McCain Canada Brings Back Stranger Things' Barb to Talk Sustainability

Every year, the earth loses 12 million hectares of farmable land due to erosion. That’s roughly one soccer field every few seconds. A lack of farmable soil means that the future of potatoes, and fries, are at stake.

Thankfully, regenerative agriculture has the power to help bring this healthy soil back. So this National French Fry Day, McCain, the world’s largest French fry producer, is demonstrating the power of regenerative agriculture by showing the world that when we come together, we can bring anything back– even a beloved TV character who left us too soon: Barb. 

For years, audiences have wanted to bring Barb back. Fans everywhere have launched petitions, created #birngbackbarb social campaigns, and even made custom merchandise demanding 'Justice for Barb,' all in the hopes that their favourite character would return. McCain has stepped up to bring Barb back, demonstrating what we can achieve when we work together.

Using this revived character, McCain is showing how regenerative agriculture can revive healthy farming practices, and bring back healthy soil and vibrant biodiversity. McCain is committed to implementing regenerative agriculture practices on 100% of its potato acreage by 2030.

McCain’s core principles of regenerative agriculture include ensuring farm resilience, enhancing crop and ecosystem diversity, armouring soils, minimizing soil disturbance, reducing chemical impacts, optimising water use, and integration of organic and livestock elements.

“Sustainability has become increasingly important for consumers – particularly the younger generation,” says Matt Kohler, managing director, Canada Retail at McCain. “We want younger audiences to connect with those sustainability initiatives, to learn about regenerative agriculture, and to know that their purchases can make a positive impact for our planet.”

“Regenerative agriculture can be a pretty complex topic, and, if we’re being real, kind of dry. That’s why we decided to pique our audience’s interest by leveraging a beloved TV character, but in a way that makes a lot of sense conceptually.” says Cam Spires, creative director at Rethink.

This initiative is part of McCain’s ongoing efforts to raise consumer awareness about sustainability and regenerative agriculture. Last year, McCain entered the metaverse with Regen Fries - fries made from regenerative potatoes - as part of its #SaveOurSoil initiative. Partnering with Roblox, McCain entered a space where younger audiences could begin to understand the challenges currently facing the farming community and the benefits of regenerative farming. 

The campaign launches on July 13th and includes OLV and social. Creative and PR were handled by Rethink. Media was handled by UM Communications.