Made In co-founder Chip Malt reveals how their cookware brand achieved 5x sales growth by leveraging culinary influencers and fostering deep brand loyalty in an otherwise commodity-driven market. This episode offers a blueprint for DTC brands looking to build emotional connections with customers and gain credibility through tastemaker partnerships, even with a small B2B segment.
Key takeaways
Identify 'new athletes' in your niche: Find respected professionals or tastemakers whose endorsement can lend significant credibility and drive organic growth within your target community.
Cultivate emotional connections: Focus on categories with inherent emotional resonance (e.g., food) and build brand narratives that elevate your product beyond mere utility to foster deep customer loyalty.
Strategically blend B2B and DTC efforts: Even a small B2B segment can heavily influence your DTC brand's 'mindshare' and perception, creating a halo effect through professional endorsements.
Leverage key partnerships for disproportionate influence: Deals with celebrity figures or industry leaders, even if not directly driving massive sales, can significantly increase brand awareness and desirability.
Prioritize product excellence as a foundation: Influencer strategies are most effective when backed by high-quality products that genuinely impress and satisfy professionals in the field.
One of the ways direct-to-consumer cookware brand Made In has grown was through its connection with chefs.
“Chefs are the new athlete,” said co-founder and CEO Chip Malt. That idea has been core to Made In’s growth. Malt was the most recent guest on the Modern Retail Podcast -- his interview was recorded live at the Modern Retail Summit, held in Palm Springs last week.
Indeed, Made In -- which first launched in 2017 -- has inked multiple deals with celebrity chefs, including “Top Chef” judge Tom Colicchio and Mozza co-owner Nancy Silverton. Made In sells to restaurants, which make up only 5% of its total sales. But its partnerships with these chefs have helped Made In become a more prominent cookware player. Malt said sales grew 5x in 2020.
The idea behind Made In, he said, was to make a cookware brand that had real brand loyalty. “Food is a very emotional category,” he said, but most people think of recipes or the food itself, rather than the tools they use to make the dishes. “We couldn’t think of anything where people care less about the brand affinity in a space of a product they use so much.”
To try and create that brand affinity, Made In has tapped a deep network of culinary professionals. And, as a happy side effect, the company’s business-to-business sales have grown. For now, they remain a drop in the bucket -- but Malt said that the chef community “makes up way larger than 5% of our mindshare.”
By focusing on those tastemakers, he said, “it’s an organic growth through that community.”
What does this episode say about influencer & creator?
Identify 'new athletes' in your niche: Find respected professionals or tastemakers whose endorsement can lend significant credibility and drive organic growth within your target community.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Cultivate emotional connections: Focus on categories with inherent emotional resonance (e.g., food) and build brand narratives that elevate your product beyond mere utility to foster deep customer loyalty.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Strategically blend B2B and DTC efforts: Even a small B2B segment can heavily influence your DTC brand's 'mindshare' and perception, creating a halo effect through professional endorsements.
What does this episode say about influencer & creator?
Leverage key partnerships for disproportionate influence: Deals with celebrity figures or industry leaders, even if not directly driving massive sales, can significantly increase brand awareness and desirability.
What does this episode say about influencer & creator?
Prioritize product excellence as a foundation: Influencer strategies are most effective when backed by high-quality products that genuinely impress and satisfy professionals in the field.
