• by Teresa Buyikian , February 26, 2025

Sustainable agriculture isn’t just a buzzy environmental cause. According to Chipotle, it’s worth an entire animated metaverse ad with a celebrity soundtrack -- and a $2 million commitment to universities that educate young farmers.

This week the chain announced the launch of “Unfolded,” an animated short ad touting the benefits of sustainable agriculture. The :60 film on YouTube, seen here, tells the story of how “Chipotle's Food With Integrity principles could help cultivate a better world,” per the announcement, and features the classic Rolling Stone’s song "She's a Rainbow," recorded by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Halsey.

Chipotle says it’s the first restaurant brand to unveil a national TV ad in the metaverse. The ad broke this morning on Roblox, in the virtual “Carnitas Cinema” within the “Chipotle Burrito Builder” experience, an immersive delivery system.

The first 50,000 viewers of the ad on Roblox received free entrées. The spot was created by Venables Bell & Partners.

The animated short opens on the camera diving into a real-world Chipotle bag, emerging into an animated paper farm world. A Chipotle truck first drives through bland farmland that uses non-sustainable methods such as pesticides. The land then proceeds to turn into vibrant colorful fields brimming with vegetables, fruit and livestock as the Chipotle truck spreads its sustainable methods such as solar energy, wind turbines and bees.

"How we grow our food is how we grow our future," said Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief brand officer, in the announcement. "As a brand dedicated to agriculture that is good for both people and the planet, Chipotle is always exploring opportunities to advance the industry and support farmers. These impactful projects, headed by some of the brightest minds in (agriculture) innovation, create optimism for widespread adoption of sustainable agriculture and the future of real food."

Also as an extension of Chipotle’s 2021 $5 million commitment to support young farmers, this year the chain is donating $2 million to  four universities:  Ohio State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Colorado State and the University of Florida. The funds are derived from the chain’s pledge to contribute 5% of profits from the sales of Tractor Beverage products.