JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Chef-driven food brands are changing how consumers discover and buy spices, seasonings and other pantry products, according to Spiceology CEO Darby McLean.
McLean joined This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition to discuss how restaurants and professional kitchens can become proving grounds for products that eventually make their way into grocery stores and home kitchens.
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“The first and most obvious reason is the interwebs,” McLean said, pointing to the growth of e-commerce, social media and digital advertising. Those platforms, she said, are giving consumers access to products they may never encounter during a traditional grocery-store trip.
Chefs are also playing a larger role in influencing what people cook at home.
“Chefs are the new rock stars,” McLean said. “Chefs are cool.”
McLean said chefs are increasingly visible on television and social media, helping consumers learn about new foods, flavors and cooking techniques. That influence can help introduce customers to products before they ever see them on a grocery-store shelf.
At Spiceology, McLean said, chefs are part of the company’s culture and product-development process. Chefs work across the business, participate in tasting panels and help identify what consumers may want next.
“Chefs are a great way to kind of test the goods and make sure that they’re exactly what consumers are wanting,” she said.
That testing process is especially important as consumers experiment with global flavors, Asian-inspired fruit combinations and “sweet and spicy” or “swicy” products.
McLean said local restaurants can play a similar role. A chef who uses a distinctive regional ingredient or develops a popular flavor profile may eventually inspire a retail product.
“It’s that farmer’s market ignition that can sometimes create a national product craze,” she said.
Moving a product from a restaurant kitchen to the grocery aisle, however, comes with challenges. McLean said brands must manage supply chains, food safety, distribution, inventory and limited shelf space.
“The grocery store shelves which are crowded with so many choices for consumers are not necessarily the best place for discovery because you can just get lost,” she said.
McLean said brands may benefit from building awareness through food service, e-commerce and a loyal customer base before attempting to expand into mainstream grocery retail.
In the Southeast, she said consumers tend to be willing to experiment with flavor—and often embrace heat. That makes the region a promising market for chef-led brands that combine bold flavor with accessibility.
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Dining and Cooking