SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 8, 2025 - Kellanova is using its "Cool Soil Critters" campaign in Australia to turn an often invisible topic-soil health-into a mainstream sustainability and supply-chain conversation, linking biodiversity beneath the surface directly to crop resilience, food security and long-term brand value.
From Iconic Foods to the Health of the Soil Behind Them
As a company that depends on crops to make the foods people know and love, Kellanova is positioning soil health as a strategic asset rather than a purely agronomic concern. Through its partnership with the Cool Soil Initiative, Kellanova Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) is supporting programs that help farmers increase organic carbon levels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on Australian farms.
The company's communications build on a clear awareness gap. New research commissioned for the campaign shows that 39% of Australians do not know enough about the role healthy soil plays in crop resilience and food security. At the same time, 91% recognise the need for children to learn more about soil health and its impact on biodiversity and food supply, while fewer than 5% identified soil critters such as insects and tardigrades as key contributors to soil health.
Cool Soil Critters: Making the Hidden Biodiversity Visible
To close this gap in understanding, Kellanova ANZ created the Cool Soil Critters campaign to highlight the "unseen heroes" of healthy soil in a way that is both educational and inspiring. The company teamed up with artist Claus Stangl, winner of the 2022 Archibald Packing Room Prize, to produce four portraits of soil critters rendered in real Australian soil.
These artworks bring the hidden world beneath our feet to life, making soil science more accessible to educators, consumers and stakeholders across the food value chain. The pieces are set to be donated to Soil Science Australia, extending the campaign's impact into professional and academic circles concerned with soil management and agricultural resilience.
Aligning Farmer Support and Brand Purpose
The Cool Soil Initiative partnership is also designed to drive innovation at farm level by supporting growers as they adapt practices to improve soil structure, biodiversity and carbon storage. Investment from corporate partners like Kellanova helps bridge the gap between sustainability commitments and on-the-ground agronomic change.
Commenting on the findings and the new artworks, Director of Corporate Affairs, Kellanova ANZ, Renee McCarthy explains: "Through our partnership with the Cool Soil Initiative, we are on a mission to raise awareness of the importance of healthy soil and its crucial role in developing quality crops and a sustainable food supply from paddock to plate. Based on these new findings, Aussies want to know more."
Dr. Cassandra Schefe, Principal Scientist of the Cool Soil Initiative, added: "Investment from partners like Kellanova supports farmers to innovate their farming practices, which helps them to produce healthy soil and crops. There is more than meets the eye when it comes to our soil - it is something to be protected, and that's what we wanted to bring awareness to through this campaign."
Using Creativity and Awards Recognition to Scale the Message
By translating complex soil science into a creative, emotionally engaging campaign, Kellanova is building broader public support for sustainability initiatives that are often perceived as purely technical. The Cool Soil Critters artwork and research narrative give retailers, policymakers and educators an accessible entry point to discuss regenerative agriculture and biodiversity.
The effectiveness of this long-term approach is underscored by industry recognition: Kellanova's work promoting the campaign won gold in the Sustained Campaign category at the 2025 Golden Target Awards, Australia's longest-running communication and PR industry awards. For B2B partners, this signals that soil health is not just a CSR topic but a durable brand platform capable of engaging consumers over time.
Strategic Takeaways for the Food and Agriculture Value Chain
For food manufacturers, retailers and agribusiness partners, the Cool Soil Critters campaign illustrates how brand-led storytelling can reinforce upstream sustainability initiatives such as the Cool Soil Initiative. It connects farm-level practice changes-like building soil organic carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions-to consumer-facing messages about biodiversity, resilience and the future of food.
As climate risk and resource constraints put pressure on crop yields and quality, soil health is emerging as a common denominator across the value chain. By investing in farmer support, science-based initiatives and award-winning communications, Kellanova is positioning itself as a partner to growers and a credible voice on biodiversity, while building long-term resilience into the supply of raw materials for its iconic foods.
To explore Kellanova's broader commitments to biodiversity and its Better Days™ Promise, visit https://www.kellanova.com.