New name & packaging for Enlightened’s crunchy broad beans helps bring snack out of the shadows
“Our roasted fava beans have been under our Enlightened brand, but then we realized our ice cream is kind of a big deal now, and we didn’t want these guys to be living in their shadow any longer because they are such a good product and have so many fans, but also so much more potential because most people who know Enlightened didn’t really know about them,” said Lily Shoretz, director of brand strategy for Beyond Better Foods, which owns the Enlightened, cloud10 and Bada Bean Bada Boom brands.
She explained at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Washington, DC, last month that the rebrand for the protein-packed, plant-based snack is rolling out now, and aims to show people that “beans don’t have to be boring and bland and mushy. They can be fun and crunchy and flavorful and have bold seasoning.”
With that mission in mind, she said, the company changed the snack name from Enlightened to Bada Bean Bada Boom to “really encapsulate the fun of the product,” and “because you can’t help but smile when you say Bada Bean Bada Boom.”
The new name stacks in alternating colors over three-fourths of the pouch – making it the first thing that consumers see. A move that Shoretz says is intentional to help consumers better discover the brand. But to help bring loyal fans along, the Enlightened brand name is still in smaller font across the top of the pouch.
To make space for the bigger name, the company shrunk a bean shaped window that covered a large portion of the old package to about the size of a half dollar on the front of the new package. The change allows consumers to still see the product, but gives the company room to communicate important call outs.
For example, most pouches call out the low calorie count – only 100 per serving – in addition to the protein. Shoretz explained that these call-outs were the most important to the company’s consumers – in particular those who shop for high-protein products at stores like Vitamin Shoppe, who might want an alternative to some of the more traditional high protein powders and bars aimed at athletes.
Along the bottom of the pouches, the packages also call out other sought out attributes, such as gluten free, high fiber, no soy, Non-GMO Project Verified and certified vegan.
“We have something for everyone,” Shoretz quipped.
Bright colors help pouches pop on shelf
The company also made the bold move to brightly colored pouches instead of the previous black backgrounds.
“When we launched with the black background we were excited because there were not too many packages in our category that had a black background. But we noticed when it was on shelf, if someone had taken the first few from the shelf then the shelf above would cover the remaining packages below and you wouldn’t even know they were there,” Shoretz said. “I have been in stores standing right in front of it and not seen it and it is my product! So, that is not good.”
Now, with solid red, blue, green, pink and other bold colors “your eyes go straight to the product,” helping them standout from the competition, she said.
The colors also help consumers quickly pick their favorite flavor from the lineup of seven choices, including Sweet Sriracha, Sea Salt, Mesquite BBQ, Garlic & Onion, Cocoa Dusted, Sweet Cinnamon and Spicy Wasabi.
Online is where it is at
With the new look, the company also is looking for new distribution both in retail outlets and online, the latter of which Shoretz says has been a strong sales platform for the brand.
“We recognize that people really want to order their snacks for the month in bulk, and put them in the pantry … and so we are seeing great growth online with minimal investment on our part,” she explained.
The company also plans to launch a few new flavors in the next few years, but will maintain its simple ingredient deck – another trend that is increasingly important to consumers, Shoretz said.
