See How KIND Hid a Pop-Up Farmers Market in Plain Sight

NEW YORK—On Feb. 23, a KIND bar-filled vending machine seemingly appeared out of thin air in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Although it didn’t dispense any treats, for 48 hours it acted as a door, transporting guests into the Secret KIND Farmers Market, a 5,000-square-foot space filled with fresh fruits as well as a selection of grains, nuts and seeds.

KIND tapped New York-based experiential production and creative strategy company Tenure to bring its vision to life as a completely free, interactive experience for visitors as part of a contradictory campaign urging patrons to not reach for a KIND bar at snack time but instead something void of genetically engineered or artificial ingredients. The “hidden” pop-up “was inspired by KIND’s nutrition mission to encourage people to eat the very best ingredients for their health—and that has always been real, whole foods,” Tenure co-founders Kelly Reynolds and Thomas Campbell told BizBash. The farmers market was hidden in plain sight behind KIND bar-filled vending machines in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood.Photo: Courtesy of Tenure

The market, which took place in tandem with the release of KIND’s Whole Fruit & Nut Box, piggy-backed the new offering’s push to order the fruit-and-nut-filled delivery box for snack options that are even healthier than KIND’s other products. (To further drive the message home, KIND discontinued the sale of its packaged snacks on its website March 1-2.) The pop-up space at 9 West Eighth Street was stocked with the same ingredients a customer would receive upon delivery of the box—apples, pears, oranges, kiwis, almonds, shelled sunflower seeds, cashews and more. 

Tenure sourced the produce from a small business wholesale partner located in Central New Jersey, and attendees were greeted with a basket they were encouraged to fill and take home. As many as 250 marketgoers strolled through the pop-up at any given time, and Reynolds and Campbell noted that “Tenure and KIND provided more than 30,000 pieces of produce to visitors.” Upon arrival, guests were handed baskets and encouraged to fill them with the fresh produce Tenure sourced from a small business wholesale partner located in Central New Jersey.Photo: Courtesy of Tenure

“The event was primarily promoted on KIND social channels and via PR and word of mouth,” Reynolds and Campbell said of how they were able to attract so much foot traffic over the course of the two-day event, which took Tenure 10 days to fabricate.

When asked what the greatest hurdle in bringing an experience of this scale to life was, the duo behind the production company cited the sidewalk, which they said made it difficult to construct a vending machine door that would open and close properly. However, “bringing to life a farmers market in the middle of New York City in February just added to the secret, unexpected magic of it all,” they noted.

And although masks were optional per the city’s recently adjusted mandate, Reynolds and Campbell said it was important for them, in collaboration with KIND, “to safely educate people to prioritize nutrition—particularly during the pandemic and flu season. With the market, we were inspired by the beauty of real, fresh whole foods and really wanted to hone in on these foods with our celebration.”

Scroll down to see more from the activation. The farmers market took place Feb. 23-24 to align with the launch of KIND's Whole Fruit & Nut Box, its healthiest offering yet, where patrons can get a selection of fresh fruits, nuts and seeds delivered to their door for $30.Photo: Courtesy of TenureThe 48-hour market was open 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and was designed to educate and excite people on prioritizing their nutrition.Photo: Courtesy of TenureGuests filled their baskets with fresh, whole foods, such as apples, oranges, kiwis, almonds and cashews—the same ingredients they would find in KIND's Whole Fruit & Nut Box.Photo: Courtesy of TenureGuests were encouraged to take pictures throughout the interactive pop-up and post them to social media with the hashtag #LiveKIND.Photo: Courtesy of Tenure