“Whole Foods came to us in 2019, and we kindly said no. Then, they came back again in 2021 — we said no again. And the reason for that was we really wanted to be ready and do it from a place of abundance rather than scarcity. And so, we finally ended up saying yes,” she elaborated.
Moving beyond DTC and onto Whole Foods shelves
Launched in 2018, Brightland offers a line of olive oil, vinegar, honey and Pizza Oil — a blend of California olives, cayenne pepper, jalapeño, basil, garlic and rosemary and designed to be drizzled on pizza.
On Aug. 1, Brightland launched its portfolio into more than 125 Whole Foods stores — located primarily in the Northeast, California and Arizona — and the brand also partnered with Californian Neapolitan-style pizzeria Bettina and New York-based Apollo Bagels on product collaboration with its Pizza Oil.
Historically, Brightland’s “bread and butter has been direct to consumer,” Amazon and some specialty retailers, like Nordstrom and Crate & Barrel, Iyer noted.
Startup tip: Scaling too fast ‘comes at a cost’
Iyer took a page out of successful and enduring food and beverage brands in growing Brightland’s retail distribution slowly and methodically as opposed to rushing into as many retail stores as possible. By doing this, the brand ensured it had the right margins and velocities to maintain its growth for the long term, she noted.
“It is one thing to get on shelf — the yes is easy to say. It is another thing to stay and thrive on shelf ... and have your business survive too, behind that. And I think that so many of us do not operate as if time is on our side. There is this notion and sexiness around blitzscaling,” Iyer said. “Everyone is rewarded for national launches and 5,000 doors in a year and all of that, but that comes at a cost. And I think that it is important to understand what that cost is mentally, emotionally, psychologically and for the business itself.”
She added, “Some of the best businesses have been built — rather than trying to throw bricks on top of each other as fast as possible — brick by brick in a more thoughtful and strategic way, and so that has been our approach.”
Food and beverage startups entering a major retailer typically have to pay slotting fees — a payment required for shelf space — and maintain a certain sales velocity, which often is maintained through discounts and promotions. These costs can quickly add up for a startup and can make expanding into retail a tricky proposition.
Brightland uses ‘design as a Trojan horse’ to gain consumers’ attention
Brightland is distinguishing itself among the once sleepy olive oil category — alongside other brands like Graza — by focusing on quality and supporting the full supply chain, Iyer said.
“Olive oil at the end of the day is a product of agriculture. It is very hard for it to be priced at bottom-of-the-barrel. ... But when I go to Whole Foods and see some super trendy newish brands that are on sale for $10, it makes me wonder who is not getting [what they want]. Is it the farmer who is not getting paid equitably? Is what is in the bottle not right? ... Fundamentally, that math does not really work,” Iyer said.
To convey quality, Brightland is “using design as a Trojan horse” to interest consumers in a premium olive oil, Iyer said. Brightland olive oils are contained in a glass bottle with a modern design and “farmer’s market colors” like squash and blueberry for its branding, she added.
“We cannot hit people over the head and scream at them that this is phenomenal, California-based olive oil that is inherently pricier than some bulk [olive oil] you can get abroad. So, how do we explain that and articulate that? For us, design was a language that we decided to use,” Iyer said.
