👋 Hey, it’s Jordan!
How do you balance introducing an innovative product with creating something people understand?
Familiar flavors are one of the smartest ways to introduce consumers to something new.
DIME is using ranch to bring more people into the world of MSG. Terry Ho’s is combining its signature Yum Yum flavor with ranch. Maruchan is tapping into Flamin’ Hot. Even Amara is pairing gut health with strawberry pineapple for kids.
Each product starts with a flavor people already understand.
That familiarity lowers the risk of trying something new.
I learned this with TeaSquares. Consumers were much more open to the functional benefits once the flavor and occasion felt recognizable. Asking someone to understand a new format, ingredient, benefit, and flavor all at once creates a lot of work at the shelf.
Brands still need a unique point of view. Familiarity simply gives consumers an easier way into the story.
I think DIME’s Scallion Ranch is a great example. Ranch has massive appeal, while scallion and MSG give the brand room to express its identity and mission.
How are you balancing familiar flavors with the innovation that makes your product different?
🍓 Amara, founded by Jess Sturzenegger, is expanding its functional Superfood Smoothie Melts to Whole Foods Market with its Brain variety and new Strawberry Pineapple Gut Health flavor following a successful Target launch.
🥗 Terry Ho’s Yum Yum Sauce, founded by Terry Ho, is launching Yum Yum Ranch and Ginger Dressing at all Food Lion locations in July, expanding the brand’s restaurant-inspired condiment lineup across its more than 35,000 retail doors.
🍜 A-Sha Foods, founded by Young Chang, has expanded at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide with four $3.49 single-serve varieties featuring its air-dried, never-fried noodles in Garlic Soy, Spicy Dan Dan, Spicy Mala and Chili Crisp flavors.
🍜 Maruchan has expanded availability of its Instant Lunch Flamin’ Hot Flavored Chicken Flavor to Amazon in 12-packs following its initial Walmart rollout, extending the bold-flavored ramen’s reach through e-commerce.
🌶️ Tierra Negra, founded by Ivan M. Gutierrez, has launched its Dark Salsa at Wegmans Food Markets across the Northeast, marking a major retail milestone for the differentiated salsa brand.
🥤 Halfday Iced Tea, co-founded by Kayvon Jahanbakhsh and Mike Lombardo, is launching an exclusive slim-can line in more than 1,400 Target stores nationwide with four flavors, including the new Strawberry Half & Half.
🧂 DIME, founded by Jenn Ko, has launched its new Scallion Ranch MSG seasoning across direct-to-consumer, Amazon, Faire and select Bay Area retailers while expanding into all Luke’s Local locations and Berkeley Bowl.
🍛 The Cumin Club, co-founded by Ragoth Bala, Harish Visweswaran and Kiru Rajagopal, has launched its freeze-dried Chana Masala direct-to-consumer with slow-cooked chickpeas, warm spices and a traditional dash of tea extract.
💊 Astadaily by Iconthin Biotech Corp., founded by Dr. Alvin Cheng, has earned Halal certification for its Astaxanthin Pure – Vegan supplement, broadening access to its natural astaxanthin products for Halal-conscious consumers.
⚡ UPDATE, co-founded by Kim Kardashian, has launched its first omnichannel campaign while celebrating expansion into 13,000 retail locations nationwide and bringing the campaign to life through an immersive Los Angeles Focus Lab activation.
🥜 Soom Foods, co-founded by Amy Zitelman, Shelby Zitelman and Jackie Zitelman, is approaching 8,000 retail doors after growing from its first independent placement in 2013 to national distribution through retailers including Whole Foods Market, Publix and Wegmans.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.