CEO Brad Charron is a big believer in the plant-based category. It’s easy to see why. The plant-based brand he oversees, Aloha, is expected to reach $100 million in sales this year and achieved nearly 500% growth between 2020 and 2023.
The protein-bar maker boasts more than 14,000 points of distribution in retail stores. It’s also number one in its category on Amazon.
In short, the financial prospects of the healthier-for-you brand are as healthy as ever.
“I’m bullish on plant-based. I don’t think it needs to be done in a very expensive or complicated way,” Charron told The Food Institute. “If we can do it at Aloha through our method, I believe it’s possible.”
“In our categories – protein bars, drinks, and powders – the consumer is interested.”
Consumers have gravitated toward Aloha protein bars in part because of the 11-year-old company’s real ingredients, such as chicory root.
“I think there’s a lot of benefits to being plant-based, nutritionally, (and) having real food ingredients,” Charron said. “I’m very bullish on plant-based because I know that your body can process it really well.”
“I mean, athletes have been using plant-based diets for a long time.”
At its core, Aloha focuses on being a “better food company” that provides consumers with fuel for their day – 14 grams of protein per bar.
Consumers, Charron said, are savvier than ever about how food and beverages can impact sleep, mental wellness, and overall health.
“People are just so much more evolved than we were even 30 or 40 years ago,” the CEO said. “Why should our food be any different?”
Aloha prides itself on producing protein bars with ingredient lists that hit on several consumer demands in an era of increasing health consciousness. The brand’s products tend to be:
- Organic
- Non-GMO
- Certified vegan
- Gluten-free
How Aloha Ascended
Aloha earned Whole Foods’ supplier of the year honor last year – no small accomplishment for an independently-owned protein bar company with just 23 employees. How was that feat achieved?
“We’re employee owned. We’re not owned by anyone,” Charron explained, “and that provides us the freedom to do things without shortcuts and without compromises.
“I don’t have to go and be beholden to financial stakeholders.”
Aloha’s “secret sauce” isn’t that simple, though. Charron calls it “a multi-variable equation.”
“The number one thing you learn about in the food business is that just the ingredients themselves aren’t the story. It’s the recipe,” the CEO said. “But you can’t have a great recipe without solid, thoughtful ingredients.
“We don’t outsource a product design or to some amorphous agency that focuses on it in labs and bunkers,” Charron added. “I don’t believe in sugar alcohols or stevia, and I don’t believe in using artificial things in our product. The moment you start settling on your product it’s a recipe for disaster in such a crowded category.”
Other keys to Aloha’s success, according to the brand’s leader:
- Using digital tools to find the right audience, with the right message, at the right time
- Producing protein bars that solve a perceived problem for consumers
- Being present where consumers shop most
The CEO’s Top Philosophy
Charron is confident there are no vulnerabilities in his better-for-you protein bar brand.
“We have very high repeat rates with shoppers,” he noted. “I’m really proud to put a product in place that’s accessibly priced and democratized.
“Aloha isn’t the most expensive on the shelf, and it certainly isn’t the cheapest. Because … real food costs more than crap.”
The former Chobani marketing executive wants Aloha to be perceived to be “a bit more premium,” to signify the quality and care put into each of the organic, plant-based brand’s products. Ultimately, Aloha aims to offer healthier and somewhat indulgent products that resonate with the modern consumer.
“I’m trying to create something,” Charron said, “so the consumer experience is awesome from the first moment, the second moment, the third moment, and into the infinite future – because that’s what creates loyalty.”
The Food Institute Podcast
U.S. grocery retailers are facing regulatory scrutiny on pricing, ever-increasing shrink and a financially stretched consumer, but how can they adapt to these new market pressures? Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the Kroger-Albertsons merger, the rise of private label, and more.
