How Glen Powell’s Smash Kitchen became a smash hit at Walmart

Lots of food and beverage brands are helmed by celebrities. But these days, even those with star power like Lionel Messi behind them haven’t been able to find their footing.

When pantry brand Smash Kitchen, co-founded by actor Glen Powell, debuted last April, it garnered media fanfare thanks to its celebrity affiliation. However, with sales on track to hit $100 million this year, it’s since proven itself to be a smash hit.

Smash Kitchen started with condiments, offering organic versions of classics like ketchup, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce, priced from $2.17 to $4.97, with a goal of rethinking American pantry staples with cleaner ingredients. Powell co-founded the brand with Jinx pet food co-founder and former Casper exec Sameer Mehta, who serves as CEO, and president Sean Kane, co-founder of The Honest Company.

Unlike many better-for-you startups or celebrity brands that eye Whole Foods or Target as launchpads, Smash Kitchen launched exclusively at Walmart nationwide, with the brand and the retailer recognizing there weren’t pantry options for consumers that were “turning not only consumers to changing their habits, but bringing people into the stores,” Powell told Retail Brew.

“And Smash has done both of those things,” he said.

Main squeeze: Since its launch, Smash Kitchen has not only delivered strong retail sales, but it’s also brought in new, younger consumers to the superstore, according to data from Walmart. About 26% of Smash Kitchen’s condiment sales and 36% of its cooking oil sales are being made by shoppers who weren’t previously Walmart customers, the brand said. Of these new shoppers, 40% are Gen Z and millennials. And while the product line is available online—Powell’s nearly 3 million Instagram followers have helped drum up excitement for the brand—68% are buying the products in stores.

Melody Richard, SVP of Pantry at Walmart US, said in emailed comments to Retail Brew that the brand aligns with the retailer’s focus on “style and trend across the store and attracting new, younger customers.”

“At Walmart, we’re always looking for emerging brands that bring fresh ideas, great quality, and real relevance to customers’ lives,” she said. “We found an opportunity to co-create with Smash Kitchen to meet the growing demand for better-for-you pantry choices—such as organic ingredients, fewer calories, and great taste—without asking families to pay more for the quality and value they expect.”

Walmart continues to gain ground within grocery, with its penetration hitting a high of 72% earlier this year, according to Dunnhumby, as its price-conscious positioning challenges traditional supermarkets. And grocery shoppers across the board are more educated and looking for simple ingredient decks.

“That’s why you go with Walmart. That’s why you start there,” Powell said, noting that Walmart consumers weren’t necessarily looking for better-for-you or organic options. “That’s sort of the battleground.”

It also has stiff competition, on shelf alongside brands from giants like Kraft Heinz, which itself has been struggling to sustain volume-led growth. Mehta said they never wanted Smash Kitchen to be a premium brand, with Powell noting low pricing means “no consumer has to compromise on returning to that aisle.”

At Walmart, Smash Kitchen’s organic ketchup is priced at $2.98 for a 15-oz. bottle, below Heinz ketchup’s $3.28 for a 14-oz. bottle. Its 11.5-oz. squeeze bottle of mayonnaise is priced 25 cents more than the same size of Hellmann’s.

“A lot of these legacy brands could have survived on a lack of information or maybe a lack of interest and now I think people are genuinely interested,” Powell said. “It’s ripe for disruption.”

Snack to business: The company has grown rapidly on the back of this success. In May, it debuted at Target, and it’s also now sold at chains like Sprouts, Erewhon, and H-E-B. At Sprouts, it’s become the No. 1 ketchup and mustard brand over the last six to eight months, Mehta said. It has also made a push into foodservice, served on board American Airlines flights and clubs and suites at the San Francisco 49ers’s Levi’s Stadium.

It’s also expanded to a number of new pantry categories, including tortilla and potato chips, popcorn, bread crumbs, salad dressings, dessert sauces, and pasta, pizza, and taco sauces.

“It’s been an aggressive strategy, but it’s really paying off in an amazing way because when you see the Smash label, you know you can trust it,” Powell said.