Case Study
Unwrapping Honey Mama’s year of growth with Crisp
From Portland, Oregon farmers markets to national shelves, Honey Mama’s has crafted a uniquely memorable presence in the world of chocolate. With Crisp’s insights, retail strategies have been tempered to perfection.
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Situation
A bittersweet need for data
Founded in 2013, Honey Mama’s bars sparked fanfare at the Portland State Farmers Market in Oregon. Renowned for its unique flavor profiles and top-tier ingredients the bars quickly garnered a cult-like following, and a round of funding and subsequent brand refresh in 2020 helped the company expand nationwide – with a striking new look lining more and more shelves.
As the brand gained momentum, the need for comprehensive sales and inventory data became apparent. Casey O’Donovan, Sales Director at Honey Mama’s, explained that their previous data reporting from sales brokers had become unreliable, leaving them in the dark about their expanding supply chain. They faced a choice: hire an analyst or opt for Crisp. Casey, having experience with Crisp in a previous role, championed the tool’s adoption to meet their growing demand.
Solution
Balancing flavor and demand
The introduction of Crisp offered Honey Mama’s a powerful solution to optimize their supply chain. For instance, by using Crisp’s Fill Rate to Stores dashboard, Honey Mama’s can track inventory from distribution centers (DCs) to individual stores, helping prevent out-of-stock situations.
“Crisp helps us maintain our distribution business – with a clear line of sight to inventory, sales growth, and velocity metrics,” Casey shared.
Insights from Crisp’s sales dashboard also help optimize product assortments. They’ve been so telling that Honey Mama’s was able to analyze product cannibalization trends and update their assortment in 2022. Even after these modifications, Honey Mama’s secured 4,400 additional points of distribution (PODs) and witnessed a surge in sales – 25% with UNFI and 30% with KeHE, demonstrating a blend of creativity and data in driving product innovation.
Additionally, by monitoring store-level performance and allocating inventory only where it’s needed, the brand is fine-tuning demand forecasting and effectively reducing at-risk overstock.
“Managing spoils to 1-2% of business is difficult but possible with Crisp!” Casey exclaimed.
Results: Decadent Developments
- 96% YOY sales increase for new Chocolate Cake bar, a result of monitoring and responding to the product’s launch
- 30% YOY growth with KeHE, 25% YOY growth with UNFI; despite cuts to their product assortment
- Optimized inventory flow and prevented out-of-stocks with Crisp’s Fill Rate to Stores dashboard.
- Introduction of new line, Truffle Treats, leveraging Crisp’s Target data source for rollout execution.
Favorite Insight:
Sales Dashboards
Identify trends and opportunities for expansion within existing accounts.
“Crisp has been instrumental for our business, providing crucial visibility into our distribution, and we use it almost daily. We are huge fans!”
Jared Schwartz
CEO
Always be Data Ready with Crisp
Crisp allows food brands and retailers to stay ahead of rapidly evolving consumer behavior, identify potential supply chain disruptions, track inventory and product performance. It’s easy and quick to get started so you can be Data Ready.