In an era of increasingly health-conscious consumers, many of the fastest-growing brands in the food and beverage industry offer better-for-you products with best-in-class marketing.
OLIPOP, for starters, has used prebiotic, plant-based sodas as a springboard to a $1.85 billion valuation.
“The prebiotic soda market has grown so much that you see companies like Coca-Cola trying to jump on the trend,” noted Eran Mizrahi, the CEO of Source86, a global sourcing and supply chain partner. “Will (prebiotic soda brands) last 10 years? Time will tell. If they can reinvent themselves and meet consumers where they are, then absolutely.”
OLIPOP is hardly the only better-for-you brand enjoying a surge in interest lately. Here’s a look at five other food and beverage brands that are growing at eye-opening speed.
Miss Vickie’s
This potato chip brand, in existence since 1987, has managed to tap into the latest trends. The brand utilizes nostalgia, crunchy texture, and flavor variety, for example.
“If you have all that, plus great branding, then you’ve got yourself a product that feels special,” Mizrahi told FI.
Rev Ciancio, a restaurant industry consultant, said Miss Vickie’s also benefits from its family farm backstory, which has helped the brand appear trustworthy.
Melinda’s
In recent years, hot sauce has become less about novelty and more about elevating everyday meals with a great story and better ingredients.
“Consumers are chasing flavor exploration and clamoring for heat that’s layered,” noted Allison Bowers, a PR pro for food, beverage, and CPG brands. “Brands like Melinda’s or Black Cap Hot Sauce capitalize on the ‘craft condiment’ movement by offering both variety and authenticity, with flavor profiles that let people play chef at home.”
Melinda’s markets its sauces as made with fresh vegetables and real pepper pulp, which experts feel speaks directly to consumers’ growing demand for “real” products.
Liquid Death
The popularity of this canned water company knows no bounds. Still just eight years old, Liquid Death resonates with Gen Z due to edgy marketing (as FI examined late last year), and eye-catching branding. According to explodingtopics.com, the Los Angeles-based brand has enjoyed 5-year search growth of 550%.
Liquid Death is also starting to gain traction with new flavored sparkling waters and iced teas.
Poppi
Poppi has masterfully used influencers and social media marketing to position its prebiotic beverages as a healthier version of classic soda. Those tactics have helped it compete with larger, more established brands that have existed for decades.
Poppi has, in essence, built a community around the brand, becoming a part of devotees’ everyday lives through collaborations, swag, and more.
“It doesn’t get more impressive than a $2 billion deal with Pepsico,” Mizrahi noted of Poppi. “They went from a small startup to a household name in no time.”
Chomps
Modern consumers check labels and ingredients like never before. The Chomps meat-stick brand caters to such health-conscious shoppers through transparency, positioning itself as a better-for-you snack.
“Chomps has truly reframed the meat stick as a clean, portable [protein] source that appeals to wellness-minded shoppers,” Bowers said. “In contrast, Slim Jim remains rooted in my mind – and in positioning – as junk food.”
“Great marketing helps a lot, but what’s actually inside the product?” Mizrahi said. “If you’re telling consumers you’re a cleaner version of an already-existing product that makes a great protein snack – and you have the labels to prove it – you gain momentum.”
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