Way back in 2011, we had an idea for a new kind of local media company to serve New Haven.
At the time, we had three main goals:
- Sign up a few thousand people to our email list.
- Write and send out one great story highlighting good and interesting things each weekday.
- Find some sponsors to help pay for it all.
We called it Daily Nutmeg. It was a simple-enough concept, but it was also surprisingly radical. Most media companies were abandoning local coverage, stoking controversy for clicks or tailoring their content to algorithms ruled by large tech companies and lowest common denominators. Not us, though.
Fast forward to now: Daily Nutmeg has been publishing every weekday for more than 13 years. We’ve had good years, better years and, along with everyone else, tough years too.
At times, we’ve had to dig deep to survive. Most importantly, we’ve built something we’re proud of:
- Today, some 20,000 people in and around New Haven receive Daily Nutmeg.
- In those 13-plus years of producing independent, high-quality editorial content, we’ve never missed a single publication date (though maybe, sometimes, you could tell we were pulling an all-nighter).
- Many days, we have multiple sponsors helping to pay for our small operation (THANK YOU—and thank you, too, for not keeping it a secret that sponsorship actually works).
This is all well and good. And if you don’t hang out at media conferences, you might not know that Daily Nutmeg is actually a rare bright spot in America’s local media landscape.
And yet, we know we’ve been missing something. For years, individual readers have been writing in to ask if they can contribute to the sound financial footing of the publication. And we’ve always said, ‘No thank you.’ Not because we didn’t appreciate the gesture, but rather because we didn’t know how to accept their kindness our way. We weren’t about to put out a donation box or become professional grant writers, and we didn’t believe in putting our stories behind a paywall like so many other outlets were doing. Our publication has been free to receive from the start, and we have no desire to change that.
However, these folks did start us thinking about ways we might be willing to accept financial support from readers. We agreed that we would only do it if we could, in turn, deliver something new and of such obvious and tangible value that we wouldn’t feel any embarrassment in asking you to spend your hard-earned money to help sustain us. And today, we believe we’re delivering exactly that.
Introducing Daily Nutmeg Membership, a new dimension in our quest to help you get the most out of New Haven. With it comes the first of many perks and surprises: The Chaser, a quarterly, members-only passport book offering the right to enjoy a complimentary dish or drink at 13 of New Haven’s favorite establishments.
This first book, which we’ll begin mailing out on October 15, spans cuisines, neighborhoods and vibes, containing exclusive offers from Anchor Spa, Armada Brewing, Blue Orchid, The Cannon, Gioia, Hachiroku Shokudo, House of Naan, John Davenport’s, Ordinary, RAWA, September in Bangkok, Stella Blues and Villa Lulu.
And as a Daily Nutmeg Member, all you’ll need to do to enjoy each of these offers—valued at up to $170 total and usually offering a choice between a specific drink and appetizer—is to sit down for dine-in, place your order (including your complimentary selection) and present your copy of The Chaser to your server, who will then stamp it just like a passport. Return the love by trying additional items and tipping well. And remember, The Chaser is just one of many perks and surprises to come.
We think membership is an incredible value at just $12.99/month for an individual—and even better for duos and couples, who can get two memberships for just $19.99/month.
If you think so too, become a member today. And thanks, as always, for reading—
—Your friends at Daily Nutmeg—
