Restaurant chain, famous for its Kardashian ties and viral ‘salad shake’, launches its bottled dressings in national & regional chains, mass market across the U.S.; seeks to expand licensing for a range of food & beverage
TLL Feature
Health Nut, the restaurant made famous by the viral ‘salad shake” frequently seen on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Hulu’s The Kardashians, and social media, is introducing its iconic salad dressings nationwide.
It’s the first step in the company’s plans for a comprehensive line of licensed food and beverage products. The new Health Nut Dressing line, from licensee Litehouse Foods, features four mouthwatering flavors: Original House, Spicy Asian, Sesame, and Ranch.
Public recognition of the Health Nut brand soared in 2015 when the Kardashian family, regular customers for 15 years, began to post about the restaurant on their social media platforms.
Health Nut salads, dressings, and teas, a frequent feature on the Kardashian/Jenner reality shows, led to soaring global recognition of the brand. The Kardashians’ Health Nut habit has become such a cultural touchstone for influencers, bloggers and fans that the internet is brimming with parodies, memes, gifs, and YouTube videos on the topic.
“The Kardashians’ organic content changed things dramatically for us,” says Steve Choi, CEO of family-owned Health Nut, which has grown to five locations in Southern California. “Since then, we’ve continued serving Kris and her family delicious and healthy meals, and having her come on as our first investor and equity partner in 2022 solidified our relationship even further.”
Company Seeks Partners For CPG Brand Extensions
From its inception as a vitamin shop in 1988, Health Nut has evolved into a popular Southern California chain. The restaurant is celebrated for its fresh ingredients and diverse menu options, including vegan, vegetarian, organic, and gluten-free offerings.
Health Nut’s growth has also been accelerated because of the restaurant chain’s dedication to providing healthy food choices that fits in with current consumer trends.
The latest Mintel Food & Drink Report notes the two top trends among consumers is buying healthy, non-processed foods, and a focus on ageing well through a combination of healthy eating and exercise.
Mintel notes that new regulations and voluntary on-pack labels from sources like NOVA or Sega will encourage consumers to consider how food is processed.
“There’s growth potential for minimally processed food and drink that focus on the positive aspects of food-processing techniques, such as those that enhance nutrition, inhibit contaminant formation or improve sustainability,” the Mintel report says.
That trend has helped propel Health Nut’s first consumer product line, Health Nut Dressings, into grocery and mass retail stores across the United States.
Health Nut Dressings can now be found in the refrigerated produce section of grocery and mass retail stores including Walmart, Target, Albertsons, Bristol Farms, Gelson’s, Von’s, Pavillions, Stater Bros., Kroger, Wakefern Foods, and Jewel Foods, with additional retailers on board for the second half of this year.
Health Nut’s Strategy to Expand Global Sales Growth
The nationwide launch is being supported through a comprehensive integrated marketing campaign spanning social media, programmatic advertising, shopper marketing, and other initiatives, such as a four-part social media series called “Shake It Up with Chef K” featuring Chef Khristianne U, the Kardashian family’s private chef.
The company is ambitiously expanding its global footprint through a multifaceted growth strategy. This strategy includes the establishment of company-owned locations, franchise opportunities, joint venture partnerships, and licensing consumer packaged goods. By leveraging these avenues, Health Nut aims to solidify its presence in key markets around the world.
Cindy Bailey, former president of Entertainment One Licensing’s Pop Culture division and currently chief brand officer of Health Nut, and Dan Romanelli, the founder of Warner Bros. Consumer Products Licensing Division, are directing the company’s licensing campaign.
As consumer demand for more healthful, natural options grows, she says, Health Nut stands ready to meet the challenge with its reputation for using clean, high-quality, fresh, non-GMO ingredients, and its range of vegetarian and vegan options.
“Our objective is to establish Health Nut as the foremost brand synonymous with health-conscious consumers,” Bailey says. “We are seeking partners to extend the Health Nut brand for a diverse range of fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable packaged foods including grab & go salads, dips, sauces, soups, meal kits, drinks, energy bars and wellness products for distribution to retail: grocery, mass market, clubs and online.”
Health Nut is strongly positioned as a licensing partner in its own right, but it’s worth noting the company enjoys a considerable advantage due to its involvement with the Kardashians.
The family members are unquestionably the most powerful group of individuals in social media marketing today. As of 2024, the Kardashian/Jenner family has a combined reach of more than 1.6 billion followers on their personal Instagram accounts alone.
“One reason for our success is that we have a great story to tell, providing food that both tastes great and is good for you, but we also have the ability to tell that story to a vast audience,” Bailey says. “That’s a pretty powerful combination in the world of product licensing.”
Prospective partners can find more information about Health Nut at www.healthnutla.com. Anyone interested in exploring a licensing partnership can contact Cindy Bailey at the following email address: cbailey@thehatchtank.com.