-paid mini-flyers available for any who want to pass them out.
Then there’s Duluth. Oh, Duluth. My whole community is investing its pride. Frankly, our little corner of the world could use some exposure for being a great place for young families to live.
And talk about generous. We’re seeing VoteLoLa.com on marquees all over town and on social media sites. Homemade signs are going up in windows and free ads from local websites. Our mini-flyers, printed by our locally owned UPS Store, are glued to pizza boxes from 4 different shops, handed out with restaurant checks and at local grocery stores checkouts. There’s an electronic billboard in the works and even a handful of folks have Peep’d out their rides. Now lawn signs and fun “I’m One of LoLa’s Peeps” bubbles are adding to the mix. I mean, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES posted on their Facebook page about us. It would seem our little, pasture hen is going viral – with the help of our savvy friends at aimClear. (See what all of LoLa’s Like-Minded Peeps are doing here.)
It
Bulldog Pizza, Pizza Luce, Sammy’s Pizza and Pizza Hut have been getting out the VoteLoLa.com word.
And with all that, the stakes have gotten way bigger.
Folks are peepin’ out their rides
A small group of community leaders, each connected in different ways, has been gathering around the conference table at UMD’s Center for Economic Development to talk strategy. These people have given their time, talent and abused all their personal connections on Locally Laid’s behalf.
After our last meeting, as everyone was scurrying off late to work, it hit me exactly how much folks were GIVING us. The individuals, the businesses, the community and it spiraled all around in my head and chest until… I vomited in the parking ramp. (You might want to avoid the second floor of the downtown parking garage. No photo- you’re welcome.) Truly, I now understand the adage, “It is better to give than receive” as I have no idea how I can ever repay these people. Ever. Other than winning.
Our competition is tough. Like really tough. But despite our size disadvantage, our Facebook page alone is closing in on 100,000 views this week. We agreed not to say how many people are clicking through our URL, but let’s just say, WOW.
Just tap the yellow button, everyday. No login – super quick
So, I’m saying I think we have a real shot, and I hope you’ll take 3 seconds to vote everyday at VoteLoLa.com. (I made that poor Target cashier promise he would as he rung up all that new underwear.) I’d really appreciate it if you taught someone else how to vote, too. And think about how your workplace can help. I mean, it’s fun. It’s a sassy chicken and also, it’s a food revolution.
As a show of appreciation, I’ll do my best to hold my dinner down in the presence of others.
To see our quick, cheeky videos in which Farmer Jason leaves all his dignity out in the field, click here: You may want to start with the intro video at the bottom and work your way up.
*LoLa is the acronym for LO-cally LA-id and the name of each and every of our 2,500 hens.