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BRAND SPOTLIGHT

tbh

In this brand breakdown we take a deep dive into tbh

CATEGORY: NUT BUTTER

TBH

📘BRAND OVERVIEW

tbh could be described as the vegan version of Nutella. 

Launched by Noah Schnapp, better known as Will Byers from Stranger Things, in collaboration with Umana Venture Studios, set out to be an honest and sustainable hazelnut spread, where sugar and palm oil aren’t the first two ingredients listed.

🔍LET’S GIVE SOME CONTEXT

  • Celebrity founded: Growing up, Noah Schnapp loved Nutella, but when he realised that the first ingredient listed is sugar and the second is palm oil, the leading cause of deforestation, he made it his mission to create a better product that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating.

  • Co-created: Working with AMANA Venture Studios, tbh was born – a snack that pitches itself as Nutella with better macros.  100% vegan, 3x the protein, 50% less sugar and just as tasty (1000% delicious is according to their packaging infact). There is nothing in there that you can’t pronounce or read.

  • Hero product: The brand is anchored by a single hero SKU.  tbh prioritises showcasing diverse usage cases to build brand credibility before extending its product line

🏢 BEHIND THE SCENES

  • Headquarters: New York
  • Year founded: 2021
  • Employee count: less than 10
  • Investors: Privately held, crowd-funded
  • Purchasing Options: c. 80% D2C

👉 PRODUCT AND AUDIENCE SNAPSHOT

  • Product range: Hazelnut Cocoa Spread

  • Target audience:  Teens, Families

  • Brand positioning: tbh positions itself as a transparent, wholesome, semi-premium brand driven by taste superiority, whilst doing good for your body and the planet.

🧡 THIS GETS US EXCITED

  • Very intentional comparison with Nutella – this means they can be very clear about what they are and what people can expect from them.  At every opportunity, they tell the consumer what they stand for.  The taste you love, without the bad stuff – no palm oil, 50% less sugar than Nutella, and 3x the protein

 

  • Taste is king – Everything is being “healthified”, but where tbh stands out is by comparing themselves with Nutella, meaning they cannot compromise on taste. The competition isn’t replicating what people are used to, people are having to compromise on taste to get the better-for-you benefits. Yet, the motivation to eat Nutella has always been about taste.  

 

  • Brand awareness drive – Clear focus on getting their hero SKU top of mind, rather than racing ahead with innovation and they take a novel approach:. 
    • Collabs – use collabs such as LTO cookies to enter food service and build awareness without the investment needed for innovation. This is clearly a big focus as they have a collab planned for every quarter. 

    • Influencers – Also want to use influencers on the cooking side to explain how tbh can be used as an ingredient – helps to keep top of mind in households.

    • On the street – Connecting with chefs and restaurant (the team will always have jars on them so if they like vibe of place they can give it to the chef to encourage use on their menu)

🤔 POTENTIAL BRAND CHALLENGES

  • Nutella fight back: Whilst there is no sign of it launching any time soon, if Nutella were to launch a healthier and/or more sustainable alternative, it could pose a big challenge for the better-for-you chocolate nut spread challenger brands.

 

  • Changing habits: The tbh team remains focused on changing habits of a lifetime.  Their key challenge is to encourage people to change habits and be convinced to switch. Having a celebrity founder is helping; teens are asking their parents to buy tbh and so it is gradually finding its way into the pantry.

  • Raw material cost: They use more hazelnuts.  The first listed ingredient is hazelnuts and that is a big selling point.  However, it could pose a challenge as the prices of nuts can fluctuate considerably and tbh would be hit harder.

🏁SOME OF THEIR COMPETITION

While tbh cleverly positions itself as the healthier Nutella alternative, several other brands are also vying for a slice of the nut butter market:

 
 

🛒 WHERE TO FIND THEM

  •  DTC – 80% D2C

WHAT NEXT?

🧢  MEET THEIR TEAM

All data is correct at time of writing. 

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