Nursing scrubs (http://www.sassyscrubs.com), gourmet coffee, and buckwheat flour seem an unlikely business combination, but three manufacturers of these diverse products have formed a successful marketing alliance.
In ongoing efforts to cross-promote with local businesses, Sassy Scrubs, a custom made uniform manufacturer located in Penn Yan, New York, has partnered with two local online businesses in efforts to expand the reach of each company's market.
Sassy Scrubs teamed with gourmet coffee and specialty foods company, Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters, to help surge sales for both companies. Sassy Scrubs, which markets their custom made uniforms (http://www.sassyscrubs.com/basic_scrub_pant.html) exclusively through their website, has added flyers supplied by the gourmet specialists to their order packages sent to Sassy Scrubs customers. The fliers encourage Sassy Scrubs customers to take advantage of a special offer made only to them by the gourmet coffee company. Sassy Scrubs President, Karen Bradley, states "We are so happy to present this generous offer to our customers and we love that it will help to bring Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters' gourmet products into the homes of our customers."
In addition, the scrubs manufacturer and on-line retailer has used the locally ground and packaged gourmet coffee as a Free Gift Promotion during the holidays. Sassy Scrubs paired the coffee giveaway with a sale on their coffee themed scrubs fabrics. Bradley states "Now our customers can order their favorite coffee themed scrubs and drink fabulous Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters coffee at the same time. We are excited to be able to help market their coffee products while expanding our sales at the same time. It's a win- win marketing plan."
Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters' Susan Atkisson thinks this arrangement will benefit both companies and that it makes sense to cross market with customers that already are online shoppers. Atkisson states "Gourmet coffee and specialty foods are some of the fastest growing sectors expanding in online sales". She believes that partnerships with other local companies are a great way to grow and promote each other's businesses. She states, "I hope this idea, started by Karen Bradley, will continue to grow in the Penn Yan community and beyond".
In addition to the partnership with Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters, Sassy Scrubs has also paired with Penn Yan's historic Birkett Mills to help educate their customers of the health benefits of the mill's natural, non-wheat products, such as buckwheat. Birkett Mills has provided educational flyers to Sassy Scrubs to be included in the scrub company's order packages, sent around the world. Since the majority of Sassy Scrubs' customers are in the medical field, helping to educate them about the health benefits of using buckwheat and other Birkett Mills products just made sense to both Bradley and Birkett Mills' President Jeff Gifford. Because Birkett Mills' products are gluten free and wheat free, they are a perfect choice for celiac patients and diabetics. And, since their products are also more effective than soy products in lowering cholesterol, this knowledge will allow Sassy Scrubs' nursing and medical customers to help their patients make healthy diet choices.
While generating interest in the nutritional benefits of buckwheat in general, this direct exposure to medical personnel may bring in extra sales to Birkett Mills. President Jeff Gifford feels the exposure to Birkett Mills' products by professionals in the medical field will allow the story of buckwheat and its health and nutritional benefits to reach more people who are looking for healthy alternatives in their daily diets. "Many people are not aware of the numerous healthful attributes of buckwheat products and any time we have the opportunity to spread the word, we take advantage of it. This partnership with Sassy Scrubs gives us the chance to reach a potential consumer we may not have reached in the past," Gifford said.
In return for this partnership, both Birkett Mills and Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters have agreed to share promotional flyers generated by Sassy Scrubs in their own customer orders. This creates a great cross-marketing effort to help the three Penn Yan based companies expand their markets, educate a new population, and encourage sales.
For more information about these three companies visit http://www.sassyscrubs.com for Sassy Scrubs, http://www.thebirkettmills.com for Birkett Mills, and http://www.keukalakecoffeeroasters.com for Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters.