A Chat with Sweet Earth on its Meteoritic Rise to $25 Million in Sales
Okay, here’s a trivia question for you…
What do you get when you combine a former Calvin Klein marketer and major foodie with a former PepsiCo CMO and Burger King board member?
You get a startup named Sweet Earth Natural Foods, co-founded by husband and wife team CEO Kelly Swette (Calvin Klein) and Brian Swette (Pepsi/BK) that markets better-for-you foods in more than 10,000 retail stores. This plant-based food brand has sales of $25 million after only five years in business.
The pair credit their backgrounds and training for this successful second chapter of their professional lives, where the goal was to do “something that had lasting meaning and value,” Kelly told Brandchannel.
Sweet Earth pumps out plenty of content on its social channels—what it considers to be its marketing staple—to keep customers engaged and up-to-date on new product launches, meal suggestions and other promotions. For example, a giveaway on Instagram encourages fans to post their favorite #SweetEarth product and tag a friend for a chance at a month’s supply of Sweet Earth product coupons and a swag bag. Millennials are a key target as this demographic prides itself on living a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy foods.
On Facebook there is a “Plan your visit to Sweet Earth Foods” section, and an April 1 post with an offer for a Buy One, Get One FREE Coupon. A party hack video shows fans how to make a Greek party platter.
Kelly Swette spoke with Branchannel about a variety of topics, including how the two got the business started, why it launched frozen products and its pricing strategy. Read the article …
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