CAULIPOWER, a frozen snack brand that produces a range of gluten-free, clean-label products with cauliflower-based recipes, is a brand that has grown significantly, thanks in large part to its success in connecting with consumers on the hunt for better-for-you options. Now, the company is looking to spread the word that its range of products offers great taste, in addition to healthy options.

To learn more about CAULIPOWER’s efforts to reach consumers looking for products that fit in with a number of consumer trends without sacrificing taste, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery connected with Gail Becker. The CAULIPOWER founder shares how the company started, how it’s grown since its beginnings, and a creative marketing campaign out to convince shoppers that they and the company’s products are a match made in heaven.

Jenni Spinner: Could you please share a little bit about CAULIPOWER—how it got started, how it’s grown, any key people at the company you’d like to give a shout-out to, etc?

Gail Becker: I started CAULIPOWER in early 2016 and sold our first pizza in February 2017. I suppose you could say that I grew tired of waiting for someone in the industry to make gluten-free frozen food that tasted great and wasn’t filled with fat, sugar, and calories. Today CAULIPOWER’s reputation for disruption through innovation is well-known thanks to products as diverse as chicken tenders and nuggets, frozen pasta, and our newly launched frozen pasta meals and has led to our position as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2022. Our products can be found in more than 30,000 stores and 5,000 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada. This success of CAULIPOWER is entirely attributable to one of the best teams in the business, a group of people who are motivated by our mission of making healthier food accessible to all. 

JS: Please talk about the company’s growth in recent months/years, and how its products have resonated with consumers.

GB: First let’s look at what we call “better-for-you” pizza trends. There is no doubt that there is a significant percentage of the population that wants healthier versions of their favorite comfort foods. The trend that CAULIPOWER started has taken a significant 5% slice of the U.S. pizza market worth more than $6.5bn a year in consumer retail sales. Millions of people buy cauliflower crust pizzas today and CAULIPOWER is the category leader and America’s #1 cauliflower and #1 gluten-free crust. 

CAULIPOWER has had a great year with significant growth in 2022—driven not just by our core pizza line, but also by innovations introduced over the last three years. The company now derives a notable percentage of its revenue from non-pizza products such as chicken tenders and pasta, as well as from products launched in 2022: chicken nuggets and new our new frozen meals.

There are three other trends we are seeing:

More people are living Flexitarian or Reducetarian lifestyles. Food choices and lifestyles are no longer a “one size fits all” and in 2023, we’ll see more people making balanced, healthier choices that feel right for their own personal lifestyle—with a priority on taste!  At CAULIPOWER, we like to call this being a Delish-a-tarian!

We are also observing more focus on eliminating food waste and making each meal go a bit further. In 2023, we’ll see consumers getting creative with leftovers or seeking more frozen options. 

Finally—and we love this one—we’re seeing even more DIY-inspired meals. We expect to see more people cooking at home and sharing their Meal Hacks globally thanks to viral TikToks and Reels. CAULIPOWER was initially inspired by cauliflower crust recipes on Pinterest…so we’re always listening to our community for new ideas.

JS: Please tell us about the upcoming campaign you’ve got in store for Q1.

GB: Consumer trends are clear. There are, of course, people who are strictly vegan, vegetarian, or keto, but there are many more people who make flexible choices otherwise known as flexitarians. These are people that might make different choices each week or perhaps different choices at the weekends. Whatever their choices, they are continuously thinking about what they put into their bodies. 

The uniting factor for no matter how—or what—you eat, is that we all want our better-for-you food to be delicious. We are all Delish-a-tarians. At CAULIPOWER, we believe everyone deserves delicious and no one should ever have to choose between nutrition and taste. That is the message at the heart of the campaign.

We thought we would have some fun comparing the frustration of finding a great match on a dating app to the frustration many people have finding food that meets their health choices AND tastes great. If you swipe right for a CAULIPOWER product, you are getting a healthier food that tastes amazing! Guaranteed.

JS: What does your company have planned for the future, in addition to the stuff you’ve mentioned above?

GB: We never stop innovating and looking for the next category ripe for disruption. That’s what we promised our consumers and, the good news is, we are just getting started!

Related: 2021 Bakery of the Year CAULIPOWER defines the next generation of better-for-you products