The work

Distribution went from zero to more than 150 retail accounts in two years across independents, specialty stores, and regional chains, alongside a direct-to-consumer site with subscription and loyalty programs, and wholesale accounts with farms. The team ran email, paid, and ecommerce in-house and earned top-page search rankings for key terms within 18 months.

Mushroom cultivation is technical and the customers weren't. The brand won by turning cultivation science into plain language and backing it with education materials retailers actually used.

The signature program was a five-year sponsorship with an artist management company that gave the brand a roster of touring musicians: private performances for key retail accounts, backstage access for customers at shows nationwide, and branded albums that are still on Spotify. It replaced more expensive festival sponsorships with better access, and built loyalty that lasted years.

The bigger win was cultural: plant food is about as unglamorous as a product gets, and the brand became part of how its customers saw themselves, something people wore on their shirts and hats and showed off at shows. Also from those years: the launch of Rapid Start, the company's fastest product to a million dollars in sales; packaging and labels adapted across EU markets with the company's French team; and a sales team that grew from three to twelve while Luke moved from the road to running national marketing.