Fred Peer lends his first-hand perspective to assist artists impacted by disaster
Posted: October 24, 2011 Filed under: @gulfcoastmarket, disaster recovery, Fred Peer, Gulf Coast Marketplace, Gulf Oil Spill, Louisiana, N.O. Brew, Options for Independence, Uncategorized | Tags: Coffee, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Fred Peer, Hurricane Katrina, Katrina, Louisiana, N.O. Brew, New Orleans, Peer Group, Whole Foods Market Leave a comment »I don’t know a better example of “bayou resilience” than Fred Peer. Fred is a partner with N.O. Brew, a Louisiana-based coffee company that was initially started as a side-project, but unexpectedly became a full-time endeavor after his home and successful ad agency were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Prior to Katrina, Fred served as owner and creative director of The Peer Group, an award-winning advertising and communications agency that represented several New Orleans area companies, including Ochsner Health Plan. Among his many accomplishments, Fred Peer was the creative force behind several extremely successful ad campaigns conceived for Ochsner Health Plan from 2001-2004. With the help of Fred’s creative talents, Ochsner Health Plan completed a successful turnaround and was named New Orleans CityBusiness “Top Private Company” in 2002, 2003 and 2004. 
.
The Peer Group office was located near the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In August 2005, Fred saw his company disappear with the storm, not through damage from Katrina but due to looting in the aftermath.
.
While evacuating with family and friends in Franklin, LA, Fred and his family watched the news helplessly as the 17th Street Canal breeched spilling into the Lakeview area of New Orleans. They soon learned that their home was submerged in 10 feet of floodwater, actually being able to see their house on the national news. Everything they could not take with them was lost. .
Not long after returning home, Fred realized it was time to use his creative talents and his love for New Orleans flavor and culture to foster his new business – N.O. Brew. N.O. Brew coffee uses a unique process to create a wonderful, robust product that takes gourmet coffee to a new level. The beans are roasted, ground, cold-dripped and sealed from the air all within 72 hours. There are no artificial ingredients, no sweeteners and no preservatives. Up until very recently, N.O. Brew could only be purchased in the refrigerated sections at local, Louisiana groceries or online at www.nobrew.com.
.
It’s taken them plenty of time, patience and money but Fred and his business partner, Michael Stonebreaker, have steadily grown a local fan base. Those who try N.O. Brew for the first time love it and appreciate the convenience of being able to make one cup of hot or iced coffee at a time. Simply add milk and sweeten to taste. Serve it over ice or make a wonderful café-au-lait in the microwave. Fred used his creative talents to brand N.O. Brew and develop word-of-mouth, social media and grass roots marketing strategies to engage and connect with customers. They sampled and pitched their coffee to anyone that would try it, while they pitched and waited for acceptance from regional distributorships and groceries.
.
This week they learned that Central Markets will now begin carrying N.O. Brew throughout their Texas stores, in addition to the Whole Foods Markets which already carry their products, giving N.O. Brew a substantial presence in all major markets in Texas. Now everyone that was forced to relocate to the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin after Katrina can enjoy a great cup of New Orleans coffee any time they want it.
.
The Gulf Coast Marketplace is fortunate to have Fred Peer serve on our advisory panel for the development of this “e-commerce solution for community recovery”. Fred brings his wonderful creative talents and a unique perspective to the development of this online marketplace for promoting Louisiana artists – especially those whose livelihoods were impacted by disaster.
“While the BP spill might have been the catalyst to get the Gulf Coast Marketplace started, I think it’s an idea we’re going to see a lot more of in the coming years. As the world continues to become more globally focused, I believe that consumers are becoming increasingly ‘village conscious’, trying to make decisions that will benefit the areas closest to where they live. The Gulf Coast Marketplace allows consumers to make specific, locally-beneficial decisions that will in-turn help them to preserve much of what they love about the region in which they live. Additionally, the Gulf Coast Marketplace gives local artisans the opportunity to do something that big, mega corporations can’t do. They can give their products a face. And the face is their own. When you buy a product from the Gulf Coast Marketplace, you know you are making a one-to-one deal that directly benefits the person from whom you are buying it,” — Fred Peer, CEO, N.O. Brew
Fred Peer is certainly one creative artist that can relate to the challenges of living and working in Louisiana. It’s great to have him on the Gulf Coast Marketplace advisory team.
.
Experience the development of the Gulf Coast Marketplace by visiting www.thegulfcoastmarketplace.org.
