Siete

Highlighted by the Seurat challenger paper in 2019, Siete has quickly risen to breakthrough status in just a few short years. Inspired by the founders’ mission to adapt traditional recipes to allow family members on an autoimmune-friendly diet to partake in family meals, Siete strives to reinvent authentic Mexican cuisine with cleaner, healthier ingredients. Their overarching mission has enabled them to successfully expand into a wide swath of categories from tortillas, salsas, and seasoning to cookies. Every aspect of the Siete brand is inspired by the founders’ heritage — from ensuring that every item is approved by their grandmother, to the brand name, which represents the seven members of the Garza family. Since its founding in 2014, Siete has reached $400MM in revenue (2023) (Source).

Momofuku Goods

Momofuku Goods, an offshoot of the famed restaurant group, is bringing its restaurant’s culinary staples– from noodles to sauces– to home chefs. Momofuku’s 20-year heritage in the restaurant industry brings credibility to the line, which has grown a dedicated following worthy of breakthrough status. After research found that 80% of their social media followers didn’t live in cities containing Momofuku restaurants, the team was inspired to create products that gave more fans access to the brand’s recipes. Beyond the restaurant’s reputation for tasty, authentic dishes, the professional kitchen inspired labels on pack bring an elevated level of authenticity to the products, and further bring the restaurant experience home. Clearly, fans from all over are connecting with the brand — Momofuku passed $100MM in annual revenue in 2023, with over 50% derived from its CPG business (Source).

Topo Chico

Topo Chico is a standout example of how to break through in beverage via cultural connectivity. Inspired by the legend of the daughter of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma, the brand has successfully expanded its portfolio beyond the core mineral water to include Sabores, Margaritas, Agua frescas, and hard seltzer with Mexican inspired flavors like guava. Topo Chico leverages the message of ‘follow your thirst for discovery’ to celebrate its ability to draw consumers to new drink types and flavors. Topo Chico as a brand has tremendous badge value, transforming sparkling water from something to be enjoyed to a signifier of exploration and the appreciation for products with a rich history. The brand was acquired by Coca-Cola and surpassed $200MM in sales earlier this decade. (Source)

Bachan’s

You may have noticed Bachan’s unique red squeeze bottle amongst a sea of American-style barbecue sauces. The Japanese barbecue’s unique & delicious flavor is a product of the founders’ painstaking commitment to authenticity. The sauce starts with a recipe that has been passed down for generations and is packaged using a cold-fill technique, which allows the sauce to taste just like the version made fresh in the family kitchen, bringing authentic, tangy flavors from their kitchen to yours. Bachan’s eclipsed $30MM in annual revenue, and recently became the top selling shelf stable barbecue sauce in the natural category (Source).

Yolélé Foods

Yolélé Foods is on a mission to introduce a revolutionary West African ancient grain, Fonio, to the North American market. While Fonio boasts a superior nutritionalprofile to rice or quinoa, it is relatively unknown in America – until now. Yolélé’s convenient preparation and variety of flavors are a delightful invitation for consumers to try the new grain and bring it into their rotation. Ultimately, the brand also hopes to improve economic prosperity for West Africa by increasing demand for Fonio and reinvesting profits back into local communities.

Omsom

With home cooks and food critics alike praising Omsom’s products for their “game changing” sauces, this brand is democratizing access to authentic Asian flavor. Omsom was created by two sisters who were born to Vietnamese immigrants. Their vision was to create products that bring loud & proud Asian flavors to meals any day of the week. Consumers are delighted to be able enjoy the sauces & noodles with ease, and without cultural compromise. The brand leverages social media as a key storytelling mechanism, engaging with their consumers, and speaking on current events. Omsom made its grocery debut in Whole Foods last year. (Source 1, Source 2)

Sanzo

Filipino-American founded Sanzo celebrates its sparkling waters as a way to explore Asian flavors, touting themselves the first Asian-inspired sparkling water made with real fruit and no added sugar. In unique flavors like lychee and calamansi, the brand offers a fresh take on the category. A mission to “bridge cultures by connecting people to authentic flavors” whether these flavors are a “taste of home or a source of discovery” is core to the brand, promoting the idea of wanting to connect over and share culture. (Source)

Bawi

Inspired by the cofounders’ upbringings in Monterrey, Mexico and Austin, TX, Bawi is modernizing the traditional Mexican aqua fresca through a sparkling take that’s nostalgic and new at the same time. Cited as a best new product of 2022 from BevNet, the brand has earned distribution in over 600 stores nationally from Sprouts & Safeway to a myriad of specialty stores. (Source 1, Source 2)

Briogeo

Built for all hair types and textures, Briogeo is a black-owned haircare brand that has disrupted the industry. As part of the haircare renaissance that hair products aren’t one size fits all, Briogeo helps consumers find the right products for their specific hair needs and goals. Founded on values of love, invention, and inclusivity, Briogeo was created as a means to spread joy and happiness – an ode to CEO + Founder Nancy Twine’s core memories of time spent creating beauty treatments in the kitchen with her mother. The company has succeeded in inviting in a diverse cohort of consumers and generated over $100 million in revenue in 2022. (Source)

Dr. Jart+

Korean skincare brand Dr. Jart+ has broken through the industry by bringing renowned Korean ingredients and skincare practices into the mainstream. Consumers look to K-beauty for skincare done right, and Dr. Jart+ specifically for the proprietary ingredient complexes they’ve developed in the skin-science labs. Consumers have bought into their high-performance derma care earning the brand $500 million in sales in 2019. (Source)

Ceremonia

Ceremonia is a bright spot in hair care, celebrating LatinX heritage through clean hair care solutions made from ingredients popular in Latin American culture. Born from the desire to make hair care more tailored to and accessible to Hispanic consumers – the largest minority in the US – Ceremonia empowers consumers who are rarely centered in this category. In 2022, the company produced $20 million in revenue and became the first Latinx-owned brand fully available in-stores & online at Sephora. (Source 1, Source 2)

Korres

Greek skincare brand Korres harnesses the powerful bounty of Greek biodiversity into personal care products. Driven by the desire to spread the power of rich endemic resources, Korres features ingredients like Greek olive, black pine, and Santorini Grape in their skin & body care products. While larger in Greece with $97 million in sales in 2021, the brand is growing in the US (~$30 million in sales in 2022) as consumers latch onto the magic of ingredients packaged into Korres’ products. (Source)

Eadem

Vegan skincare company Eadem has identified a gap in skincare products designed for darker skin tones. Messaged as skincare “finally made for us,” Eadem puts women of color at the forefront with the goal of bringing skincare solutions to those who have been excluded for far too long, making the industry a more inclusive space. While the company’s revenue is undisclosed, the brand (and especially it’s Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum) is blowing up online because of its use of science backed and heritage aligned ingredients designed for melanin-rich skin. (Source)

Nopalera

Nopalera is a Chicana-owned clean personal care brand rooted in the cactus – a symbol of Mexican heritage that also has many health benefits. The brand’s star ingredient is the nopal plant, better known as the prickly pear cactus, which is incredibly resilient and thus a representation of Mexican resilience. By bringing this native Mexican powerhouse to the limelight, Nopalera works to spotlight Mexican culture and share it with the world. (Source)

Definition:
Demand maps provide a quantified, holistic understanding of how consumers make choices. They capture who, why and how consumers engage with brands, and predict how consumption will evolve over time.

How your brands could benefit:
Demand maps drive portfolio strategy on where to play, how to action and how to win in addition to informing forward-looking innovation and acquisition decisions.

How they’re developed:
Demand maps blend primary consumer research with category-wide market data to create a multi-dimensional understanding of the space and surfaces which benefits, attributes and brand levers create the greatest sales impact (and the highest growth potential).

At a high-level, demand maps can be defined by occasions (the when, where, and with whom), the needs / motivations that those occasions necessitate (the why), along with the consumer cohort most likely to make a choice (the who).

Demand maps enable a brand portfolio to maximize value creation opportunities. This in turn facilitates strategic alignment across your organization.

1. Viv

Look to Viv for earth-friendly and toxin-free period care. Their packaging is 100% recyclable, pads & liners are fully biodegradable in 150 days, and their organic cotton tampons are made with plant-based applicators, cutting out harmful chemicals and uncomfortable plastic. Not only is Viv dedicated to helping menstruators everywhere have a zero-waste period, but they are also committed to smashing period stigma, as promoted through the Voices by Viv podcast. While subscribe & save makes it easy to have period care delivered when you need it, you can now also find this brand in-store at CVS!

2. AWSM

New entrant to the sauce market, AWSM, is helping consumers to Avoid Waste + Season Meaningfully. The powder form of their sauces allows for extended shelf life, eradicating the #1 reason for condiment waste (they’re not used in time!) By cutting out water weight, the company also reduces their environmental shipping impact (i.e., less fuel), furthering the brand’s mission to help the world #sauceresponsibly.

3. Akua

Akua is making ‘kelp-based’ the new ‘plant-based’ with their range of kelp-based meat alternatives. As animal agriculture is the 2nd largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world, Akua is focused on creating a tasty way to replace factory farming with regenerative ocean farming. Their farming practices significantly reduce CO2 emissions and help us be kinder to the planet – one kelp burger at a time! Impressively, they’ve raised $5.4M to date and show no sign of stopping.

4. Atomo

Founded in 2019, newcomer to the caffeine scene Atomo is paving the way for a more sustainable coffee kick – without the beans! The star ingredient is upcycled date seeds and their brewing method uses 94% less water and expends 93% less carbon emissions than conventional cold brew. As climate change continues to threaten traditional coffee production, Atomo points to the future of coffee, supporting the ever-increasing demand for your daily brew. Recently named to TIME’s list of the best inventions of 2022, this brand is certainly one to watch.

5. Conscious Step

With each pair of socks devoted to a different cause, Conscious Step partners with a variety of non-profits (e.g., environmental, animal rights, human needs, etc), delighting consumers with the ability to choose which cause they want to support with their purchase. Consious Step provides transparency into the tangible impact they’ve had; this includes a continually updated monetary tracker that stands at over $800k today, a list of their partner organizations and communities they serve, and a breakdown of the cash flow.

6. Ajiri

Women-owned and operated tea & coffee brand Ajiri takes a multidimensional approach to living out its name which means “to employ” in Swahili. Tea and coffee are sourced / grown in Kenya, and local women create the unique banana bark labels. All profits go to the Ajiri Foundation funding childhood education for orphans in Western Kenya, allowing Ajiri to use education to empower and uplift the communities it serves. This brand earned its spot on shelf at Whole Foods, allowing consumers to support this important mission while drinking flavorful warm beverages.

7. Chum Fruit Bites

Chum Fruit Bites offers a snack you can feel good about giving kids for two reasons: their nutrition panel and commitment to the protection of different endangered species. These natural fruit snacks instill the importance of environmental protection in children through their visually engaging animal graphics and their donation of 15% of profits to WILDAID.org – an NGO that works to end the multi-billion-dollar illegal global wildlife trade industry. Founded in Ireland in 2017, the brand has recently expanded to the US through Amazon and their DTC site.

8. The Inkey List

The Inkey List is on a mission to empower consumers with the knowledge they need to navigate their skincare journey. They know skincare can be confusing, so they prioritize accessible price points that allow consumers to test and learn, ultimately building their perfect skincare routine! Inkey reduces costs through less expensive, sustainable packaging and by sourcing ingredients themselves, limiting manufacturing costs, to deliver high quality products all under $15. Since their launch in 2018 they’ve gleaned high praise from leaders in beauty (e.g., Allure) and earned prominent positioning everywhere from TikTok to the shelves of Sephora, reshaping skincare one award-winning serum at a time!

9. Dialogue

Dialogue is an Israeli-based, revolutionary ecommerce platform that uses AI-powered messaging to create individualized shopping experiences – all while helping brands manage site maintenance costs. Personalization is on-trend across the consumer goods landscape, and Dialogue helps ecommerce interactions match the level of personalization of an in-store shopping experience for companies of all sizes – from Sabon to L’Occitane. Dialogue has helped businesses lift conversion rates, session time, and ARPU more easily, all while reducing the brands’ bottom lines and enhancing the shopping experience for consumers.

10. EveryPlate

“America’s best value meal kit,” EveryPlate, helps consumers save time and money on their weekly grocery haul. With EveryPlate, you get a delicious meal for only $4.99 per serving – around 44% less than key competitors– and about 30 minutes of your time. This challenger sits within Hello Fresh, exemplifying how bigger companies can target a wider consumer base by offering accessible versions of their popular services. Reduced packaging and a more streamlined menu keep prices down, allowing consumers of all income levels to be an EveryPlate’r and home chef.