The Absurdly Effective Story of Sir Kensington’s Condiments
A couple of weeks ago, the San Francisco-based NPR radio station KQED broadcast an interview with Scott Norton and Mark Ramadan, the founders of Sir Kensington’s, a condiment company. The interview was actually an older episode of the How I Built This program, recorded in October 2023, available as a podcast.
The story of this brand, about gourmet ketchup and mayonnaise, contains lessons for other CPG brands, especially small kombucha companies looking to differentiate themselves, perhaps even find investors, grow, and become acquired.
Beginning as a seemingly audacious attempt to challenge Heinz’s dominance in the ketchup market with a fictional aristocratic brand name at a premium price, Sir Kensington’s evolved through experimentation, strategic pivots (most notably into mayonnaise), and a strong focus on brand storytelling and in-person marketing.
Despite the initial challenges of breaking into a mature market, the company found success by differentiating itself through unique branding, packaging, higher quality ingredients, and ultimately by expanding into other condiment categories where it found greater traction. The journey, which started in 2010, culminated in the acquisition of Sir Kensington’s by Unilever in 2017 for $140 million.
The story of Sir Kensington’s offers several valuable lessons for other start-up CPG companies, including kombucha brands. Here are some key takeaways:
Craft a compelling and differentiating brand story
Sir Kensington’s success was driven by its unique, intentionally fictional backstory of an aristocratic inventor. This absurd and intriguing narrative, coupled with distinctive packaging, allowed them to stand out in the traditional ketchup market dominated by Heinz. For new CPG brands, creating a memorable story, even if it bends reality, can be a powerful tool for capturing consumer attention and creating an emotional connection.
The founders built their brand on this fictional “Sir Kensington” story and are not shy about telling it:
Sir Kensington went to Cambridge undergrad, then Oxford for graduate school. And then he, in service of the Queen, transferred to Constantinople, now known as Istanbul. But at the time, he wrote a treatise on Ionian chutneys and other spiced sauces from the region. The condimenteering was his true love. But for practical reasons, he also went into finance and invented reinsurance. He thought, who is insuring the insurance companies? And it turned out, at the time, no one had thought of that before. And so he started insuring insurance companies.
And, of course, from that, he made a fortune, but his true love of condimenteering shone through when he was hosting a salon back in England at his manor house. And at the time, this particular one, he was hosting Catherine the Great of Russia, as well as the Emperor of Japan, who had brought a very special sample of Kobe beef.
Catherine the Great said, “Oh, I’d love to try this with some ketchup! So Kenzie, do you have any ketchup?” And he went into the kitchen to look for ketchup. And he realized the only thing he had had high fructose corn syrup in it, which, of course, you can’t actually serve to a czarist of Russia. And in that moment, he thought, well, let me create my own ketchup. And he took some tomatoes and some organic raw sugar and whipped up right there. So Kensington’s ketchup was for Catherine the Great to try on this Kobe beef. And, of course, she took a bite and loved it.
This invented heritage and character was intended to create an emotional connection and stand out in a commodity-driven market.
Most kombucha companies take their brand name far more seriously. They might, however, take note of founder Mark Ramadan’s observation that “In order to get someone to break a habit, you’ve got to spark some kind of emotion.”
Challenge category norms and seek differentiation beyond taste
While taste is crucial, Sir Kensington’s deliberately sought to be the “exact opposite of Heinz” in terms of packaging (glass jars vs. plastic), usage (scooping vs. squeezing), and brand positioning (European preserve vs. American diner staple). This radical differentiation helped them avoid being perceived as just another copycat.
Start-ups should consider all aspects of their brand and product presentation to carve out a unique space in the market. While kombucha is differentiated by default from other beverages, many features of the fermented tea can be highlighted.
Indeed, founder Scott Norton commented, “It didn’t make sense to us that the only thing that matters to market dominance is the formula of a product. Of course, it’s not. That takes zero account of how people think about brands, how people discover brands, how people shop in grocery stores, how people consume food in restaurants, how people think about pairing different types of brands and foods [or beverages, like kombucha!] with different types of experiences and emotions.”
Heck, these days, you can even have fun playing around with generative AI to brainstorm a brand story.
Embrace unconventional market research
Instead of traditional focus groups, Sir Kensington’s hosted “ketchup tasting parties” for their college peers. This low-cost, engaging approach allowed them to gather early feedback and build a community fan base. New brands can find creative ways to interact with potential consumers and get direct insights into their preferences. Farmers’ markets are a proven way to interact directly with customers.
Be persistent and adapt to market feedback
Initially, Sir Kensington’s was committed to a chunky, highly flavored ketchup in a squat jar. However, as they gained more experience, they reformulated the ketchup to be more palatable and shifted to taller bottles and eventually squeeze bottles as consumer preference indicated. This willingness to adapt their product and packaging based on real-world feedback was essential for growth. Likewise, many kombucha and craft beer companies have rebranded.
Strategically choose distribution channels
Sir Kensington’s initially focused on the specialty channel (e.g., Dean & DeLuca, Williams Sonoma). While this provided early visibility, they later realized that the natural grocery channel (e.g., Whole Foods) aligned better with their goal of becoming an everyday staple for a specific consumer group. Start-ups need to carefully consider which distribution channels best serve their brand positioning and long-term growth objectives.
Innovate marketing with limited resources
Faced with a small budget, Sir Kensington’s executed a highly successful “Museum of French Fries” campaign that generated significant media attention. This demonstrates the power of creative, buzz-worthy marketing initiatives that don’t necessarily require massive financial investment. They also heavily relied on in-store demos to drive trial and those all-important repeat purchases for their habitual products.
Recognize the need for funding and be prepared for multiple rounds
Sir Kensington’s required several rounds of funding from angel investors to scale their business. Start-ups in the CPG space that are intent on pursuing growth should anticipate the need for ongoing capital to support production, distribution, and marketing efforts. Of course, all funding comes at a price, specifically, the dilution of the founders’ share.
Explore opportunities for product line expansion
While initially focused solely on ketchup, the introduction of mayonnaise was a turning point for Sir Kensington’s, significantly boosting sales and establishing them as a broader condiment brand. Expanding into adjacent categories where there’s potential for disruption can be a key growth strategy. There are a number of examples of kombucha companies fermenting a broad range of products.
Understand the nuances of different retail and food service channels
Selling to retailers has different dynamics than selling to restaurants. Retailers often benefit from higher-priced items, while restaurants are highly cost-sensitive, especially for free condiments. A nuanced understanding of each channel is crucial for developing effective sales strategies.
Be aware of the importance of both an “Air Game” and “Ground Game”
Sir Kensington’s recognized the need for both broad awareness (the “air game,” exemplified by the Museum of French Fries) and direct engagement (the “ground game,” through in-store demos) to build their brand. A balanced marketing approach is necessary for CPG success.
Luck plays a role, but hard work and adaptability are essential
The founders acknowledge the role of luck in their journey, including being in the right place at the right time and the circumstances of their acquisition. However, they also emphasize the immense amount of hard work, perseverance, and the ability to capitalize on opportunities that contributed to their success.
Understand the complexities of post-acquisition integration
The experience after being acquired by Unilever highlights the challenges of integrating a small, agile start-up culture with a large, established corporation. Managing expectations, navigating bureaucracy, and fostering communication are critical during this transition. Both Scott and Mark eventually left Unilever to pursue new ventures. Mark became CEO of Hu, another food company that was later acquired.
Indeed, the eventual discontinuation of Sir Kensington’s ketchup by Unilever underscores that even successful brands within a larger portfolio can be subject to strategic decisions based on broader business priorities. Start-ups, even after acquisition, may see their original vision evolve or face unexpected outcomes.
Do or do not – there is no try
Despite “failing” to win in the ketchup world, Mark has no regrets about taking on the market leader Heinz, which many assumed sold the “perfect” ketchup.
No one makes the perfect food. No one makes the perfect soda. No one makes the perfect ketchup. I think any disruption to habit takes a lot of time, takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and a lot of capital. But we ran out of all three. At some point, someone will challenge that monopoly in a way that breaks through. And maybe we were just too early. Maybe we had the right product, but maybe we weren’t the right people. But I firmly believe that change is inevitable.
So, what’s the absurdly effective story you can tell about your brand?
Listen to the full 90-minute podcast interview here.
Disclaimer
The content of this article is accurate to the best of our knowledge and is presented for general informational purposes only. The opinions are those of the editor. Please send questions to ian@boochnews.com. Comments are welcome.
