Backyard organic producers creating unique accessories for the urban chicken fan.
Zenhens is a Tucson-based urban farming cooperative selling eggs and produce at farmers markets and neighborhood stores. Our core belief and operating principle is that local and humanely-raised food is better for people and the planet, and we strive to share this delicious food and philosophical model with our regional community.
To
help our members, customers, and fans show their affiliation and
affection for what we do and how we do it, our plan is to design and
produce t-shirts, aprons, stickers, and other logo'd gear, printed at
our friendly, local non-profit silkscreener, The Gloo Factory, on
sustainably grown, organic, fair trade cotton. (We’re hoping to
experiment with some unique stuff, like gardening gloves, oven mitts,
and trivets, depending on how well this campaign does!) Your
contributions will make this possible!
Zenhens
hatched a few years ago with just a small group of Tucson backyard
chicken keepers sharing tips and trading information. As we grew, we
realized we were becoming part of an urban farming movement. Some of us
had a few chickens, some grew vegetables, others grew some herbs.
Eventually, we decided to open a table at the new downtown farmers
market to share the surplus from our gardens. We sold Hot Poop Compost
Starter as well as eggs and produce, and we met lots of people who came
by to talk about organic gardening and to trade stories about chickens.
Now, with over 20 members, we’re a Producer Cooperative registered with
the state of Arizona.
Zenhens
believes that we can make a difference in how people think about their
food. As a cooperative we would like to demonstrate to our community
the importance of people growing their own food, and treating their
domestic livestock with kindness and compassion. Our Zen Hens Gear
project will help new people become more aware of these values, and help
others to proudly and visibly wear those values on their sleeves.
Increasing awareness of Zenhens through this new project will create
opportunities to spread the word that we can all take part in changing
the food system.
Thanks
for your support! Even if you can’t pledge, please help get the word
out - Send this Kickstarter link to people you know and post it on
social media.
The gear will look something like this:
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
One challenge of logo design is how it will “translate” onto a variety of different surfaces and shapes. Something that looks good on a web page or a banner might not be as attractive on an apron or a pair of gardening gloves. However, we have a talented designer, Pete Marenfeld, who is very clever and willing to experiment and try different variations, and Dwight at The Gloo Factory has many years of experience printing and silkscreening onto a wide range of objects and surfaces.
Of course another risk when mass-producing anything is that of making more than there’s really demand for. That’s one reason why using Kickstarter is such a valuable and useful tool, because it will be a great way to gauge the interest in ZenHens Gear, and measure how much demand there is for specific types of gear, before the fact. Also, leveraging our producer-members as volunteer helpers during the printing process means we can minimize costs, and the Gloo Factory’s roots in the community and in causes like ours means that they’re willing to work with us doing small, experimental runs of different types of gear, as well as doing additional batches at reduced cost when and if we need more later.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
51
Backers
$2,614
pledged of
$2,000
goal
0
seconds to go
- First created · 1 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
- zenhens.net
-
Pledge $1 or more
You selected0 backers
You'll get your name added to our online supporter list, and our sincere appreciation.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $5 or more
You selected11 backers
A Zenhens sticker and we'll eggcitedly list you on our website as a thank you to all our supporters!
Estimated delivery:Add $1 USD to ship outside the US -
Pledge $30 or more
You selected12 backers
A fabulous Zenhens t-shirt, a sticker and your name on our website!
Estimated delivery:Add $7 USD to ship outside the US -
Pledge $40 or more
You selected9 backers
A wonderful Zenhens Apron, a sticker, and your name on our website!
Estimated delivery:Add $7 USD to ship outside the US -
Pledge $60 or more
You selected6 backers
A voucher for a dozen eggs to redeem at the Farmers Market at the train station in downtown Tucson. Also a fabulous T-shirt, a sticker, and of course, your name on our website!
Estimated delivery:Ships within the US only -
Pledge $100 or more
You selected6 backers
A voucher for 3 dozen eggs to be redeemed at the Farmers Market at the train station in downtown Tucson. Your choice of a fabulous T-shirt or a Zenhens apron, (good for a gift to your favorite cook... ) a sticker, and of course, your name on our website!!
Estimated delivery:Ships within the US only -
Pledge $250 or more
You selected0 backers Limited (5 left of 5)
A personal Zenhens Coop tour, A fabulous T-shirt, a sticker, and a Zenhens apron! And of course, your name on our website!
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $500 or more
You selected1 backer Limited (1 left of 2)
A consultation visit to your backyard by a Zenhens member-producer to advise you on organic gardening and hen-raising - as well as a t-shirt, a sticker, an apron, and your name in extra special boldface on our website! (local Tucson only)
Estimated delivery:
Funding period
- (30 days)
