This needs a name. This really needs a name.
From the moment I started this blog, I’ve kept a running list of random names for the business. Just about every single one is bad.
I’ve found myself looking for inspiration everywhere – in old, obscure writings about wheat and mills, on technical, agricultural websites that identify the varieties of heritage wheat, in lyrics to songs, on social media posts of people and brands I think have original points of view, in the random conversations of people around me.
It’s insane behavior. But, it’s pretty much how my brain has been functioning for large parts of the day.
When inspiration does strike and a name or a conceptual idea hits, I panic. I stop whatever I’m doing and write it down immediately in my notebook or in the notes app on my phone. It’s happened while jogging, driving, lying in bed, and in the middle of conversations.
Now that we have our mission statement, there’s a framework for identifying what’s right. But, it doesn’t give you the idea for what you should be called. It’s really hard. The name has to symbolize the wholesome, delicious real food we’ll make and the healthy, local food system we’ll revive. It has to imply goodness and impact. But, it has to do it by being subtle, unassuming, and honest. The name and identity can’t come off too preachy. We can’t seem boastful about our purpose or even worse, phony.
Right now, not having a name is causing two problems. The first is a personal thing. It just feels a little empty without an identity. It won’t be 100% real until I can visualize what our customers will see. The second problem is that it’s preventing me from signing an agreement with a designer. Over the last month, I’ve gotten help from friends who are senior execs in marketing. They helped me evaluate and then, select a great design partner. They also advised me not to sign a contract and start the creative work until the name is selected. That way, the designer has clear direction and we have the best chance to authentically express the name and brand through the visual identity, logo, and packaging.
So, I’m setting a deadline. We’ve narrowed the huge list of names in my notebook down to 5 and giving it a week.
If creative brilliance doesn’t strike in 7 days, then we’re going with one of these and signing the agreement with our designer:
Name: Arthur’s Artisan
Relevance / Symbolic Connection: Named for grandfather. Personal story rooted in heritage, honor, and resiliency.
Name: Banner
Relevance / Symbolic Connection: Heritage winter wheat variety brought to Maine in 1837. Before its arrival, the state was dependent on importing its grain. By late 1800s, Banner wheat was grown with abundance and all the flour used in the state was grown locally.
Name: Furrows & Lands
Relevance / Symbolic Connection: The surface of a millstone is divided by deep grooves called furrows and separate flat areas called lands.
Name: Kernel
Relevance / Symbolic Connection: Often called the wheat berry, the kernel is the seed that is milled to make flour and the seed from which the wheat plant grows.
Name: 1634 Craft Foods
Relevance / Symbolic Connection: First water powered grain mill in the United States was in Dorchester (neighborhood of Boston) in 1634
I got next! 