Standing out is as a brand hard. Standing out in a crowded confectionery category? Even harder. 👀
Walk down the healthier snacking aisle and there’s no shortage of brands telling you they’re better for you. Less sugar. Better ingredients. Healthier choices.
But how many of those brands could you actually remember five minutes later?
That’s the challenge Wild Thingz is taking on.
In Episode 27 of Fuelling Foodies, Kate sits down with Fliss Newland, founder of Wild Thingz, to talk about building a challenger confectionery brand in one of the most competitive categories in food & drink.
After years working at Mondelez with some of the biggest names in confectionery, Fliss made the leap from big corporate to building her own brand, taking what was once Veggie Bears, completely rethinking the positioning and relaunching it as Wild Thingz.
You'll hear:
- Why Wild Thingz chose to make “better-for-you” confectionery feel FUN rather than worthy.
- The challenge of designing and marketing a product for two very different audiences: parents and children.
- Why being distinctive and memorable matters in a category dominated by huge brands and even bigger budgets.
- Why getting the biggest retail listing as quickly as possible isn't always the right goal.
- The expensive TikTok Shop lesson, and why what's working for another brand might not be right for yours.
- What's next for Wild Thingz as the brand looks towards bigger retail opportunities, community growth and 2027.
And perhaps the biggest lesson of all... challenger brands don't need to be everywhere.
When you have limited time, budget and resource, every “yes” to one opportunity is a “no” to something else.
The job is knowing your customer, understanding where your brand genuinely has an opportunity and focusing your energy on the things that are actually going to move the needle.
Because in a category as noisy as confectionery, having a better product isn't enough.
People have to remember you.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder building a challenger brand - we love seeing how you're fuelling your growth 🔥
