You can't sell what you can't say

Issue #8 | November 2025

Hello friend,

Welcome to The Capitalist Hippie Newsletter, a collection of learnings from those rewriting the rules of business. You’re getting this email because I wanted to keep you in the loop. If it’s not for you, no problem — just hit unsubscribe at any time.

In our latest podcast episode, I sat down with Ali Cox, a fifth-generation farmer turned marketing strategist who's revolutionizing how agricultural businesses tell their stories. After spending a decade in New York's high-powered marketing world (fashion, sports, and TV), she returned to her agricultural roots with a mission: bridge the gap between food on a plate and where it comes from.

Today her firm, Noble West, works across multiple states helping growers and food brands tell stories that actually sell. She’s bringing Madison Avenue storytelling to Main Street farming and revealing a truth that applies far beyond ag: most sustainable businesses don’t have a product problem, they have a story problem.

Let’s dig into what’s actually working in agricultural marketing and the lessons every founder can take from it.

Listen to the episode now →

Every industry has its blind spots, and in agriculture, the quietest one might be communication. Farmers are experts in cultivation but often novices in translation. They can produce extraordinary almonds, rice, or berries, yet the story behind that quality rarely reaches the people buying it.

Ali calls it “a storytelling drought.” The work itself is strong—regulated, sustainable, deeply local—but the signal gets lost in the noise. Without translation, excellence disappears into the commodity shuffle.

The takeaway: You can’t sell what you can’t say. In a market of sameness, story is what makes people care.

In 1971, Coca-Cola launched one of the most iconic ads of all time—a global chorus standing on a hillside, singing about sharing a Coke. It was simple, idealistic, and radically human. At a time when the world felt divided, the brand offered something far more powerful than refreshment: a sense of connection.

The magic wasn’t in the tagline or the jingle. It was in what the moment represented: hope you could hold in your hand. Coca-Cola didn’t claim moral superiority; it showed people a world they wanted to believe in

The climate marketing lesson: Facts inform, but feelings convert. The smartest sustainability storytelling doesn’t lecture, it invites people into a vision they want to belong to. Make people feel part of something bigger than the purchase.

Lundberg Family Farms started like any other California grower: small family operation, big commodity pressures. Their turning point came when the next generation decided to invest in what most farms ignore: branding.

They led with quality, building brand equity first and weaving sustainability into the story only after trust was earned. Regenerative and organic practices became a proof point, not the headline. 

As Ali explained:

The principle: Lead with quality, earn trust, and let sustainability show up as evidence of how you operate, not why you exist.

1. Map your consumer hierarchy: Every market has a version of “taste, availability, and price.” In other words, three things your customer truly prioritizes, and “sustainability” or “purpose” usually isn’t one of them. Identify your top drivers and build your message around them first. Add your mission as proof, not pitch.

2. Market where the product lives: Effective agricultural marketing isn't about broad awareness campaigns. It's about concentrated, hyper-targeted efforts that align perfectly with retail distribution. If your almonds aren’t on local shelves, skip the national splash; own the aisle you’re actually in.

3. Measure story ROI: Creative work earns its keep when it drives outcomes: sales, retention, or reputation. “We only do things if they’re measured,” Ali says. Treat every campaign, pilot, or post like an experiment. If it can’t prove traction, it’s decoration.

The smartest marketers in agriculture—and everywhere else—aren’t leading with virtue. They’re building credibility ecosystems: stories, partnerships, and visuals that signal reliability long before anyone reads the fine print.

Sustainability often works best when it’s invisible, woven into quality, consistency, and care. The brands gaining ground right now are the ones that make customers feel certain about what they’re buying, not guilty for what they’re not.

Ali puts it bluntly: "We cannot guilt this purchase at all." In every category, clarity beats pressure, and trust converts faster than aspiration.

The strategy: Treat credibility as your currency. Every consistent promise kept compounds into loyalty you can’t buy.

For more insights on building effective agricultural marketing strategies, check out my full interview with Ali Cox on The Capitalist Hippie podcast.

We cover:

Listen now →