In 1995, Harvest Market opened in what would be the first of its three locations in Hockessin. In the 27 years since then, we have grown to become a thriving business that employs 65 team members. This year, for the second year in a row, we were named a Top Workplace by the Wilmington News Journal in the small business category—the only grocer and the only retailer of any size operating in Delaware to earn this designation. In addition to a dozen Delaware Today Magazine Best of Delaware awards over the years, Harvest Market has also achieved a Green Restaurant Association 3-Star status for our in-house, “Real Food to Go,” kitchen.
When Harvest Market launched in 1995, our logo was a group of sunflowers. Several years later, one of our employees, who had an art degree, suggested we update our logo and presented us with the first version of what we would refer to as simply “the Harvest Market lady.” She was adapted from a 19th century, Art Nouveau design.
Fast forward to today, and Harvest Market is pleased to announce our new logo—a simple, yet symbolic bulb of garlic. Garlic has been used for thousands of years as an important part of culinary traditions around the world. Many cuisines would be a lot less flavorful without the contribution garlic makes to dishes ranging from pesto and gazpacho to hummus and Kosher dill pickles. Garlic is a potent–and pungent–symbol of Harvest Market’s commitment to providing our community with nourishing foods from local farms and trustworthy producers.
Garlic has also been used as a traditional, plant-based medicine. It is well regarded for its antibacterial properties as well as its ability to promote heart health. One of Harvest Market’s owners has grown garlic for many years, his favorite variety being Italy Hill Giant. As a member of the allium family, along with its cousins onions, shallots and leeks, garlic is a nutritional and culinary powerhouse that is the perfect new symbol for what we do as a company.
But our new, garlic logo is only one of the changes we have made at Harvest Market.
As part of a total rebrand and refresh our logo will appear on new signage throughout the store which was painted earlier this year with a fresh, new color palette. We’ve also invested in several new refrigerated cases, including a cooler that showcases our extensive and expanded selection of artisan cheeses curated by our very own cheese monger, Abby.
Despite these updates and improvements what hasn’t and won’t change is our commitment to providing Hockessin and the surrounding communities with the highest quality foods and nutritional supplements available. We have the same ownership and management team dedicated to providing both a great shopping experience to our customers and a great work experience for our employees.
Harvest Market is also firmly committed to operating our business in the most environmentally sustainable ways possible. Our focus on providing a wide range of foods grown without pesticides or genetically modified ingredients is the cornerstone of that commitment. Our support of organizations that are also committed to our environment—from the local Delaware Nature Society’s Coverdale Farm to the national Non-GMO Project is also important to us.
So, congratulations to our “lady” logo on her well-earned retirement, and thank you to our customers, staff and producers for helping make Harvest Market such a great place to shop and such a great place to work.
Written by Bob Kleszics, Founder & CEO of Harvest Market
