By Sarah Williams, Co-CEO, Beardwood & Co.
Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed cult-favorite CPG brands go from niche internet sensations to mass-market powerhouses. Think Magic Spoon, which turned nostalgic cereal into a high-protein pantry staple, or Goodles, reimagining boxed mac and cheese for a new generation. These brands disrupted their categories through connection, creating emotional resonance with smart design, standout storytelling, and a clear sense of purpose.
In today’s environment, where trends move at the speed of TikTok and private labels are more competitive than ever, the question becomes: how can the next wave of cult darlings evolve into mass wonders without losing what made them special in the first place?
Start with Story and Build a Brand World
Brands with staying power go far beyond good packaging. Cult favorites today are crafting brand worlds, experiences that span every consumer touchpoint, from unboxing to in-store discovery to real-life activations. Packaging might be the introduction, but the relationship is built across digital platforms, social content, pop-ups, collabs, and merch.
Fishwife is a great example. They didn’t just ride the “girl dinner” or tinned-fish picnic trend. They created a cultural moment around it, complete with crave-able merch, stellar IRL pop-ups with custom manicures, and collaborations with fellow cult brands like Fly By Jing. They’ve gone from trend to ritual, and that’s where genuine traction happens.
Sky High Farms offers another powerful model. It’s a non-profit focused on creating food access for local communities. They admire brands like Newman’s Own, one of the original cult darling brands that started with Paul’s original salad dressing recipes and expanded to products for every aisle and flavor. Sky High Farms funds its work by collaborating with brands from Erewhon to Nike to Tata Harper to Champion—and has planted a retail footprint in the venerable Dover Street Market. So, while they cross into the highest of fashion and limited-edition spaces, their work is wholly rooted in being down to earth.
This ability to turn a moment into a movement often comes from entering legacy categories and breaking visual and emotional ground. Graza did this for olive oil with its now-iconic squeeze bottle—shifting olive oil from premium pantry item to daily-use personal chef companion. These products not only look different; they feel different.
And that feeling is what builds loyalty.
Design With the Shelf in Mind
A common challenge we see is brands that design for DTC or boutique spaces—what we lovingly call the “shoppy shop”—without fully considering the demands of mass retail. On a crowded shelf at Target or Walmart, you’ve got seconds to communicate who you are and why you matter. There’s no time to decode subtle cues or slow-burn storytelling.
That’s why we push brands to consider shelf impact from the beginning. That includes a clean communication hierarchy, easy product navigation, and a strong visual system that makes it easy to find your SKUs and understand the benefits at a glance. Cute design might get someone to pick up your product, but clarity is what gets it in the cart and keeps it there.
Expand the Portfolio With Purpose
Scaling doesn’t mean expanding just for the sake of it. The strongest brands build clear product architecture; distinct lanes that serve different emotional and functional needs without losing focus. Magic Spoon has done this masterfully, growing from cereal to granola and protein bars. Each new product brings something specific to the table, deepening the brand’s relationship with its audience. Goodles offers a parallel path. They’ve tapped into deep nostalgia while upgrading the nutrition story by reimagining boxed mac and cheese. It’s helping consumers realize they can, in fact, have their cake and eat it too: fun with high-performance benefits.
If Magic Spoon evokes the joy of drinking cereal milk straight from the bowl, Goodles reminds us of the mac and cheese we devoured as kids—boxed, not homemade—eaten down to the last noodle. Their visual cues, like the gooey forkful of cheese, are instantly recognizable and emotionally rich. This balance—between playful indulgence and thoughtful formulation—allows brands to grow without losing their identity.
Some brands also benefit from creating accessible sub-lines. We worked with Swell to launch Sip by Swell, a more approachable offering for mass retail that preserved core brand equity while reaching new price points. Other brands adjust formats, flavors, or pack sizes within the same brand. The goal isn’t just to add more, but to add meaningfully.
Collaboration > Competition
While influencer marketing still plays a role, we’re seeing increasing momentum behind brand-to-brand collaborations to reach new audiences without diluting the message. Partnerships like Fishwife x Fly By Jing or ELF x Dunkin’ show how two distinct but like-minded brands can amplify each other and deepen cultural relevance.
We often encourage our clients to ask, “Which brands could we be friends with?” It’s a simple question, but it unlocks shared audiences, shared values, and authentic growth.
Premium Must Still Feel Worth It
With private label lines getting better in both design and quality, consumers have more choices than ever. That means premium brands must work harder to justify the trade-up. That might mean richer storytelling, a more thoughtful brand voice, or a product that just feels better in your hands. It has to feel like something special, something that couldn’t have come from anywhere else. Because when the value is clear, consumers are more than willing to spend.
Cult Darlings Drive the Future
What’s most exciting about these brands is how quickly they influence the entire category. Their bold moves, whether in flavor, function, or form, inspire even the legacy players to take notice. We’re seeing a ripple effect where the innovation of cult brands becomes the new standard.
Staying relevant in this space means constantly listening, evolving, and leading. The brands that scale best are those who never stop being curious about their customers and remain responsive to their desires while staying rooted in their own identity. Ultimately, creating connection and expanding with purpose is the secret recipe for transforming a moment of obsession into enduring brand love.
By Sarah Williams, Co-CEO, Beardwood & Co.
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