eCommerce Evolution | 320: From Farm to Top 1% Shopify Store: How Fresh Chili Company Built a Multi-Million Brand Through Authentic Storytelling
When most brands struggle to break through the noise online, Chris Lang and Fresh Chili Company cracked the code by doing something radically different: they started with story, not sales. In this episode, discover how a small New Mexico chili company became a top 1% Shopify store with explosive 85% year-over-year growth, a 4.96% conversion rate, and 3.74% ROAS—all while building an engaged community that devours their content faster than NBA games get views.
Chris reveals the exact strategies behind their meteoric rise, from leveraging organic social as a testing ground for paid ads to creating “addictive” content that turns customers into brand evangelists. This isn’t another generic growth story—it’s a masterclass in building authentic connections that drive real business results.
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Sponsored by OMG Commerce – go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!
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Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction to Fresh Chile Company
(02:30) History of The Chili Capital of the World
(07:03) Keys to Success: Storytelling & Community
(11:20) Balancing Organic and Paid Strategies
(16:57) Creative Content & Testing Philosophy
(21:47) Building a Brand Story
(24:22) Search Visibility
(27:46) SEO Strategies & Content Plans
(34:20) How Fresh Chile Builds Community
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Connect With Brett:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce
- Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/
Relevant Links:
- Chris’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislangsocial/
- Fresh Chile Website: https://freshchileco.com/
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Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D’Allessandro, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more
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One of the number one things people do,
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especially inspired how we
just pour chili on burgers.
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People just started kind of tagging
us and in and out and Whataburger and
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McDonald’s or Wendy’s we’re like, Hey,
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let’s just get this a contest for
people and get the winner 10,000.
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Well, hello and welcome to another edition
of the E-Commerce Evolution podcast.
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I’m your host, Brett
Curry, CEO of OMG Commerce,
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and today we are going to unpack
a phenomenal success story,
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a top 1% Shopify store,
one of the coolest brands,
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one of the tastiest
brands you’ll encounter.
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We’re going to be looking at
the remarkable success of Fresh
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Chili Company.
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I’ve got Chris Lang on the
show today of Fresh Chili
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Company.
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He also is involved in email marketing
and helps run an organic social agency.
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And we met through Ezra Firestone’s Blue
Ribbon Mastermind and just overall a
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really cool and really smart dude.
And so with that, welcome to the show,
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Chris Lang. And how’s it going man?
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Good man. Yeah, thank you for having me.
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Actually drove up to the mountains today.
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We’re going to go get on a lake and
some paddleboards in a little bit after
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this. Amazing. I had my son.
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What lake? And tell the folks where
you are so everyone can be jealous.
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Yeah, it’s New Mexico is
where we’re at. So Hatch,
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New Mexico is the chili capital of the
world and just think Napa is the wine.
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And so we live in Las Cruces. So
you travel through the desert,
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you travel through White Sands,
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and then you end up in
these mountains and Ruidoso.
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And the name of the lake is Grindstone
Lake and it’s just a good place.
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The paddleboard fish kind
of enjoy the cooler weather.
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It’s already creeped up in the nineties,
so it’s in the seventies right now.
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So we’re just going to try to
take advantage of that today.
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Go enjoy some cool weather. Yeah,
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my stepbrother actually just
vacationed in New Mexico.
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It’s like the second or third year
is done and he said it’s phenomenal.
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We live in Missouri and so I’ll have
to get out there and check it out.
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Now I am a huge hot Sauce fan, chili fan,
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spicy fan.
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Not like the so spicy that you have to
wear gloves or that you pass out or faint
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as a hotness or anything like that,
but I love a little kick. Right.
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So what makes Hatch New Mexico
the chili capital of the
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world? Why is that?
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Yes, I mean that’s a great question.
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So what I love to tell people
is that New Mexico is the untold
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story of America history.
Growing up in America,
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you have a very much a
east coast education level
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of America,
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and a lot of it’s actually here
in New Mexico you had kind of
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the Spanish missionaries
coming up through Mexico and to
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New Mexico. And so the oldest
wine region is in America,
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is.
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There in New Mexico. What
part of New Mexico is that?
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Yeah, so actually the southern
part of New Mexico in 1629.
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Interesting.
The Spanish fry is planted,
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the first grape and the name of
that grape is called Mission.
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So that’s the name of the grape
and it’s just been a fertile
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hotbed for agriculture.
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And so everything from grapes to Lechuga,
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that’s lettuce and Spanish pecans,
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chili cotton.
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So it’s actually the
number one producer of cons
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in the world, our area.
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It’s also the number one or
one of the top two to three
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producer of onions in America.
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It actually produces more onions
than chili actually. And so
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when you think of kind the Mexican
plate and fajitas, you got onions,
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you got peppers, you kind of got it all.
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I mean obviously the oldest cattle drive
existed through New Mexico as well.
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So kind of just a really
great history. History.
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And the Rio Grande that flows
from Texas up into Colorado
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is really kind of the base line
for agriculture in a lot of ways
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throughout history. And so all the
farmlands kind of hug up against the
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riverbed. And the Chile
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was kind of grown by
native Peblo early on and
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then it was adopted by
other kind of farmers.
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And the farmer that we work with now,
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his family’s been doing
it for six generations.
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They came from Italy and into
the area and six generation is
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strong. And it’s just something that,
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I’ll tell you what it
is, it’s addicting. Okay.
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I’m just going to be totally honest
with you. Okay. What is the secret?
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There is something about it that
it’s almost like the crack cocaine,
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and I’m not even joking.
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It’s one of those things that
the official smell of New Mexico
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is the smell of roasted green
chili. That is the official smell.
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I think we’re the only state in America
to have an official smell because it’s
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intoxicating that cap. And
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then the flavor of it
is that you kind of have
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this kind of thick,
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meaty chili pod and then the flavor of it,
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especially when it’s flame roasted,
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it’s like nothing that
anyone has experienced.
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And so the way that Italians
kind of brought tomatoes into a
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Western cuisine,
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I really feel like that’s where we’re at
with American cuisine over the next 20,
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30 years as Hispanics are the number one.
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And I think American taste palettes
are getting a little spicier.
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That’s where they want the flavor.
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And so it actually is
closer to, it’s a fruit,
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it’s closer to a tomato
than most people realize,
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but it’s just think of it as
a more flavorful, spicier.
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Type of tomato. Man.
Sounds absolutely magical.
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I can’t wait to visit some of those
places and see the farm in person.
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But leading up to this,
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of course you hooked me up
and got to order some product.
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From.
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Fresh Chili Company and I’ve been cooking
on a Blackstone for quite some time
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now. Love to cook. Yes, and love
making different types of burritos.
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I love a Cali, be a
California style burrito.
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And so with the fresh tortillas that
you cook on the griddle and then carne
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sada and sometimes fries,
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and then having the hatch
green chilies. Oh my goodness.
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I know that may not be
traditional Cali be, but come on.
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It was awesome. So a few other people
in my family extended family are into
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spice and they were raving about
Hatch green chilies from fresh chili
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company. And so really good stuff, man.
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Kudos to you for creating an amazing
product and telling an amazing story.
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And as people are listening
to this, they’re like, dang,
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this guy tells a good story.
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And so we’re going to get into
storytelling here and how you do that.
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I know you’re all about storytelling,
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community building strategy
to grow great brand.
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And so we’re going to
unpack that as we go,
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but I want to share a couple of stats
about Fresh Chili Company because I think
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this will blow people away.
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It’s top 1% Shopify
over the last 365 years.
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You’re up 58% roas,
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3.74% mer 27% website conversion rate
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4.96%, so pushing 5% on conversion rate,
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which is insane year to
date though so far you’re up
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85%. So the growth rate is
accelerating, which is phenomenal.
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And listen, it’s a great, great
product as we’ve discussed,
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but you’re clearly doing
a lot of things well.
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So can you unpack that
a little bit for us?
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What have been the keys to this
meteoric rise aside from just
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a killer product?
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Yes,
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it’s really about the story and I’ll go
into why and not really just have a cop
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out answer, right? Because
as I kind of told you,
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Chile is a way of life in New
Mexico and throughout the southwest,
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so west Texas through southern California
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and for all the transplants that
moved to Florida from those places.
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And so my partner who
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he and his wife were
cooking this recipe in
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their home for his real estate clients,
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and this was his dad’s recipe again, it
was passed down from another generation.
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And so they were making this
product out of their home,
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an entrepreneur and had
some success in some other
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industries locally here. And they
reached out to me and was like, Hey,
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we’d like to sell this online. We think
we got something here. And funny enough,
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my wife had actually just bought
a jar around that holiday season
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or found a jar somehow and I tasted it.
And so
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Hatch
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has really done a good job
of branding itself for chili,
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but I saw an opportunity that everyone
was focused on retail and there really
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wasn’t a lot of competition online.
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And I just saw it as an opportunity
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to really tell, not just my partner
story, obviously that’s the foundation,
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but I was like with this
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opportunity of what does
Hash Green Chili do?
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It brings family and friends together
over their favorite recipes around the
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dinner table. It was
bringing people together.
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And so how did I make it the
customer kind of the hero
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kind of really their story too.
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And I would say one of the biggest things
we did is we had a Facebook group and
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it just wasn’t just hash chili everything.
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Obviously we could have grown
that really a lot faster,
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but we kept it around
fresh chili products,
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specifically kind of kept it private,
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a little more exclusive. And then
we started selecting weekly winners,
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recipe of the week winners,
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and then we turned those weekly recipe
of the week when’s into a cookbook.
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And all of a sudden those people have
something tangible to show their family
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and friends, Hey, check out
my recipe, check out my story.
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That is aligned also with the
Fresh Chili story. And so for me,
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that’s probably been the biggest thing
that we’ve done is we’ve really just kind
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of, how do we bring people
together over their favorite meals?
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It’s amazing. It’s amazing. And
that’s really what it’s about. I mean,
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that’s the magic of food.
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We eat food obviously because enjoyable
and we have to have it to survive.
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But the magic of food is the gathering,
right? And the sharing and the, Hey,
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I want you to taste this recipe and I
want you to try these fresh chilies with a
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chip or with the burrito or whatever.
And it’s a magical experience.
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And so you saw an
opportunity to sell online,
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and I think we’ve all had this experience.
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We walked down the aisle
at the local grocery store,
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and even if we’re at a place,
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maybe it’s in the local section or
we’re at a local health food store or
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something and we’ll see
some salsa or some chilies,
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but you don’t know the story.
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You don’t really know what’s behind
this and is it good or is it not good?
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I say, this show is 12 bucks, this
one, six bucks. What’s the difference?
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I don’t know. And so you leaned
into a channel that was leveraged,
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told a great story, and
now it’s really grown.
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And so I know the cool thing about what
you guys are doing is you’re doing a lot
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with organic storytelling, correct?
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You’re also leaning heavily into paid
as every good Shopify brand is to
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a certain degree.
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And so can you talk about the
balance there of organic to
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paid? And again, I know that all
kind of ties back to storytelling.
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Yeah, I mean, I’ve been buying
meta ads since 2011 I think
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in some way or shape or fashion. And I
actually don’t do this for anyone else.
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To me it’s a very,
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I feel like every season of meta,
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I mean I feel like 20 19, 20 20 21,
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I feel like every year it’s
like every season of Meta.
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I like that every season of.
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00:12:38,240 –> 00:12:40,120
Meta, a lot of distinct seasons.
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00:12:41,660 –> 00:12:46,510
And I remember even last year, January,
February, where it was just like, man,
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what is going on here?
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00:12:48,730 –> 00:12:53,440
And so that’s where the foundation of the
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00:12:53,440 –> 00:12:54,310
cooking group,
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00:12:54,790 –> 00:12:59,530
organic social has really kind
of I would say helped carry us
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through really hard times, especially
when you marry it with retention,
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00:13:04,120 –> 00:13:06,250
with some really solid
retention strategies.
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00:13:06,250 –> 00:13:10,360
Because I know when meta
is sort of volatile,
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I can lean on my community and I
can lean my retention strategies to
218
00:13:16,690 –> 00:13:18,100
kind of carry the brand through.
219
00:13:18,640 –> 00:13:21,400
Obviously if you’ve got some product
drops and those kinds of things,
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that helps. But the thing
that I really do now,
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I really marry the two
strategies together.
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00:13:28,480 –> 00:13:32,530
So I actually do a lot of testing
of boosting organic posts,
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and I’m looking for buy
signals and how many
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likes, how many comments, how
many shares, how many engagements.
225
00:13:42,130 –> 00:13:46,810
And I’ve constantly just kind
of always thought of them
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as a unified platform, whereas
everyone treats them very separately,
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00:13:55,060 –> 00:13:57,490
paid is doing paid and
organic, is doing organic,
228
00:13:57,490 –> 00:13:58,900
and they don’t really talk to each other.
229
00:13:59,320 –> 00:14:01,780
But I don’t really believe
in that philosophy.
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I believe that once you have
a good strategy for both,
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then it really sets you
up for success. Again,
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we’re going, I think we completed our
sixth year. This will be our seventh year.
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And it’s because we have kind of both
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really educating people top of funnel,
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00:14:23,650 –> 00:14:28,330
but also testing creative that if it’s
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working well,
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00:14:29,110 –> 00:14:34,030
we’ll throw the a SE campaign and sort
of let it run its lifecycle as a winner.
238
00:14:37,000 –> 00:14:39,550
That’s a great man. And so just
to unpack that a little bit,
239
00:14:39,550 –> 00:14:42,940
so you’re making organic post
storytelling post, maybe it’s a recipe,
240
00:14:42,940 –> 00:14:47,770
maybe it’s telling what the founder
is up to cooking or making things.
241
00:14:47,920 –> 00:14:48,340
Exactly.
242
00:14:48,340 –> 00:14:51,710
So you create an organic post, you
boost it, just plain old, boost it,
243
00:14:51,770 –> 00:14:55,460
see how it performs, and
then if it performs well,
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you’ll turn that into an A SE ad.
245
00:14:57,860 –> 00:14:59,270
Exactly. Exactly.
246
00:14:59,570 –> 00:15:00,590
Nice, nice.
247
00:15:00,590 –> 00:15:05,100
Are you finding that a lot of your
winning ads are coming from that
248
00:15:05,210 –> 00:15:10,190
pool of ads or do a lot of your
winners come from ads you created
249
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with the intention of it being an ad?
250
00:15:11,840 –> 00:15:14,240
No, I mean, if you look
at our A SC library,
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it’s going to be mostly live videos
from the farm or videos that.
252
00:15:17,580 –> 00:15:17,960
We.
253
00:15:17,960 –> 00:15:21,560
Do. People really liked authenticity,
254
00:15:22,520 –> 00:15:27,470
and I know some brands struggle with it.
255
00:15:28,970 –> 00:15:31,790
Well, it’s because you’re a food category.
256
00:15:32,570 –> 00:15:35,480
How many other foods are out there
too competing for the same thing?
257
00:15:35,870 –> 00:15:38,750
I just don’t believe that.
258
00:15:39,260 –> 00:15:44,240
I know that we as founders are
showing up every day and every week
259
00:15:44,240 –> 00:15:47,930
for our customers, and I think
our customers see that. And
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00:15:49,490 –> 00:15:54,080
a lot of people treat metal. I
kind of like it to a casino now,
261
00:15:54,500 –> 00:15:56,420
and it almost feels like
a money slot machine.
262
00:15:56,540 –> 00:16:01,160
And if you just want to go in and put in
a quarter and try to get 50 cents back,
263
00:16:01,160 –> 00:16:04,160
I mean you’re just playing the wrong game.
264
00:16:05,870 –> 00:16:07,190
You really got to tell a story.
265
00:16:08,630 –> 00:16:09,800
Yeah, totally agree. I mean,
266
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if you look at what has good marketing
been from the beginning of time,
267
00:16:14,030 –> 00:16:15,020
it’s good storytelling.
268
00:16:15,020 –> 00:16:19,820
It’s storytelling to the right
audience in the right way with a clear
269
00:16:19,820 –> 00:16:22,490
offer attached to it.
And that’s really it.
270
00:16:22,490 –> 00:16:26,030
And I’m a firm believer that every brand
is in the business of whatever they
271
00:16:26,030 –> 00:16:28,160
sell,
Plus they’re a media company.
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00:16:28,340 –> 00:16:32,210
They’re in the business of getting and
keeping attention and then moving people
273
00:16:32,210 –> 00:16:32,990
to take action.
274
00:16:32,990 –> 00:16:37,520
And so that really begins with a good
story and the ability to tell great
275
00:16:37,520 –> 00:16:40,880
stories. And so let’s
unpack that a little bit.
276
00:16:40,880 –> 00:16:44,030
So you say some of your
best content is on the farm,
277
00:16:44,090 –> 00:16:45,950
showing people where
the chilies are grown.
278
00:16:46,370 –> 00:16:49,310
Is it a combination of that
plus seeing the product?
279
00:16:49,400 –> 00:16:52,520
I saw a post just recently and
it was like a taco or something,
280
00:16:52,520 –> 00:16:54,830
dipping it in the chili sauce.
I was like, oh my goodness,
281
00:16:54,830 –> 00:16:55,700
I’m so hungry right now.
282
00:16:57,020 –> 00:17:01,970
But talk about what does the creative
mix look like, what’s working,
283
00:17:02,360 –> 00:17:05,720
and then maybe unpack a little bit
of your creative testing philosophy.
284
00:17:06,230 –> 00:17:09,680
Yeah, I’ll kind of start
from the back there.
285
00:17:09,680 –> 00:17:14,630
So I have a philosophy on meta
where I’m posting up to seven
286
00:17:14,630 –> 00:17:18,830
times a day on Facebook and people
are like, well, that’s too much.
287
00:17:19,640 –> 00:17:23,180
Not really. I mean, people are
just thumb scrolling nonstop.
288
00:17:24,020 –> 00:17:28,820
And I also have the stats to prove that
it’s working. So I’m not concerned,
289
00:17:28,820 –> 00:17:30,170
I don’t know if every brand can do that,
290
00:17:30,170 –> 00:17:31,670
but we’re at a place where we can do that.
291
00:17:33,110 –> 00:17:37,910
But the philosophy behind that is
think of your Shopify product display
292
00:17:37,910 –> 00:17:42,740
page. You got your carousel
images, you got your hero product.
293
00:17:43,010 –> 00:17:45,500
Then what do you have? You
might have a testimonial,
294
00:17:46,190 –> 00:17:49,800
you might have a money back guarantee,
you might have an evergreen photo.
295
00:17:50,220 –> 00:17:51,810
You might also have
296
00:17:53,550 –> 00:17:57,780
ingredients or how it’s made materials.
297
00:17:58,800 –> 00:17:59,633
And then also
298
00:18:01,260 –> 00:18:06,150
one of the other ones would
be how to use the product,
299
00:18:06,150 –> 00:18:08,010
the best case,
300
00:18:08,520 –> 00:18:11,790
and then marry that.
The last seventh one would be
301
00:18:13,110 –> 00:18:14,790
a reel, a video reel,
302
00:18:15,090 –> 00:18:18,120
some kind of how you’re using the product.
303
00:18:18,990 –> 00:18:21,750
And so when you think of, Hey,
304
00:18:21,750 –> 00:18:25,830
I don’t know what to post every day,
go to your product display pages,
305
00:18:26,370 –> 00:18:27,630
there’s your game plan.
306
00:18:28,080 –> 00:18:31,740
And that’s basically what we’re
focusing on and we’re really focusing on
307
00:18:31,830 –> 00:18:35,880
educating people every day.
308
00:18:36,300 –> 00:18:39,720
And then so we rotate all those
posts through the entire catalog.
309
00:18:39,720 –> 00:18:43,020
We have over 50 plus
products, and so we rotate.
310
00:18:43,770 –> 00:18:44,820
We have all that line,
311
00:18:44,850 –> 00:18:47,700
we have all those seven benefits lined
up for every one of the products,
312
00:18:47,700 –> 00:18:50,010
and we rotate that messaging out.
313
00:18:50,010 –> 00:18:53,940
And I guess one thing I didn’t mention
was behind the scenes farm stuff
314
00:18:55,140 –> 00:18:59,520
that is our foundation. So most
people don’t have a foundation.
315
00:19:01,590 –> 00:19:03,090
We only focus on creative.
316
00:19:04,140 –> 00:19:04,350
So.
317
00:19:04,350 –> 00:19:06,900
They’re like, okay, we’ve got to be
creative. We’ve got the ad what it is,
318
00:19:07,170 –> 00:19:10,260
and you’re just sort of like,
okay, build a foundation.
319
00:19:10,740 –> 00:19:15,090
It’s a very simple process.
It’s about education now,
320
00:19:15,090 –> 00:19:18,540
then when we go to the
farm, that’s the creativity.
321
00:19:18,930 –> 00:19:23,100
That’s the stuff that’s going to move
the needle for us from an ad perspective.
322
00:19:23,100 –> 00:19:24,060
But guess what?
323
00:19:24,960 –> 00:19:29,670
When we go out to the farm and
we have say a jalapeno mustard,
324
00:19:30,480 –> 00:19:34,620
you know what, I saw that jalapeno
mustard a couple weeks ago.
325
00:19:36,810 –> 00:19:41,220
We got to really think about how
customers consideration cycles one day,
326
00:19:41,220 –> 00:19:42,840
seven day, whatever you want to call it.
327
00:19:43,470 –> 00:19:47,610
But we don’t really spend enough time
trying to educate them through the entire
328
00:19:47,610 –> 00:19:51,540
process because I was a guy
who 30 day marketing plans,
329
00:19:51,600 –> 00:19:55,590
90 day marketing plans, six
months annual. I’ve done it all.
330
00:19:56,600 –> 00:20:00,900
But what was missing is now I don’t
have to do any of that because I’m just
331
00:20:00,900 –> 00:20:02,760
rotating through all my products.
332
00:20:04,650 –> 00:20:09,570
And that’s really helped us with just
333
00:20:09,900 –> 00:20:12,690
educating and also on conversion.
334
00:20:13,110 –> 00:20:15,780
And then going back to the farm thing,
335
00:20:17,310 –> 00:20:19,710
what set us kind of different
was we always went to the farm.
336
00:20:20,850 –> 00:20:25,290
My partner always did a great job of
making sure we get to the farm and we do
337
00:20:25,290 –> 00:20:28,920
some videos and we kind of
just talked about the product,
338
00:20:29,040 –> 00:20:31,470
or maybe the farmer was there
and we talked to the farmer,
339
00:20:32,190 –> 00:20:34,650
but one day we were driving
to the farm and I was like,
340
00:20:34,650 –> 00:20:38,370
you know what we should do? He’s
like, what’s that? And I was like,
341
00:20:38,430 –> 00:20:43,230
let’s grab a cheeseburger and let’s
just pull down the gate of the pickup
342
00:20:43,230 –> 00:20:46,230
truck and then let’s just pour
our chili on it and eat it.
343
00:20:47,230 –> 00:20:49,300
And then if you see my partner, he’s like,
344
00:20:49,420 –> 00:20:54,080
Sam Elliot meets Morgan Freeman
is he? He’s got the voice,
345
00:20:54,310 –> 00:20:57,490
he’s got the look. I mean, he looks
like an old Hollywood Western star.
346
00:20:57,490 –> 00:21:01,570
So I mean, obviously that helps
a lot. I’ve done videos too,
347
00:21:04,090 –> 00:21:08,260
but the reality of it is when
we did that winlock something
348
00:21:09,100 –> 00:21:12,940
that was crazy because these cheeseburger,
349
00:21:13,360 –> 00:21:16,360
there’s more people that watch these
cheeseburger videos than watch an NBA game
350
00:21:16,360 –> 00:21:20,790
now, which is really weird to
think about. It’s such a weird.
351
00:21:20,980 –> 00:21:25,180
It’s crazy. Part of that, the NBA
ratings are down. I still am an NBA fan,
352
00:21:25,180 –> 00:21:26,860
but part of that is, man,
353
00:21:26,860 –> 00:21:30,310
we want authentic content
and we love our food,
354
00:21:30,310 –> 00:21:34,120
and it’s just something really,
really special. So yeah, that’s.
355
00:21:34,360 –> 00:21:38,140
Crazy. Kudos to you guys. Just really
kind of marry that connection of like, oh,
356
00:21:38,500 –> 00:21:41,590
this has to be the freshest
product because they’re
literally standing in front
357
00:21:41,590 –> 00:21:45,820
of the farm eating with it. And so that.
358
00:21:45,820 –> 00:21:48,460
Was just, I love how you talk about
that. You start with a strategy.
359
00:21:48,460 –> 00:21:50,770
You start with a platform.
Don’t begin with a,
360
00:21:51,130 –> 00:21:54,640
I need to create an ad.
You start with a, Hey, what is our story?
361
00:21:54,640 –> 00:21:59,620
Our story is these are fresh chilies
from the farm or real farm in hash
362
00:21:59,620 –> 00:22:03,910
New Mexico, the chili capital of the
world. And these are family recipes.
363
00:22:03,910 –> 00:22:08,110
And we’ve got Sam Elliott, not literally,
but your co-founders like Sam Elliott,
364
00:22:08,110 –> 00:22:12,130
he’s the farmer. And so we’re
going to start with that.
365
00:22:12,610 –> 00:22:14,170
We’ll rotate through our products.
366
00:22:14,170 –> 00:22:16,000
We’ll try to tell these
stories in a unique way.
367
00:22:16,330 –> 00:22:19,510
We’ll do fun stuff like pop
open the tailgate, eat a burger,
368
00:22:19,510 –> 00:22:23,230
put some chilies on it. And so
you’re starting with a foundation,
369
00:22:23,230 –> 00:22:23,980
you’re starting with strategy,
370
00:22:23,980 –> 00:22:27,730
then you’re expanding from there
really makes a lot of sense.
371
00:22:28,330 –> 00:22:32,590
And again, just sort of, everyone
has it backwards. They do paid,
372
00:22:32,590 –> 00:22:36,100
they do retention, and then they’re
thinking about what creative they need.
373
00:22:36,100 –> 00:22:40,990
And it’s like now you need a foundation
first. And that’s really, I mean,
374
00:22:41,140 –> 00:22:45,700
again, you and I know some really
savvy Shopify entrepreneurs.
375
00:22:46,090 –> 00:22:50,050
I’ll go and look at their organic social
and there’s nothing there. I’m like,
376
00:22:50,860 –> 00:22:55,180
you’re leaving money on the table or
you’re leaving growth on the table or
377
00:22:55,180 –> 00:22:58,000
lifetime value on the table. I
mean, whatever you want to call it.
378
00:23:00,790 –> 00:23:03,610
Does it take work? Yes, it takes work.
379
00:23:04,030 –> 00:23:05,890
And we also do a little bit more.
380
00:23:05,890 –> 00:23:07,000
Anything worth doing does.
381
00:23:07,300 –> 00:23:08,133
Right? Right.
382
00:23:08,230 –> 00:23:12,760
And we also do a little bit more
systematic where we like and comment on
383
00:23:12,760 –> 00:23:17,350
posts on Instagram. We go on the
explore page, we go on the reels page,
384
00:23:17,380 –> 00:23:19,450
we go on the search, we look for terms,
385
00:23:20,020 –> 00:23:25,000
we engage with posts and stories
and dms and we’ll DM influencers.
386
00:23:25,000 –> 00:23:29,920
So again, it is a strategy. It is not
as just simple as just creating content,
387
00:23:29,920 –> 00:23:33,790
posting it. But again,
388
00:23:34,060 –> 00:23:38,980
I wouldn’t say that it’s taking more
than an hour or two a day for us to
389
00:23:38,980 –> 00:23:42,040
do this for ourselves. And so again,
390
00:23:42,100 –> 00:23:44,110
I think a lot of people just
don’t know where to start.
391
00:23:44,110 –> 00:23:47,750
And I think maybe that’s a disconnect
because there probably hasn’t been a lot
392
00:23:47,750 –> 00:23:51,410
of course boys on Twitter
selling this kind of information.
393
00:23:51,410 –> 00:23:54,950
So that’s probably why it
doesn’t exist. It’s maybe not.
394
00:23:54,950 –> 00:23:56,360
As flashy, not as sexy,
395
00:23:56,360 –> 00:23:59,930
not as enticing or not as
throw a switch and get results.
396
00:24:00,440 –> 00:24:04,190
The number one thing people are like,
well most return on results. It’s like,
397
00:24:05,720 –> 00:24:09,170
I mean, meta holds that close to the
chest because they want the attribution,
398
00:24:09,560 –> 00:24:13,850
right? But when you
marry it with the paid,
399
00:24:15,110 –> 00:24:18,590
then you see the results because the ads
are performing better because there’s
400
00:24:18,590 –> 00:24:19,910
already a little bit of social proof.
401
00:24:20,930 –> 00:24:22,760
Totally. Totally makes sense. Well,
402
00:24:22,760 –> 00:24:26,420
I want to unpack a couple of other
things that you mentioned are working.
403
00:24:27,290 –> 00:24:29,900
One of them is search visibility.
404
00:24:29,900 –> 00:24:32,990
And this is interesting from
a couple perspectives. One,
405
00:24:33,200 –> 00:24:34,640
I’ve been a Google guy for a long time.
406
00:24:35,150 –> 00:24:38,720
I’m really a fan of just any marketing
that works. So that’s my foundation.
407
00:24:38,720 –> 00:24:41,690
I love great brands. I love great
storytelling, I love marketing that works.
408
00:24:42,200 –> 00:24:46,010
But I’ve been doing Google forever and
did SEO back in the early two thousands.
409
00:24:46,010 –> 00:24:47,600
So I’ve always loved search.
410
00:24:48,410 –> 00:24:52,370
But you said organic Google is up 76%
411
00:24:53,210 –> 00:24:55,340
and now some chat GPT queries are up.
412
00:24:55,520 –> 00:24:56,353
Yeah.
413
00:24:56,390 –> 00:24:57,380
But can you talk about that a little bit?
414
00:24:57,380 –> 00:25:02,030
What is driving that Google
growth and chat GPT growth?
415
00:25:02,030 –> 00:25:04,010
What’s making that happen?
You’re talking about.
416
00:25:04,010 –> 00:25:06,080
My biggest pain point I’m
going through right now.
417
00:25:07,070 –> 00:25:11,630
I’m trying to get to number one
on Google for the term Hatch green
418
00:25:11,630 –> 00:25:14,510
chili, and I’m number two.
419
00:25:15,470 –> 00:25:18,980
That’s amazing. It’s amazing.
But the difference in traffic,
420
00:25:18,980 –> 00:25:22,760
as we well know from one two is pretty
significant. But kudos to you, man,
421
00:25:22,760 –> 00:25:25,940
being number two in a highly competitive,
422
00:25:25,940 –> 00:25:29,210
highly contested term that is
no small feat. So kudos to you.
423
00:25:29,540 –> 00:25:30,350
Nah, I appreciate it.
424
00:25:30,350 –> 00:25:33,740
But we could just lower
customer acquisition costs
down if we could just get to
425
00:25:33,830 –> 00:25:34,663
number one.
426
00:25:36,810 –> 00:25:41,270
And so it’s something that’s interesting
right now and you’ll be able to talk to
427
00:25:41,270 –> 00:25:46,010
more brevity in this use case.
428
00:25:46,010 –> 00:25:50,600
But what’s interesting is a lot of our
social media videos that we do from
429
00:25:50,600 –> 00:25:52,850
Facebook are actually
showing up in Google’s feed.
430
00:25:54,920 –> 00:25:58,880
A lot of social content is really
starting to influence searches.
431
00:25:59,510 –> 00:26:04,070
And then chat GT again,
they’re opening up the
432
00:26:07,070 –> 00:26:10,490
Shopify brand listing. If you want
to list your product on chat gt,
433
00:26:10,880 –> 00:26:14,090
there’s a submission process right
now that they’re going through,
434
00:26:16,370 –> 00:26:21,350
but also they are pulling up information
from us and from our top competitor
435
00:26:21,350 –> 00:26:22,183
on Google.
436
00:26:22,640 –> 00:26:26,780
And it’s something where
437
00:26:26,990 –> 00:26:30,350
recipes are obviously going to
be a big factor in what we do.
438
00:26:30,620 –> 00:26:32,930
And Backlinking,
439
00:26:33,260 –> 00:26:37,880
I think is probably the hardest thing
that it’s been the hardest thing to do for
440
00:26:37,880 –> 00:26:40,430
us. It probably is going to
be the noodle the most for us.
441
00:26:42,500 –> 00:26:45,060
We’re actually working
with a firm right now that
442
00:26:47,160 –> 00:26:49,320
is trying to help us to get to number one.
443
00:26:49,440 –> 00:26:52,500
And the reality of it is
444
00:26:54,990 –> 00:26:58,830
that timeline looks like it might
be August. But at the same time,
445
00:26:58,920 –> 00:27:00,900
I think the influence of chat right now,
446
00:27:01,680 –> 00:27:05,310
it’s really quite compelling and
not in addition to YouTube search.
447
00:27:07,320 –> 00:27:10,800
And so we’re asking the process of
going through all our hard drives,
448
00:27:11,520 –> 00:27:12,750
terabytes of footage,
449
00:27:13,410 –> 00:27:18,240
and just making clips that we can
just upload to YouTube and TikTok
450
00:27:19,620 –> 00:27:21,960
kind of search and intent volume.
451
00:27:23,580 –> 00:27:25,770
It’s such a smart idea because one,
452
00:27:26,250 –> 00:27:30,570
YouTube is the second largest search
engine on the planet behind Google.
453
00:27:30,570 –> 00:27:35,250
And especially for things like
recipes and cooking a lot of other
454
00:27:35,250 –> 00:27:35,880
categories,
455
00:27:35,880 –> 00:27:40,410
a lot of the how-to categories that
it really crushes on TikTok search
456
00:27:40,440 –> 00:27:44,730
is exploding. So both of
those make a ton of sense.
457
00:27:44,790 –> 00:27:49,560
And I’m really glad you brought
this up because I think there’s a
458
00:27:49,560 –> 00:27:51,480
narrative that says, Hey,
459
00:27:51,750 –> 00:27:56,730
Google is going to get eaten
by chat GT or Perplexity
460
00:27:56,730 –> 00:27:59,250
or TikTok search. And listen,
461
00:27:59,400 –> 00:28:04,200
I think there are some existential threats
to Google out there without question.
462
00:28:04,860 –> 00:28:07,140
But you mentioned something,
and I’ve actually seen this.
463
00:28:07,410 –> 00:28:09,480
Google’s earnings are
up quarter over quarter.
464
00:28:09,840 –> 00:28:14,430
There’s more searches conducted
on Google now than a quarter
465
00:28:14,520 –> 00:28:14,970
ago.
466
00:28:14,970 –> 00:28:19,440
And so they’re still in good position if
they play the game right To be viable.
467
00:28:19,440 –> 00:28:20,280
But regardless,
468
00:28:20,610 –> 00:28:24,930
there’s still some opportunities for
you right now to lean into search.
469
00:28:24,930 –> 00:28:29,640
And so there’s some SEO pieces
that help with traditional
470
00:28:29,640 –> 00:28:30,120
search.
471
00:28:30,120 –> 00:28:34,950
I know you’re talking about
the AI SEO or whatever,
472
00:28:35,130 –> 00:28:38,310
AI optimization. I think that’s
really important as well.
473
00:28:38,310 –> 00:28:42,120
And it even ties into Google with
Gemini and AI mode and things like that.
474
00:28:42,120 –> 00:28:46,860
And so love that you’re still leaning
into trying to get good quality
475
00:28:46,860 –> 00:28:50,010
back links. That’s something that I
think a lot of people have abandoned.
476
00:28:50,100 –> 00:28:51,390
It’s still relevant,
477
00:28:51,450 –> 00:28:54,510
even though Google tried to say a few
years ago and I wouldn’t really pay
478
00:28:54,510 –> 00:28:57,570
attention to the backlinks they
do. That was the core of Google.
479
00:28:57,570 –> 00:29:01,980
Google’s original innovation was looking
at backlinks because those are third
480
00:29:01,980 –> 00:29:05,820
party votes on what content
to trust, they still matter.
481
00:29:06,150 –> 00:29:10,800
So backlinking leaning into traditional
SEO into AI optimization as well.
482
00:29:10,800 –> 00:29:15,780
And so what all you guys doing there
from a content standpoint that’s helping
483
00:29:16,230 –> 00:29:18,210
with SEO?
484
00:29:20,670 –> 00:29:24,960
I think we’ve kind of
done it in two stages.
485
00:29:24,960 –> 00:29:29,100
The first SEO firm we worked with
really just helped with getting a lot of
486
00:29:29,100 –> 00:29:31,380
technical aspects
together. I didn’t realize
487
00:29:34,050 –> 00:29:35,430
your website had to be,
488
00:29:38,310 –> 00:29:42,070
it was mind blowing. The amount of
detail that you have pay attention to.
489
00:29:42,430 –> 00:29:44,410
From a crawlability
standpoint, a speed standpoint,
490
00:29:45,160 –> 00:29:49,030
the algorithm making sense of it or the
crawlers making perfect sense of it,
491
00:29:49,030 –> 00:29:52,330
that sort of thing. So yeah, the technical
aspect of SEO does make a difference.
492
00:29:53,380 –> 00:29:58,000
And then we were doing recipes and we
kind of got away from that a little
493
00:29:58,000 –> 00:30:02,050
bit, but we’re launching
a new YouTube channel.
494
00:30:02,530 –> 00:30:06,970
And I think it’s more
in my thought process is
495
00:30:08,110 –> 00:30:12,700
we kind of got the website foundation
sort of done and now we’re ranking on
496
00:30:12,790 –> 00:30:16,030
number two. Again, I
think the back linking,
497
00:30:16,240 –> 00:30:19,270
I think some more kind of current
information obviously can help.
498
00:30:20,260 –> 00:30:22,420
Really we’re trying to be the
authority for hatch green chilies.
499
00:30:22,420 –> 00:30:25,630
So what does that mean? It means you
just don’t come to us for sauces.
500
00:30:26,110 –> 00:30:27,940
It means you come to us fresh peppers,
501
00:30:28,300 –> 00:30:32,650
frozen freeze dried powders, spices.
502
00:30:32,950 –> 00:30:36,730
So we have to be hatch green
chilies equals fresh chili company.
503
00:30:36,880 –> 00:30:38,350
That’s what you’re trying to create.
504
00:30:39,220 –> 00:30:42,970
Exactly. And I think too,
505
00:30:43,450 –> 00:30:48,070
also not discounting hot
honey, spicy ketchup.
506
00:30:50,290 –> 00:30:52,600
Both those products are
having a moment right now.
507
00:30:52,600 –> 00:30:57,370
I just started seeing some local pizzerias
that are doing hot honey serve with
508
00:30:57,370 –> 00:31:01,660
your pizza and lemme tell you something
that will blow your mind and we’ll
509
00:31:01,660 –> 00:31:02,950
change the game for pizza.
510
00:31:02,950 –> 00:31:07,060
It’s so good. And we make
an excellent hot honey.
511
00:31:07,060 –> 00:31:09,910
And so there’s definitely
those factors to consider too.
512
00:31:10,690 –> 00:31:12,190
But really where I see
513
00:31:14,500 –> 00:31:18,070
moving is we got to show up on YouTube
514
00:31:19,000 –> 00:31:20,320
consistently every day.
515
00:31:20,440 –> 00:31:22,990
And that’s really the strategy
that I’m implementing right now.
516
00:31:23,710 –> 00:31:28,420
And it’s so powerful because not
only are people searching directly on
517
00:31:28,480 –> 00:31:28,870
YouTube,
518
00:31:28,870 –> 00:31:31,990
but this is something that
Google announced during
Google Marketing Live just
519
00:31:32,410 –> 00:31:34,840
about a week ago, is that
there’s going to be more,
520
00:31:34,840 –> 00:31:35,860
and you kind of alluded to this,
521
00:31:35,860 –> 00:31:40,450
there’s going to be more
visibility of video content in
522
00:31:40,540 –> 00:31:43,600
search results. And Google’s
been testing this for a while,
523
00:31:43,600 –> 00:31:47,740
but if I ask a question of Google
and we’re now seeing with Gemini,
524
00:31:48,070 –> 00:31:51,640
the queries of five words
or more have exploded.
525
00:31:51,640 –> 00:31:54,820
They’re up like 150% this
year versus last year.
526
00:31:54,820 –> 00:31:57,910
So more people are searching with voice
more people are searching with kind of
527
00:31:57,910 –> 00:32:02,470
an AI mindset rather than a
traditional SEO 10 blue links
528
00:32:02,470 –> 00:32:05,860
mindset. And so Google’s
then weaving in like, Hey,
529
00:32:05,860 –> 00:32:09,610
here’s a clip from this YouTube
video that answers your question,
530
00:32:09,880 –> 00:32:10,713
so check it out.
531
00:32:10,840 –> 00:32:15,520
And so I think there’s just immense
value to a brand like yours consistently
532
00:32:15,520 –> 00:32:19,930
cranking out great content. You’ll
get the YouTube search traffic,
533
00:32:19,930 –> 00:32:23,380
you’ll start getting your videos
showing up in Google search,
534
00:32:24,520 –> 00:32:27,130
and then of course you
can take that audience,
535
00:32:27,130 –> 00:32:30,520
that audience you’re building on YouTube,
monetize it with YouTube ads as well.
536
00:32:30,520 –> 00:32:33,100
And so just tons and
tons of benefits there.
537
00:32:33,940 –> 00:32:35,320
And that’s where it is. I mean,
538
00:32:35,320 –> 00:32:39,350
what’s funny is I have all
these numbers up year over year,
539
00:32:41,120 –> 00:32:45,920
and I’ll be completely transparent
with where I’m at now is I’m
540
00:32:45,920 –> 00:32:50,360
not really happy with the business numbers
541
00:32:51,170 –> 00:32:53,960
from a profitability standpoint. Got it.
542
00:32:54,890 –> 00:32:57,710
Because meta just eats so much.
543
00:32:58,820 –> 00:33:02,540
And really within the last two weeks,
544
00:33:02,720 –> 00:33:05,450
I’m started to pull back
on meta a little bit.
545
00:33:06,320 –> 00:33:08,750
We’re about to get into chili
season in July and August,
546
00:33:08,750 –> 00:33:11,750
so I think I can take
this gamble a little bit.
547
00:33:12,110 –> 00:33:15,020
And if we finish up 40% or 20%,
548
00:33:16,040 –> 00:33:17,660
what matters is it’s profitability,
549
00:33:17,660 –> 00:33:20,750
obviously not the vanity
me of top line revenue.
550
00:33:21,290 –> 00:33:25,700
And I’m actually restructuring
everything to be more content
551
00:33:25,700 –> 00:33:29,600
focused. And we’re going
to focus on the creative,
552
00:33:29,600 –> 00:33:32,720
we’re going to focus on the content,
and we’re really going to treat,
553
00:33:33,380 –> 00:33:35,330
we’re going to make sure our
websites getting updated daily.
554
00:33:35,330 –> 00:33:37,520
We’re going to make sure our
YouTube gets updated daily.
555
00:33:38,090 –> 00:33:41,990
We’re going to really try to do that for
the rest of the year and see where we
556
00:33:41,990 –> 00:33:42,500
end up.
557
00:33:42,500 –> 00:33:46,490
So kind of an interesting approach and
interesting conversation right now.
558
00:33:48,290 –> 00:33:49,070
Yeah, it’s so interesting.
559
00:33:49,070 –> 00:33:52,430
But as you look at how as a
brand do we differentiate,
560
00:33:52,520 –> 00:33:55,010
how do we differentiate
versus the competition?
561
00:33:55,370 –> 00:33:57,650
How do we build total enterprise value,
562
00:33:57,650 –> 00:34:02,360
whether we just hope to capitalize on
that and take distributions and enjoy
563
00:34:02,360 –> 00:34:05,810
those profits for a long time,
or if we decide to have an exit,
564
00:34:06,650 –> 00:34:07,550
having a community,
565
00:34:07,880 –> 00:34:12,320
having a consistent content
engine so hard to duplicate,
566
00:34:12,320 –> 00:34:16,100
it’s so hard to match when you
do that really, really well.
567
00:34:16,790 –> 00:34:19,460
Most other competitors, most
other brands just can’t.
568
00:34:19,520 –> 00:34:21,380
And so love that you’re doing that.
569
00:34:21,380 –> 00:34:23,630
Love that you’re leaning
into SEO to YouTube content,
570
00:34:23,630 –> 00:34:25,490
to organic social and paid social.
571
00:34:26,990 –> 00:34:29,600
And we’re coming towards
the end of our time,
572
00:34:29,600 –> 00:34:33,590
but you also talked about what’s
working is the owned channel growth,
573
00:34:33,830 –> 00:34:38,630
and this really ties into
storytelling and being
574
00:34:38,630 –> 00:34:41,600
intentional with your marketing,
but you got a great email list.
575
00:34:41,930 –> 00:34:45,260
You just put out great content. Can
you talk a little bit about that?
576
00:34:45,320 –> 00:34:47,810
How have you built that own media.
577
00:34:48,290 –> 00:34:48,470
And.
578
00:34:48,470 –> 00:34:53,210
Then any powerful lessons from
email and SMS that have helped
579
00:34:53,210 –> 00:34:55,640
fuel that stable growth for fresh chilies?
580
00:34:57,140 –> 00:34:57,973
Yeah.
581
00:35:00,500 –> 00:35:03,080
What’s good is we have a pretty
high repeat purchase rate.
582
00:35:03,980 –> 00:35:07,400
So it’s not a product that you sort
of buy and you’re like, oh, okay,
583
00:35:07,400 –> 00:35:10,490
that was cool. Oh, that was
great. Lemme try it again.
584
00:35:10,820 –> 00:35:12,620
And so I think
585
00:35:14,480 –> 00:35:19,430
one of the things that we do kind
of differently to kind of help
586
00:35:19,430 –> 00:35:24,320
is, again, I’m an agency
guy. I’m a designer.
587
00:35:25,400 –> 00:35:30,140
I mean, I’ve worked
with Virgin Galactic and
588
00:35:32,330 –> 00:35:34,520
done stuff for ESPN and Discovery Channel.
589
00:35:34,520 –> 00:35:38,160
And so I get design, I get
590
00:35:39,870 –> 00:35:43,830
how much brand matters.
But I tell you, man,
591
00:35:43,830 –> 00:35:47,970
when you just write an email from the
heart and sign your name at the bottom,
592
00:35:48,420 –> 00:35:51,030
and it’s just text only. I mean,
593
00:35:51,030 –> 00:35:54,210
people just feel like they’re right
there with you kind of growing along you,
594
00:35:55,760 –> 00:35:56,790
it truly feels like a one-to-one.
595
00:35:56,790 –> 00:35:57,623
Communication.
596
00:35:58,770 –> 00:36:00,240
And I think that’s been
597
00:36:02,070 –> 00:36:04,020
one of the most helpful things that we do.
598
00:36:04,590 –> 00:36:09,090
And the other thing that we kind of do
is we really lean into product drops and
599
00:36:09,090 –> 00:36:12,930
development and small batch.
So they sell out. I mean,
600
00:36:12,930 –> 00:36:14,820
I think we’re going into
the season sold out of,
601
00:36:15,090 –> 00:36:18,510
I was actually going to try to do this
for the next update next week of how many
602
00:36:18,510 –> 00:36:22,350
products we’ve actually sold out
of going into this season because
603
00:36:24,840 –> 00:36:27,360
it’s a fine line where
we’re trying to forecast,
604
00:36:27,360 –> 00:36:31,980
but also be a small batch in a
way that people feel like it is
605
00:36:31,980 –> 00:36:36,540
exclusive, that you just can’t get
a retail setting. And so I think.
606
00:36:36,540 –> 00:36:40,620
That, and selling out a little bit’s
kind of cool. It really creates urgency,
607
00:36:40,620 –> 00:36:44,700
authentic urgency to buy the next
drop because you’re going to sell out.
608
00:36:45,390 –> 00:36:50,130
And so I think just people know the
email list is where you’re going to find
609
00:36:50,130 –> 00:36:54,540
those opportunities is something I
think that kind of helps people engaged.
610
00:36:56,160 –> 00:37:00,990
Yeah, that’s great. Well, last thing I
want to chat about as we wrap up here.
611
00:37:01,530 –> 00:37:06,360
You talked about the Hatch
chili challenge. What is that?
612
00:37:06,630 –> 00:37:08,460
How did you execute that
and how’s that working?
613
00:37:09,690 –> 00:37:14,670
Yeah, so we did a sweepstakes
giveaway that did really well
614
00:37:14,670 –> 00:37:19,620
for us that we won last year and just kind
615
00:37:19,620 –> 00:37:20,820
of got the ball rolling.
616
00:37:20,820 –> 00:37:25,410
We did just another 10,000 giveaway
two that my partner’s flying out
617
00:37:25,410 –> 00:37:29,730
to give a check to the winner in person,
618
00:37:30,030 –> 00:37:34,110
the person’s in Georgia, so it’s going
to fly out there this Friday and do that.
619
00:37:36,210 –> 00:37:38,850
And we just got to thinking,
okay, what else can we do?
620
00:37:39,120 –> 00:37:43,890
And so we’re going to
give $10,000 away to,
621
00:37:44,040 –> 00:37:47,880
it’s a contest, but basically one
of the number one things people do,
622
00:37:47,880 –> 00:37:52,020
especially inspired how we
just pour chili on burgers.
623
00:37:52,470 –> 00:37:56,310
People just started kind of tagging
us and in and out and Whataburger and
624
00:37:56,310 –> 00:37:59,490
McDonald’s or Wendy’s, we were like, Hey,
625
00:37:59,490 –> 00:38:01,950
let’s just make this a contest for
people and get the winner 10,000.
626
00:38:01,950 –> 00:38:06,690
And so we just launched it and people
are already kind of excited and
627
00:38:06,690 –> 00:38:08,160
already kind of posting about it.
628
00:38:08,160 –> 00:38:12,150
And I think it’s something too that it’s
just helped builds network effects and
629
00:38:13,740 –> 00:38:14,400
what are you eating?
630
00:38:14,400 –> 00:38:17,070
And I think that’s what we kind
of want to do is we want to create
631
00:38:18,590 –> 00:38:20,460
a burger revolution in America.
632
00:38:20,700 –> 00:38:22,380
I think that’s something
that we can have fun with. I.
633
00:38:22,910 –> 00:38:24,070
Love it, man. I love it.
634
00:38:24,720 –> 00:38:28,740
That is a noble cause right there
at the Burger Revolution. I like it.
635
00:38:28,950 –> 00:38:31,830
Chat around with it and
have fun with it. Cool.
636
00:38:31,830 –> 00:38:34,290
And so then you’re building social proof.
637
00:38:34,290 –> 00:38:36,490
You’re building community
network effect. You’re also,
638
00:38:36,970 –> 00:38:39,340
you can use some of that content for ads.
639
00:38:39,640 –> 00:38:44,080
And so it’s just a brilliant
way to build community,
640
00:38:44,080 –> 00:38:47,740
leverage that for storytelling
and ad growth as well.
641
00:38:47,740 –> 00:38:52,720
And so Chris, man, keep up with the good
work. As I said, I’m a huge, huge fan.
642
00:38:52,720 –> 00:38:54,640
I’m a customer. I love the product.
643
00:38:55,180 –> 00:38:57,460
As I’ve introduced it to people
in my family and to my community,
644
00:38:57,520 –> 00:39:00,790
they love it as well. And so
I keep up with the good work.
645
00:39:00,790 –> 00:39:05,380
And now I didn’t want to visit in person
and see the farms and see what you guys
646
00:39:05,380 –> 00:39:07,450
are up to anytime I have
to make that happen.
647
00:39:08,080 –> 00:39:09,580
But for those that are
listening that’re like, man,
648
00:39:09,580 –> 00:39:14,080
I got to try some of this stuff as well,
how can they try some of your products?
649
00:39:14,740 –> 00:39:19,330
Go to fresh chili co.com or
you can find us on social at
650
00:39:19,390 –> 00:39:20,890
the Fresh Chili Co.
651
00:39:21,580 –> 00:39:26,200
And then I’m a sucker if
you want to follow me at
652
00:39:26,200 –> 00:39:30,160
Crystalling Social and DM me, I might
send you a gift card. We’ll see.
653
00:39:31,750 –> 00:39:36,700
He’s a good man as far as that’s
concerned in all other areas. And hey,
654
00:39:36,700 –> 00:39:40,090
you are a really good follow
on LinkedIn. Thank you.
655
00:39:40,090 –> 00:39:42,580
You talk about storytelling,
you host a podcast as well.
656
00:39:42,580 –> 00:39:45,490
You share amazing clips. And so one,
657
00:39:45,490 –> 00:39:47,830
you got to go and just
buy some fresh chilies,
658
00:39:48,100 –> 00:39:50,560
but also check out Chris’s content,
659
00:39:51,460 –> 00:39:54,220
get on the newsletter, the email list,
660
00:39:54,220 –> 00:39:58,120
you’ll get to see the marketing in action.
That’s a great way to learn as well,
661
00:39:58,600 –> 00:40:01,450
to check him out on
LinkedIn. And then actually,
662
00:40:01,480 –> 00:40:03,010
do you want to plug your podcast, Chris,
663
00:40:03,040 –> 00:40:05,800
because you actually create some
great content with your podcast.
664
00:40:06,040 –> 00:40:08,830
Yeah, no, I appreciate it. We
just launched Share Your Story.
665
00:40:08,830 –> 00:40:10,120
It’s sponsored by SendLink,
666
00:40:10,360 –> 00:40:14,830
and it’s something that’s
just about 40 days old,
667
00:40:14,830 –> 00:40:18,670
45 days old, and there’s response again,
668
00:40:18,670 –> 00:40:21,340
I’m sort of new to it,
but as you kind of see,
669
00:40:21,490 –> 00:40:25,690
we’re doing some things outside
the studio. I do have studio,
670
00:40:25,690 –> 00:40:29,920
but today we were in Washington
Park and New York City,
671
00:40:29,980 –> 00:40:31,690
and we were interviewing
672
00:40:33,190 –> 00:40:35,980
the street style interview
kind of ads. Yep, yep, yep.
673
00:40:36,490 –> 00:40:37,390
In on the street type thing.
674
00:40:37,570 –> 00:40:42,010
Yeah. So this 21-year-old kid,
his office is a park bench.
675
00:40:42,730 –> 00:40:47,080
And just to see the enthusiasm
and the rawness of a 21-year-old
676
00:40:47,140 –> 00:40:50,320
entrepreneur, just really inspiring.
677
00:40:50,320 –> 00:40:54,580
So we’re trying to just kind of share
stories of how other people are kind of
678
00:40:54,580 –> 00:40:55,540
building in the space.
679
00:40:56,590 –> 00:40:58,450
It’s amazing. We’ll link
to that in the show notes.
680
00:40:58,480 –> 00:41:03,460
Check out Chris Lang on LinkedIn
and all the socials and Fresh
681
00:41:03,520 –> 00:41:07,870
Chili Co as well. With that, Chris,
thanks so much, man. This was awesome.
682
00:41:07,870 –> 00:41:12,400
Thanks for taking the time. Yeah,
thank you. Absolutely. And as always,
683
00:41:12,400 –> 00:41:15,730
appreciate you tuning in. We’d
love to hear more from you.
684
00:41:15,730 –> 00:41:19,750
If you found this show inspiring, share
with a friend, share with your network,
685
00:41:19,750 –> 00:41:22,690
that would mean the world to us.
And with that, until next time,
686
00:41:22,690 –> 00:41:23,560
thank you for listening.