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CATEGORY: FOOD

Kokada spreads success: from new listings to ongoing wins

Kokada

COMPANY SIZE

Early Stage

CATEGORY

Snacks

USE CASE

Support of new retail listings

RETAILERS

Kokada campaign retailers - Harris Teeter, Fresh Thyme

IMPACT AT A GLANCE

2,434

community members engaged on offer with 1,404 total redemptions in-store

748

reviews with an average 4/5 rating

50%

unit velocity increases

65%

of members said they would repurchase the product

"Through Social Nature campaigns, we've been able to gather an immense amount of consumer feedback and drive consumer trial at scale. With the information we discovered through these campaigns, we have tweaked formulas, honed in on our marketing communication, and more. It's been absolutely invaluable."
Breanna Atkinson, Founder & CEO of Kokada

Breanna Atkinson

Founder & CEO, Kokada

From kitchen creation to family favorite

Breanna, a dedicated athlete with a sweet tooth, found herself frustrated by the refined sugars and artificial ingredients in most store-bought snacks. Driven by her passion for clean eating, she began experimenting with various ingredients in her kitchen to create a snack that was both delicious and nutritious. Her efforts paid off when she successfully created an organic coconut spread that maintained both flavor and nutritional integrity.

In 2020, Breanna and her husband, Jared, established Kokada, a woman-owned, minority-owned company committed to producing high-quality, healthy, and socially conscious spreadable snacks. 

Kokada coconut spread

Kokada transcends the traditional lunch box staples of our youth, offering versatile vegan, peanut-free, and gluten-free products that are the perfect inclusive, school-safe snack. Whether it’s for dipping pretzels, topping oatmeal, or adding a flavorful boost to coffee and smoothies, Kokada has quickly become a beloved family favorite for shoppers craving better-for-you snacks.

The challenge of meeting growing demand

Consumers and buyers quickly took notice of Kokada’s unique product, leading to rapid growth for the brand and new listings at multiple retailers.

When Kokada secured new spots on the shelves at Harris Teeter and Fresh Thyme, they knew they needed to maintain their momentum by supporting their retailers with a strong strategy to stay listed and keep their growing consumer base happy.

However, as a small team of only three members, managing the day-to-day logistics of their startup was already a challenge. While in-store demos were an effective way to support retailers and acquire new customers, scaling sampling efforts to a national level was financially challenging and a heavy lift for their resource-strapped team.

Kokada needed a reliable ‘set it and forget it’ solution to get their product in front of their ideal customers, drive velocity, and provide valuable consumer insights to aid their growing business—all without heavy maintenance and hand-holding.

Kokada coconut spread

A “set it and forget it” solution

Facing the challenges of a small team and the need to support their new retail listings, Kokada turned to Social Nature for a powerful and efficient solution. 

Having worked with Social Nature previously on quarterly campaigns that support their top retail accounts, the busy founders knew that a digital rebate campaign would be both cost-effective and instrumental in securing their spot on the shelves at Harris Teeter and Fresh Thyme. They would also gain access to valuable shopper insights that would help them define their marketing strategy for these new retailers. 

“As a busy founder, I can create our budget and targets, give them to Social Nature, and feel confident that they will execute on time and hit the targets,” shared Breanna, “marketing initiatives rarely have anything ‘guaranteed,’ but Social Nature’s performance is something that I don’t have to worry about!”

Using data to drive velocity, insights and market growth

Primary objective: Social Nature allowed Kokada to efficiently drive product velocity, acquire new shoppers, boost market presence, and gain actionable shopper insights, all while freeing up their team to focus on critical initiatives and long-term growth.

Partnering with Social Nature allowed Kokada to leverage a seamless and reliable solution that placed their coconut spread directly in front of ideal customers. Their digital rebate campaign effectively drove product velocity, strengthened market presence at two new retailers, and delivered actionable insights—all without adding to the team’s workload.

Analyzing the post-trial surveys helped Kokada understand shopper preferences and behaviors, leading them to reformulate two flavors to better align with shopper tastes and deliver a high-quality product offering.

Kokada coconut spread

Additionally, Kokada launched a targeted communication strategy to engage high-purchase-intent shoppers from the Social Nature community who opted in to hear more from the brand, ensuring continued growth and connection with this audience.

By outsourcing demos and working with Social Nature to execute ongoing campaigns, Kokada can plan their marketing calendar knowing that their top retail accounts are being supported. This allows their team to focus on other critical initiatives, like fundraising, which Kokada’s founder notes has been easier now that she’s walking into investor presentations with quantitative data from multiple campaigns.

"Social Nature is a product and a team that we can trust to hit our goals. Now regularly working with Social Nature on a quarterly basis, I know that I can plan this part of marketing and know that the team is going to accomplish our goals."
Breanna Atkinson, Founder & CEO of Kokada

Breanna Atkinson

Founder & CEO, Kokada

Key takeaways

✔️ Increased Store Velocity: The digital rebate campaign drove a significant increase in product sales, helping Kokada secure its valuable shelf space at new retailers.

✔️ Data-Driven Product Decisions: The feedback collected through the campaign provided Kokada with a clearer understanding of their shoppers’ preferences and behaviors, leading to the successful reformulation of two product flavors and adaptation for more effective marketing strategies.

✔️ Effortless Execution: Having a reliable and effective marketing strategy in place running quarterly through Social Nature allows Kokada’s small team to focus on other crucial matters. engagement and sales growth.

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