Nobody wants to enter “naked chicks” into their browser search while they are on their work computer. But that’s what people had to do to find the honey-sweetened sodas and drizzlers created by Yes Honey Founder Heather Mincer, when her company was originally called Naked Chicks Pasture.
When you know the brand’s origin, the name makes sense. It sold pasture-raised chickens with no chemicals or antibiotics on a small farm in Norwood, Mo. It had no online presence, and most of its sales came from word-of-mouth. Even when it started making honey-sweetened soda and drizzlers, the products were initially sold only at local farmers’ markets, so the brand name worked. It was catchy. (In fact, Heather still retains the title of “Head Chick” in her LinkedIn profile!)
But as Mincer’s sales grew and she looked to reach a broader audience of consumers and even retail buyers, it launched a website and became a RangeMe Pro subscriber.
That’s when things got a little … weird.
Let’s just say website searches for Naked Chicks Pastures pulled up A LOT of unwanted results. And on RangeMe, buyers searching for honey-based food and beverage products may have been a tad bit confused when Naked Chicks Pastures popped up in the search results.
“I’m sure that a lot of buyers on RangeMe might have been a bit confused when this brand popped up in their search results,” says Mincer. “They were probably surprised to learn that we sold soda. We were getting some engagement, but just a little. We realized that it was necessary to do a rebrand.”
A rebrand that perfectly matches the products
Mincer refreshed the brand with a name that was much more in line with the six honey-sweetened beverages and honey drizzlers it sells: Yes Honey. The logo includes a graphic of a smiling bee buzzing above the new name. Totally on-brand.
Among the beverages, Yes Honey offers two caffeinated teas in Berry and Peach flavors, each of which contain ashwaganda, L-theanine and B vitamins for a little stress relief and mental focus. It also has caffeine-free soda alternatives including Watermelon, Sweet Apple, Strawberry and newly-introduced Ginger Ale. The drizzlers include raw honey, as well as eight flavors of fruited honey and hot honey: Apple Cinnamon, Strawberry, Lemon, Chocolate, Garlic, Peach Habanero, and Raspberry Jalapeno.
“Honey has so many benefits if you are into health and beauty,” says Mincer. “It’s anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, and the body processes honey differently than it does refined sugar or corn syrup. Plus it has a lot of nutrients, and it’s a natural ingredient; it doesn’t require any processing other than filtering it and you are ready to go.”
New brand, new opportunities
The new name and branding changed everything for Mincer. “We doubled our sales within a month of the rebrand,” she says. “On top of that, our buyer engagement on RangeMe increased significantly, because it was much easier for them to identify our products. We changed our profile banner to reflect it, so that if you are looking for honey, you know you came to the right place. It’s enabled us to get a lot more meetings.”
However, it wasn’t all just the branding that led to the increase in buyer engagement. Mincer is extremely active on RangeMe; as a Premium subscriber, she submits products to all the relevant Immediate Opportunity campaigns that RangeMe hosts, as well as submits products directly to retailers.
“I’m usually on RangeMe about three times a week, looking for new opportunities, and who is doing category reviews that are relevant to my brand,” says Mincer. “We’ve gotten a lot of approvals from these submissions, and in some cases have actually met with retailers like H-E-B and Vitacost in-person at ECRM Sessions from these submissions.”
Indeed, it was the volume of approvals from RangeMe Immediate Opportunity submissions as well as the buyer activity on her brand profile page that resulted in Yes Honey taking the No. 2 spot on the RangeMe Top Brands in Food and Beverage, published on the MMR magazine website and in its January issue.
Mincer’s advice for brands on RangeMe
For new brands on RangeMe, Mincer advises a slow and steady approach that focuses on long-term success, and not trying to grow beyond your means. “RangeMe is about getting eyes on your brand over time – it’s about longevity,” she says. “You have to make sure that you are not overstepping what you can handle as a brand. We’ve had a lot of approvals, but then sometimes you meet with the buyer and then realize it’s not the right fit at this time. Going into some of these stores can be expensive, distribution-wise, and while it may not be a fit now, it can be in the future.”
Instead, Mincer focuses on maintaining consistent and sustainable growth. “We only have so much money we can spend on this right now,” she says. “We’ve actually been able to remain debt-free, which is kind of unique in this category. It’s important to start small, start locally, regionally, maybe 10 stores, and scale up from there.”
She also recommends that emerging brands pay close attention to buyer feedback from meetings, as this feedback can help shape your brand and products into a success. “When you meet with a buyer, they may suggest a change in packaging, or perhaps the wording needs to be different if they are going to put it on their shelves,” says Mincer. “Don’t take it as a criticism, take it as a positive. They are trying to help your brand get better.”
Talk to as many people as you can
Finally, Mincer recommends speaking with as many people as you can. Relationships are just as important in the CPG Retail industry as having great products, and industry peers are great sources of information. “Everyone has some insight to offer,” she says. “And you never know that someone you meet might have a connection that you can benefit from or vice versa. So talk to as many people as you can, glean as much information as you can from them. Ultimately, we all benefit from that.”