Case Studies

Our case studies focus on brands and products that provide lessons from real challenges and opportunities which you can use to inform business strategy. They are packed with detail including brand portfolio, pricing, and communications and marketing strategy, merchandising and distribution, and come with a check list of key lessons learned.

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Published: September 2022

Case study: Crystal Farms Cheese Wraps

Cheese is being reinvented as something indulgent-yet-healthy in consumers’ mind, and Crystal Farms is one of many brands that is benefiting from this. The brand launched its most innovative product to date in 2020, which made sales of $16.6m in its first full year on the market.

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Published: September 2022

Case study: Sara Lee

Grupo Bimbo-owned Sara Lee gives consumers permission to indulge in bread and is proof that even Big Food can use the big trends to successfully innovate in a traditional category.

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Published: August 2022

Case study: Chobani Complete

Communicating about quality protein is an untapped opportunity, and one that Chobani realises the value of. With its Complete range, the brand creates a point of differentiation compared to other dairy protein products – and a competitive advantage compared to plant-based products. This is a key reason why sales of Chobani Complete reached $34.1m in its first full year on the market.

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Published: August 2022

Case study: SlimFast Keto

Launching keto products under a brand best known for its low-calorie and low-carb proposition is bold but for Glanbia-owned SlimFast, it has paid off. The brand's keto range quickly took off and accounts for around 40% of the brand’s overall business today.

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Published: August 2022

Case study: Birds Eye Bakes

Conagra has invested heavily in re-inventing its Birds Eye brand, with a focus on driving sales from new products. Its vegetable bakes proved to be particularly successful and generated sales of $33.4m (€32.5m) in 2021. It is a great example of a ‘plants made convenient’ strategy done well.

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Published: August 2022

Case study: Ratio

Ratio was launched by General Mills in 2020, marking the company’s first foray into the keto world. The brand became an instant success and saw US sales of $34.4m (€33.85m) in 2021, making it one of the most successful new products in 2021. 

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Published: July 2022

Case study: Charlie Bigham's (2022 update)

A privately-owned company has redefined the UK’s ready meal category. Charlie Bigham’s is proof that it is possible to succeed despite selling your products at a 100%+ price premium, and despite being told by supermarket executives that your strategy needs to change.

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Published: July 2022

Case study: Life Cuisine

Personalisation is an infamously tricky space to succeed in. Nestlé-owned Life Cuisine took a new approach to this challenge by acknowledging that consumer behaviours and preferences are becoming fragmented, and it's helped them achieve sales of over $70m.

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Published: June 2022

Case study: Quest Nutrition

This protein bar maker has recently entered the bakery space, providing consumers with high-protein and keto-friendly pizzas. The brand has seen impressive growth since it started in 2010 and achieved revenues of $350m+ in 2021.  

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Published: June 2022

Case study: Halo Top (2022 update)

Halo Top is proof that even flashy challenger brands have a limit. Once a star performer with $342 million in revenue, the better-for-you ice cream brand's sales have started to tumble and fell by 43% between 2017-2021. It is now trying to revive its fortunes by switching to ultra-filtered milk to deliver a creamier product.

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