#1 Why a brand?

When we launched Be Better plant-butter, it wasn’t just another product. We designed it as a true 1:1 alternative to cow-butter—something chefs could use seamlessly, with all the benefits to the planet. But here’s the challenge: chefs love their butter. It’s woven into the fabric of pastry culture, a staple that brings their creations to life. Asking them to change? It’s both a huge opportunity and a real risk.

Sales in a startup is everything, especially when you’re an unknown. No one is waiting for you, no matter how good your product is. It takes resilience to pitch over and over, knowing you might hear “no” 99 times before you get that “yes.” Every day, I’m reaching out to chefs, pitching Be Better—and while they often appreciate what we’re doing, turning appreciation into action is another story. The truth is, people don’t like change. But trust? Trust lowers the perceived risk.

That’s why we don’t just sell an ingredient. We’re building a brand.

What’s in a Brand?

A brand, at its essence, is the power to influence behavior. It maximizes the opportunity and minimizes the risks that come with change. With Be Better, we’re not just a new product—we’re a new category in an industry dominated by cow-butter and margarine giants with deep pockets. With a small team and tight resources, we have to be laser-focused on where we invest. And we’ve found that it all comes down to chefs.

Our chef-centric approach has three pillars:

1. Product Excellence: We’ve developed a product that chefs genuinely want to use, one that delivers on every promise. A mediocre product needs constant, costly promotion just to appear “good enough.” But when your product is truly great, people talk about it. Be Better is becoming that product, with chefs themselves becoming our strongest advocates.
2. Education and Support: Chefs are pressed for time and often lack staff or resources to test new products. So, we invest in their success by offering masterclasses, recipes, and technical support. We’re not just minimizing their risk; we’re respecting their time and effort.
3. Building Relationships: Staying close to the chefs using Be Better is invaluable. Their insights keep us improving, and their endorsements on social channels have become powerful support.

Scaling a Trusted Brand

Once you have a product/market fit, reaching out to more target customers becomes almost a formula for success. The more you invest in this phase, the more you’ll sell. We were early when we launched in 2021, but now the landscape is shifting. With our distribution in place, we’re preparing for a targeted chef campaign in the markets that are ready.

With every chef, distributor, and end user, Be Better is inching forward, building its place in the chef’s decision journey. This is a brand built from the ground up, one relationship at a time. As more chefs start using and talking about us, Be Better grows in reputation and demand. A strong brand, after all, is one that eventually begins to sell itself.

If you found this post helpful, I’d love your support. Share your own experiences, too—I’m always eager to learn.