Sweetgreen brought food creator Pierce Abernathy to Frog Hollow Farm, the source of peaches for their California restaurants, creating an educational farm-to-table storytelling campaign that goes beyond traditional influencer marketing. The fast-casual restaurant chain, founded in 2007 by Nicolas Jammet and his partners, serves health-conscious consumers seeking nutritious, sustainably sourced food across their nationwide locations. Their recent “Pierce & The Pursuit of the Perfect Peach” campaign with Abernathy exemplifies this approach.

“When exploring potential partnerships, we look for creators who echo our ethos and beliefs around responsible sourcing, sustainable farming practices and supporting local farmers,” explains Nicolas, who serves as Sweetgreen’s Chief Concept Officer.

Sweetgreen’s approach to the Abernathy collaboration began with a foundation of shared values, rather than rigid creative briefs. This trust-based relationship shaped every aspect of the campaign’s development and execution.

“From the beginning, we knew this partnership would work, as Sweetgreen and Pierce are deeply aligned on core values. This foundation of trust meant we didn’t feel the need to be overly prescriptive in our briefings. Pierce was able to successfully bring our ethos and beliefs around responsible sourcing to life in his own genuine way, even around those more nuanced topics,” Nicolas explains.

The objectives extended beyond promoting peaches as a seasonal ingredient. “This campaign aimed to reinforce one of Sweetgreen’s most foundational truths: we work with farmers we know and trust. By spotlighting Frog Hollow Farm – the source of the peaches served in our California restaurants, we gave guests a transparent view into the people and practices behind our summer produce, turning a seasonal menu item into a deeper story about sourcing integrity and trust,” Nicolas adds.

This approach to creator collaboration represents Sweetgreen’s philosophy that the choices we make about food sources have “a direct and powerful impact on the health of individuals, communities and the environment.”

Nicolas Jammet

Finding the Right Storyteller

The success of the peach campaign hinged on finding a creator whose audience, content style, and values aligned well with Sweetgreen’s objectives. What made Abernathy stand out wasn’t just his content style, but his very real passion for the very farms Sweetgreen partners with.

“In our very first meeting with Pierce, his eyes lit up when we mentioned Frog Hollow Farm,” Nicolas recalls. “As tuned in as he is to the food world, we were surprised and thrilled that he immediately knew the farm – legendary though it is – despite living all the way across the country in New York. He told us they had grown the best apricot he’d ever eaten in his life, and he would be so excited to meet the farmer behind it. In that moment, we knew he truly was a perfect fit for the campaign.”

This true enthusiasm, says Nicolas, made Abernathy an ideal messenger for Sweetgreen’s sourcing story. “Pierce wasn’t just a great fit; he was the perfect interpreter for this idea. He bridges the gap between the farm and the feed, bringing complex topics like sourcing and sustainability into everyday conversation with warmth, curiosity, and relevance. He doesn’t just tell food stories, he tells stories about where food comes from and why it matters.”

The alignment extended to audience demographics as well. “Pierce’s audience is exactly who we’re trying to reach: values-driven, food-obsessed, culturally savvy early adopters who care about what they eat, but don’t want to be talked down to. His voice helps us show up in culture with the kind of substance and soul that makes people lean in,” says Nicolas.

Structuring the Farm-to-Table Narrative

With the right storyteller selected, Sweetgreen and Abernathy crafted a narrative framework that would take audiences through the entire process of how sustainable farming practices influence the quality of food that ultimately reaches Sweetgreen’s customers.

“The campaign was intentionally structured as a journey, ‘The Pursuit of the Perfect Peach,’ with each chapter highlighting how sourcing practices, soil health, and climate care influence the final flavor and quality of the food we serve,” Nicolas explains.

The storytelling unfolded across multiple platforms where Abernathy documented his visit to Frog Hollow Farm. Through engaging videos and thoughtful commentary, he translated complex agricultural concepts into accessible content that resonated with his community of food enthusiasts.

The execution required careful planning, but Sweetgreen’s established relationships with its farm partners simplified the logistics. Nicolas explains, “Pierce was already a genuine fan of Frog Hollow Farm, which made his involvement feel natural and seamless. Our long-standing relationships with the farm team allowed for production, planning, and other logistical details to move quickly. Everyone was aligned on the final vision, which helped us stay flexible and prepared, even with the unpredictable nature of working on a farm.”

This approach transformed what could have been a standard product promotion into an educational experience about regenerative agriculture, seasonal harvesting, and the real people behind food production.

From Content to Community Impact

What began as a digital content partnership developed into meaningful community action, demonstrating how creator collaborations can extend beyond online storytelling to create tangible local impact.

“A few weeks ago, Pierce, alongside 25 of his community members and friends, worked together to pack and stock 225 Community Supported Agriculture bags filled with seasonal produce from Sweetgreen’s farm partners and 100 summer seasonal salads to be distributed at local community fridges,” Nicolas says. 

He continues, “Together, Sweetgreen and Pierce helped ensure that community members who rely on the local refrigerators’ access to fresh, healthy food without stigma could enjoy the peaches, summer tomatoes, and other peak-season produce.”

This extension through the non-profit organization One Love Community Fridge in New York City demonstrated the campaign’s ability to mobilize Abernathy’s community around shared values while reinforcing Sweetgreen’s commitment to food accessibility. “These bags were delivered to fridges across Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, and the food was generally gone within 15 minutes,” Nicolas notes, highlighting the immediate impact of the initiative.

The community activation directly aligned with Sweetgreen’s stated commitment to “leaving people better than we found them” and their belief that “real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone.”

Success Beyond Metrics

For Sweetgreen, evaluating the success of the Abernathy farm campaign transcends traditional statistics. Nicolas indicates that the company considers both business outcomes and deeper brand equity indicators to assess its impact.

“This was our second time activating a creator on the farm as part of a campaign. Following the success of Aki + Koichi, we replicated the approach with Pierce at Frog Hollow Farm. We’ve seen firsthand that bringing talent to the farm elevates the creative output while reinforcing Sweetgreen’s core principles,” he explains.

Rather than focusing solely on views, likes, or immediate sales lifts, Sweetgreen examines shifts in emotional connection metrics. “Beyond sales, we’re evaluating impact by tracking shifts in core brand equity metrics, especially indicators like ‘brand I love’ and ‘has food I feel good about.’ These moments help cement the emotional connection between our sourcing values and the guest experience,” Nicolas notes.

For Nicolas and Sweetgreen, the “Pursuit of the Perfect Peach” campaign marks a departure from traditional fast-casual restaurant marketing strategies.

“We’ve always had a pulse on what’s next in food and broader culture,” he says. “Peaches have been a staple of our summer menu for over 15 years, and this year we wanted to spotlight the ingredient in a truly genuine way. Taking a culturally relevant creator like Pierce straight to the farm source reflects the core of what sets us apart from other fast-casual brands.”

Key Takeaway from the Creator Partnership

The Abernathy farm campaign has revamped Sweetgreen’s approach to creator marketing, providing a blueprint for future collaborations that combine honest storytelling with meaningful impact.

“This campaign has been a step forward in our creator marketing approach. It has reinforced the power of immersive experiences that allow creators, and thus our consumers, to connect with Sweetgreen and its ingredients in a genuine way. The insights we’ve gained will continue to inform future partnerships, whether through additional farm-focused activations or other storytelling-driven collaborations,” Nicolas explains.

Looking at the broader food industry, Nicolas sees creator marketing moving toward deeper, values-based partnerships that prioritize education and community building. “Today’s consumers crave genuineness and transparency that goes beyond the plate. We’re seeing real people, whether content creators, chefs, or farmers, play a critical role in shaping brand perception. They are not just promoting, but educating, storytelling, and building real communities around shared values.”

This approach aligns with the vision that has guided Sweetgreen since its founding. “Since day one we have had a vision to redefine fast food and shape the food systems of the future by staying committed to our sourcing model and only serving real food. Working with an iconic creator in the space, such as Pierce, helps to amplify this narrative in a really powerful way,” Nicolas concludes.

Checkout Our Latest Podcast