Company Helps Promote & Support Local Artisans
Photos provided by Batch Indy
For companies, sending a corporate gift like chocolates, flowers, magnets, keychains or fruit at the holidays or as a thank you is nothing new. What is new is the way a little Indianapolis company is making those gifts a lot more memorable, and theyre supporting local artisans in the process.
Batch Indys Creative Director, Chelsea van der Meer, likes to call it small batch, big message. Van der Meer, who started at Printing Resources, branched off the company to form Batch.
Starting in the bindery at Print Resources, van der Meer put her degree in graphic design to work, designing and putting client names and logos on a myriad of items like coffee cups, banners, bottle openers, shot glasses and even on a two-liter soda bottle. Print Resources had limitless options for client marketing, and then one day she discovered yet another possibility.
Keeping it local seems to be a growing trend, and van der Meer wanted to do exactly that.
As an artist, I recognized the growth in Indys art community, and I developed an appreciation for high quality, hand-made things, she says. Handmade things have a character you cant match, and I wanted to be a part of that.
Batch launched in October 2017, and already, van der Meers marketing is a big hit bringing Batch plenty of repeat business. Gathering a collection of artisans in her pocketbook, shes created successful marketing campaigns with gifts logoed on a small batch of coffee beans roasted by local coffee maker Tinker Coffee Company, coffee mugs made by local pottery VanHoy Pottery, a logoed box of macarons baked by local bakery The Gallery Pastry Shop.
Other brilliant options in the gallery include logoed candles, a logoed cocktail kit, laser engraved leather keychains, plant holders and so much more.
The idea behind these gifts is that its really stuff you want to get and its stuff that youll use, van der Meer says. We take the clients idea and try to mold it to source the best item for their occasion.
Batch also can design welcome kits for new employees, kits for new customers, giveaways for a tradeshow and even corporate gifts to employees.
We offer the convenience of in-house packaging and shipping. It takes the stress right off the clients hands, van der Meer says.
One of the most successful campaigns was the Salesforce campaign. The digital marketing company hatched an idea to send out a kit of sweet treat gifts to clients complete with a printed message inside the box. Salesforce already had an in-house creative department who was developing the message, but they wanted the help of Batch to complete their gift box. Van der Meer came up with the perfect solution using a package of macarons, each emblazoned with an icon representing a stop on the Salesforce marketing map. The kit was a huge success for Salesforce, and they were impressed with the level of creativity that went into the project.
Batch continues to amp up the creativity by constantly finding new artisans.
I want to support local artisans, so Ill always be looking to find new ones, van der Meer says. One of the greatest things is calling an artist to give them business and give the company a unique product. I love being able to help them out.
The artisans love being able to help out too. Many of them donate a portion of their profits to charitable causes.
Along with scouting new artisans, van der Meer has her eyes set on a long-range plan to expand Batch to other cities that have a similar model to Indianapolis with a similar artisan community. No matter whats next for Batch, the owners Printing Resources, Tim Browning and Kurt Ellinger, both say they couldnt be more proud of Chelsea.
In the meantime, when your company is ready to plan a marketing gift campaign, contact Chelsea at Batch Indy at 317-833-7000 or via email at chelsea@batchindy.com. Connect with Batch Indy online at batchindy.com to see all the exciting products and artisans they offer. Follow Batch Indy on Instagram at @batchindy.com. Batch Indy is located at 1500 E Riverside Drive, Indianapolis.
