Up and Coming Food Brands: Brands Crushing Social Media in the Food Industry
You know a brand is doing social media right when people outside the target market engage with the content. In today's food industry, engagement on social media can give insight into how well the brand value is doing with creating community and excitement around their food product.
But how exactly does a food beverage company DO social media right?
Here are seven up-and-coming food brands who've harnessed the power of social media to engage prospective consumers and create loyal followings. Their metrics, reflecting current consumer preferences, are impressive, with high clickthrough rate, engagements, and consistent traffic:
Fresh Direct: Turning Followers into Health Experts
Fresh Direct, the meal delivery service focusing on healthy food options, is on a mission to make convenient dining a breeze. They have absolutely CRUSHED it on Instagram by providing inspiration, tips, and delectable recipes featuring quality ingredients to their steadily-growing following. By publishing visually appealing food photography, combined with a strategic use of user-generated content, Fresh Direct has amassed over 32.2K followers on the platform.
What's their secret sauce? It's all about authenticity and knowledge of the food industry. Fresh Direct creates a real connection with their audience by showcasing genuine customer experiences and weaving storytelling into their posts. They illuminate their commitment to reducing food waste through behind-the-scenes glimpses of their food production process.
But that's not all. Fresh Direct knows how to spice things up with strategic partnerships, like their home run collaborations with the New York Yankees.
Follower count:
Facebook: 10,754 likes
Twitter: 16.4K followers
Instagram: 32.2K followers
Pinterest: 168.1K monthly views
TikTok: 2.1K likes
Bake Believe: Product Photography = Brand Awareness
Product photography is everything when it comes to reaching consumers on social media In today's grocery store landscape (this is true for the entire food industry). That's because most social platforms are image-first. While brands need insightful copy that speaks to current consumer preferences, a simple image showcasing how delicious or healthy your product is works wonders.
Bake Believe is a food makes sugar-free chocolate and baking products. They don’t use harmful sweeteners. And every image on their Instagram page makes that deliciously obvious.
And they’re no slouch when it comes to videos. Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and other short-form mobile-friendly videos KILL it these days… they’re a key driver in any food business sales strategy. Which is why their recipe videos are doing so well. With over 5,000 average IG Reel views, their video strategy deserves to be studied.
Their focus has been primarily on Meta platforms… for now. And there’s no need for them to expand - as their brand awareness has benefited greatly from product photography that’s set an industry benchmark.
Yes - baked goods can make healthy food options.
Follower count:
Facebook: 82K followers
Instagram: 24.4K followers
The Qi: Video-Fueled Brand Storytelling
Rooted in time-honored Eastern holistic healing wisdom, this wellness brand uses flower tea rituals to help customers feel more joy, beauty, and inner calm.
And it’s obvious at one glance of their Instagram and TikTok pages.
The Qi has mastered the art of combining its demographics’ social media preferences with an easy-to-digest message that champions its holistic brand message.
Using all natural ingredients, Founder Lisa Li has cracked a tricky code: using a creator’s personal brand to promote their company. It’s proven that consumers identify more with people than nameless brands and Lisa’s success is proof.
She stars in engaging videos that foster a personal connection with followers; a tactic that is key to success for food and beverage brands in 2023.
Lisa and The Qi have been recognized by Martha Stewart and featured on websites and in publications, including Thrillist and Food & Wine. This is a masterclass in providing brand value.
Follower count:
TikTok: 27.1k followers
Instagram: 24.4k followers
Facebook: 594 followers
YouTube: 719 subscribers
Filmland Spirits: Thematic Storytelling Masterclass
Do you know how many people base their alcohol choices on how cool the packaging art is? A ton.
This reality has been harnessed expertly by Filmland Spirits. The award-winning whisky brand has built its entire brand around the theme of classic cinema. Because who doesn’t love the movies?
The strategy has worked wonders. It’s created a fully-realized consumer experience that goes beyond what’s in the bottle. And this branding masterclass has been led by its robust social media presence .
Every post speaks its target audience’s masterfully, blending humor with nostalgia for a recipe that’s led to a drastic online order sales increase. They’re a perfect case study in modern alcohol brand building that capitalizes on what drinker’s want: an escape.
Follower count:
Instagram: 5k followers
Facebook: 5.2k followers
Spindrift: Building an Online Community
Spindrift claims they are the very first American sparkling water brand to use real fruit. They’ve also mastered the art of community-building on Twitter. With a witty and relatable brand voice, they engage in conversations with their followers, respond to customer queries, and actively participate in trending topics. Similar to Fresh Direct, they put an emphasis on genuine interactions and back up their commitment to transparency.
This is the ultimate case study for building an online community in the food and beverage industry.
Spindrift has gained over 166K followers on Instagram and have strengthened brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth as a result.
You can find the beverage in most grocery stores, including Walmart, HEB, and Costco.
Follower count:
Facebook: 42,736 likes
Twitter: 9.3K followers
Instagram: 166K followers
Pinterest: 7.3K monthly views
TikTok: 117.5K followers
RIOT Energy: Everyone Loves A Rebel
Everyone loves a rebel. And the energy drink world’s needed one for a LONG time. Unhealthy, sugar-filled products with artificial flavors and garbage ingredients flood the market. Their messaging is built around a high-octane, active lifestyle… When, in fact, regularly consuming their drink will shorten a drinker’s life.
That’s why emerging brands like RIOT Energy have exploded onto the scene. Founded by a former professional skier, the brand is completely plant-based (each ingredient is actually good for you) and tastes as good or better than its unhealthy competitors.
This message has resonated with its growing loyal customer base. Its social media content is targeted at health-conscious Millennials and Gen Zs who are SICK of being lied to by leaders in the energy drink market.
Their messaging has punch and doesn’t mess around. RIOT Energy is a perfect example of how to build a marketing campaign around the gap in the market that’s filled by your product. People want great flavor without damaging their bodies. RIOT is helping consumers do that.
Follower count:
Instagram: 100k followers
Facebook: 1.1k followers
X: 950 followers
Amrita Health Foods: Family-First Brand Building
Amrita’s Founder Arshad Bahl took a unique and innovative approach to tell his brand’s story. Offering vegan protein bars that promise to supercharge a consumer’s health journey, Amrita was created in response to the food allergies suffered by Arshad’s son.
In a climate where consumers are sensitive to more foods than ever before, the personal and relatable marketing approach taken by Amrita has paid off. Parents who are willing to invest in their children’s nutrition are taking notice; the brand’s Instagram count continues to rise.
Arshad leaned on his 20 years of experience in strategic marketing, finance, and management roles in Fortune 50 companies to create a brand that has secured firm footing in an increasingly health-conscious food and beverages market.
Amrita’s posts are very authentic. They don’t waste time on highly polished images that don’t relate to their audience. They invite followers in to see how their uber-healthy nutrition bars are made (they don’t use a SINGLE harmful ingredient), making it feel like we’re actually on the warehouse floor with the Amrita team.
Follower count:
Instagram: 12.3k followers
Facebook: 6.1k followers
Twitter: 2.8k followers
YouTube: 275 subscribers
Issei Mochi Gummies: Heritage-Infused Mouthfuls
The average American’s taste buds demand international flavors. Their pallets are becoming more sophisticated and the same old, boring Euro-centric treats aren’t cutting it anymore.
That’s the inspiration behind Issei, whose Founder’s Japanese parents needed to travel state lines to find the flavors they were raised on. Not only were they hard to find… the cheaper, more accessible products on the market weren’t exactly healthy.
And that hasn’t changed. Issei is an emerging brand that caters to an underserved segment of the food market - offering healthy gummies that kids love. It advertises how food processing dictates so much of our physical and mental health - they healthier the process that goes into making our food, the better we feel (and longer we live).
This offering has found a large audience with parents who want their kids to get used to healthy food - and not complain about the taste.
Issei’s taken the food industry by storm. There’s no secret why: Its content features beautiful product photography that captures its vibrant, health-focused brand image. Both kids and adults are among its growing audience and its social media focus has earned its place on store shelves of nearly every major grocery chain in America. Hats off to a Founder who’s food business has made a huge splash .
Follower count:
Instagram: 6.3k
Abbot’s Butchers: Bright, Vibrant & Sustainable
Health is the first priority for a growing segment of middle and upper-class American consumers when visiting the grocery store. This shift has been expertly harnessed by Abbot’s in its messaging. A provider of plant & protein-rich foods, its social media following emphasizes bright and vibrant product imagery that champions its affordable, health-first messaging.
The strategy has paid off. Social media has emerged as a primary driver in the brand’s success, from user-generated content pieces to Reels that show off easy-to-cook meals that feature Abbot products.
More and more consumers are going vegan in a food market with increasingly diverse offerings. And guess what? The natural gateway to that lifestyle is vegetarianism. That’s why meal kits in this space are blowing up on socials. Abbot has masterfully capitalized on this worthy trend on multiple social platforms.
Follower count:
Instagram: 36k followers
Facebook: 2.2k followers
TikTok: 2.7k followers
Pinterest: 3.6k monthly views
Malk: Organic Social = Organic Milk Sales
Consumers are spoiled these days. But here’s the thing… They deserve to be.
They want great taste from products that don’t shorten their lives and don’t destroy the environment.
Malk’s capitalized on this sustained trend with a social media-first marketing strategy that’s leaned heavily on UGC and influencer marketing.
Just like the food market, the beverage market is equally competitive and finicky. Price still matters, which is why labels that charge a premium price MUST be wildly active on social media. It’s become the most effective channel to communicate a brand’s point-of-difference to customers.
Their slogan, “Nothing to hide” speaks volumes about how they’ve achieved their success. Because that’s what social media users want nowadays - transparency with food and beverage brands. Consumers can see through ‘marketing speak’ and are more than happy to ditch a brand that’s kept the status quo with a disruptor that’s speaking a language that beverage drinkers can understand.
Malk’s taken things a step further, doing a wonderful job on a platform that few CPG food & beverage brands have success on: LinkedIn.This post tells you everything you need to know about the brand’s culture.
Follower count:
Instagram: 89k
Facebook: 16k
Pinterest: 17.1k monthly views
TikTok: 123.7k followers
LinkedIn: 9k followers
Clear Water Distilling Co: Adventure-Seeking
Rum isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a beverage that inspires a sense of adventure in drinkers, harkening back to the days when pirates roamed the seven seas.
But times have changed. Rum drinkers hate hangovers. And they want natural ingredients in their cocktails that don’t compromise great taste.
Clear Water has catered its social media messaging around this intersection of adventure, health and taste. Its content features rum tastings that offer authentic glimpses into what a sip would taste like . This strategy has established a following that’s led many followers to travel to Utah specifically to visit the distillery.
We consider that a huge success.
Follower count:
Instagram: 4.4k followers
Facebook: 9.6k followers
TikTok: 2.2k followers
Weller: Because Alcohol Ain’t What It Used To Be
Functional beverages are on the rise. Millennials and Gen Zs are drinking alcohol less than any generation on record - largely because they’re painfully aware of the short and long-term health risks.
Which is why emerging brands like Weller are crushing it on socials. Their content engages young drinkers where they live - on their phones. It promotes the health benefits of a drink that originated in Boulder, CA.
Because being healthy doesn’t mean not having fun. Which is the primary message behind Weller’s influencer program.
Follower count:
Instagram: 9k followers
Recess: Creating a Lifestyle Brand on YouTube
Recess, a CBD-infused beverage brand (and also the newest brand on this list) has successfully established a lifestyle brand identity on Instagram. The sparkling water promises to take away stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Each can contains stress-relieving and focus-enhancing CBD with healthy ingredients. Plus, the can designs are very appealing. There are currently six flavors; the brand also offers a subscription service.
By publishing high-quality video content that combines entertainment, education, and product showcases, Recess appeals to their target audience of millennials and Gen Z. By collaborating with influencers, sharing stories of their brand mission, and exploring trending topics, Recess has gained thousands of subscribers and millions of views on their channel, positioning themselves as a leader in the emerging CBD market.
Follower count:
Facebook: 925 likes
Twitter: 1,692 followers
Instagram: 112K followers
Pinterest: 2.8K monthly views
TikTok: 1,537 followers
Grow your Food & Beverage Brand with Social Media
Social media is no longer an IF for food and beverage brands. Creating an effective strategy that gets the attention of your target audience and doesn’t look good is mandatory.
If any of the following applies to you, we really need to talk:
“My food and beverage brand can’t find an audience on social media”
“The big retailers are KILLING my bottom-line! It feels like I don’t have control of my brand’s destiny.”
“There’s too much online competition for my brand. I don’t know how to get noticed.”
“I’ve tried everything and need a cost-effective way to grow my brand’s audience.”