Case Study
Crisp helps No Evil Foods go from plant powered to power player
With Crisp’s platform, No Evil Foods revolutionized the way they access store-level distributor data to create solid forecasts that fuel business.
Situation
A bold vision needs accurate intel
No Evil Foods began when Mike and Sadrah, punk-rock music fans and avid DIY-ers, were searching for plant-based meat made with simple ingredients. They decided to try making their own, and when they arrived at the Asheville, NC farmers market with their first batch, it sold out instantly. The products began to sell at local health food stores, then at Whole Foods, and after a hit debut at Expo West, a host of conventional retailers across the country. No Evil Foods’ do-good, plant-based meats are now the second-fastest growing brand in the natural channel.
Committed to sustainable growth in the increasingly crowded plant-based space, No Evil Foods is constantly seeking ways to tighten operations, offset its impact, refine distribution, and innovate on products. Chief Growth Officer Ron Bryant was “mining” syndicated data for insights to drive the business, but found it impossible to get store-level distributor data from clunky vendor portals. As a result, the company was regularly missing their forecast plan. Ron decided to look at Crisp.
Solution
The revolution will be digitized
With Crisp, Ron has dramatically improved sales and operational planning. He overlays store-level distribution by SKU onto velocity numbers to create a forecast that is now 99% accurate, improving production processes and cash flow. This also helped No Evil Foods become the world’s first Plastic Negative Certified plant-based brand: the team uses accurate sales data to purchase plastic credits and efficiently source raw materials for their sustainable packaging.
Ron’s team also uses Crisp insights to maintain and grow distribution. Account Manager Shelby Sinoway monitors store retention to detect dropped accounts, identify their last order date, and follow up with buyers. She explains, “Products can easily get lost on the shelf with hundreds of other brands. Crisp helps us stay top of mind with retailers to maintain stock, and that makes our business.” To execute a product and packaging change, Shelby used historical data in Crisp to find all retail customers who previously ordered the SKU and provide them with the updated UPC code and name. She recalls, “I joined the company a few months ago, and Crisp gives me data to backtrack in time. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have that historical context.” To make the case for new business, the team looks for distribution gaps and monitors regional sales trends, exporting sales by zip code to share with a buyer at a new club retailer.
Revolutionary Results:
• Operational plan with 99% forecast accuracy
• Achieved plastic negative certification
• Updated naming and packaging without losing customers
• Optimized regional product assortments
Favorite Insights:
Store retention:
Monitors new, lost, and at-risk points of distribution
“Products can easily get lost on the shelf with hundreds of other brands. Crisp helps us stay top of mind with retailers to maintain stock, and that makes our business.”
Shelby Sinoway
Account Manager
Always be Data Ready with Crisp
Crisp allows food brands and retailers to stay ahead of rapidly evolving consumer behavior, identify potential supply chain disruptions, track inventory and product performance. It’s easy and quick to get started so you can be Data Ready.