At Chef Hak's, Crisp data is the secret sauce

Quality products need quality data
After receiving rave reviews as a finalist on TV’s MasterChef, CEO Sharone Hakman decided it was time to introduce his chef-inspired barbecue sauces to home cooks everywhere. Launching as a family business in 2010, Chef Hak’s has since grown from independent retailers to nationwide distribution in Whole Foods and Sprouts with a line of organic, ethically sourced sauces, dressings and ready-to-cook foods.

As Chef Hak’s grew, evaluating performance at every step was key to the company’s strategy. But Sales & Operations Manager Kosta Vasiliou had to spend two hours a day pulling performance reports directly from retail and distributor portals. He wanted to eliminate this wasted time  and view their data consolidated in one place -- which is when the team decided to get Crisp.

Fresh ingredients that hit the spot
Now, the Chef Hak’s sales team relies on Crisp data to continuously refine their retail strategy. Kosta explains, “For a small team like ours, data plays a critical role in tracking our performance and keeps us honest in measuring our success.” In buyer meetings, the team weaves important data trends like product velocity into messages that highlight overall growth potential. They’re also prepared to provide analysis on lift from recent promotions and share projected margins for retailers from new opportunities. 

In addition to sharing sales wins, Kosta drills into the details using Crisp to find areas for improvement. He first looks for distribution voids or stores that are underperforming, comparing them to lessons learned from winning zip codes. He can then apply those lessons to underperforming locations, and make recommendations to retail partners to drive mutual success. 

Hatching a new product line
The team will continue to use Crisp to evaluate performance as they launch a new ready-to-cook line of pasture-raised, marinated chickens.“You never know how well something is going to do until it goes to market, and Crisp helps us understand this in a very clear and concise way.”