6 • URNER BARRY'S REPORTER / VOL. 18, NO. 4 / FALL 2023
A chat with Jordan Jedeikin from FoodStory Brands…
FoodStory Brands
adding color to the
'whitespace' of food
In the case of the "Yellowstone" products, Jedeikin cited the idea
of "cowboy cuisine," of John Dutton, the lead character portrayed
by Kevin Costner, sitting at a table with his family eating a meal.
"The idea of the cowboy lifestyle that people want to aspire to,
whether it's through apparel or merchandise or in our case, it's
consumers thinking about coffee, meat snacks, smoking meats and
breakfast sausages," Jedeikin added.
"We believe that consumers are really, eagerly looking forward
to trying new foods and flavors," Jedeikin explained. "We can
bring products to life that give consumers another touchpoint
with a brand."
The same opportunity was found through the brand's other
collaborations, including the "Jurassic World" chicken nuggets,
for example. Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets have been on
children's dinner plates for generations. It's nothing new. However,
FoodStory was able to bring what it described as the "authority
dinosaur brand" into the fold and innovating a product that has
been a freezer staple for decades.
FoodStory's "Hot Ones" is another case of finding the "white
space" and having consumers land another touchpoint with a
highly popular brand. For those that may not be familiar, "Hot
Ones" is a YouTube show where celebrities answer questions while
eating progressively spicier chicken wings (it's worth watching for
the viral clips alone).
Jedeikin said that "Hot Ones" was a perfect brand to tell the story
of flavor and spice innovation. The firm noted the spicy chicken
trend, and with it the never-ending chicken sandwich war. Plus, the
digital community surrounding the show and the interest they have
in spice and new flavor profiles.
Although the story is an important part of getting consumers
attention, it is the product quality that will bring them back.
"Our suppliers we align with bring
world-class credibility and exceptional
quality," said Jedeikin. "We can
talk about innovation but at the
end of the day, [our product] has
to have exceptional
levels of quality."
Fans of the hit television show "Yellowstone" can transport right
onto the Dutton Ranch when they sit down for a meal, or make
an early cup of coffee, thanks to a recent partnership between
FoodStory Brands and Paramount Consumer Products. Shoppers
can find branded breakfast meats, meat snacks, chili, coffee and
other eats at grocers across the U.S.
For Phoenix-based FoodStory Brands, the partnership is just the
latest food story the firm has developed. Jordan Jedeikin, Senior
Vice President of Business Development, described FoodStory
Brands as an incubator for innovation and food. The company
specializes in developing national brands and then creating new
products via licensing.
FoodStory Brands also features its own Fresh Cravings line of
salsas and other dips, as well as plenty of other products featuring
some of the most well-known franchises on the planet, including
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Jurassic World" and hit YouTube
show "Hot Ones."
Jedeikin explained that a large part of his role is finding what he
described as "white space" in the food sector.
"We get really excited about finding opportunities for white
space, to fulfill any unmet customer needs," Jedeikin said. "We
ask ourselves, what is not there on the
shelves of food today that deserves
to be, and what brands are not
on the shelves."
Much of the credit goes to the
company's data insights team that has
guided FoodStory's work through flavor
profile trends, brand relevancy and what
consumers are leaning into.
Product images provided
by FoodStory Brands