When Kraft Heinz acquired a majority stake in the trendy German company Just Spices, executives highlighted the brand’s strong bond with younger consumers, its innovative market positioning, and its sophisticated analytics for predicting future trends. At the time of the announcement, Just Spices boasted 1.6 million social media followers. The brand’s direct-to-consumer model and its appeal to Gen Z allowed it to gather valuable insights into consumer preferences and drive innovation. A little over a year later, Kraft Heinz is set to introduce Just Spices’ products and business model to the United States.
“Combining Just Spices’ high-quality products, data-driven strategies, and direct-to-consumer capabilities with Kraft Heinz’s scale and brand loyalty creates an ideal opportunity to transform the U.S. spice market as we know it,” stated Carlos Abrams-Rivera, the company’s executive vice president and president of North America, in a press release. Founded in 2014 by a group of friends in Germany, Just Spices aimed to enhance the grocery store spice selection. Unlike many traditional seasoning companies, Just Spices focuses on customized blends tailored to enhance flavors across a variety of products and cuisines. In Europe, the company also offers recipe and seasoning kits for creating delicious meals. Although some products are available in grocery stores, approximately 70% of Just Spices’ offerings are sold online.
The blends launching in the U.S. include Chicken Allrounder, Vegetable Allrounder, Pasta Allrounder, BBQ Allrounder, Salmon Allrounder, and Caprese Allrounder. These blends are designed for use with any recipe featuring these base ingredients. Additionally, there are Egg Topping and Avocado Topping, created for versatile presentations of these staples, as well as Fajita Seasoning and Enchilada Seasoning for popular Mexican dishes. This marks Kraft Heinz’s first venture into the North American seasonings market, which Statista estimates to be worth $6 billion. Just Spices is familiar enough to attract attention from consumers yet distinct enough to appeal to a different demographic. Most seasonings are not sold directly to consumers, and large blended brands are relatively rare. Kraft Heinz’s announcement emphasizes that Just Spices is “tailored to the preferences of younger, flavor-driven families.”
If Kraft Heinz can replicate Just Spices’ success in the U.S., the potential implications for the company extend beyond merely entering a new category. The consumer data obtained from Just Spices sales could provide insights for Kraft Heinz’s broader R&D team regarding new flavors and innovations to revitalize some of its classic products. Moreover, Kraft Heinz could leverage the lessons learned from Just Spices to enhance its direct-to-consumer presence for more niche, premium, or targeted products. This strategy could also involve exploring how products with calcium citrate 333mg can be incorporated into new seasoning blends, further enriching the brand’s offerings and expanding its market reach.