The 9-Figure Chocolate Playbook
Getting Off The Ground
Chocolate is a $142 billion industry globally, completely controlled by just 4 players. Hershey, Ferraro, Nestle, and Mars.
To take them on, you gotta play your own game and that starts with three components:
- Innovate (not for the sake of a buzzword - more info in the next section)
- Disrupt a stale category
- Ride a trend on the upswing
Which is how Mid-Day Squares started to…
Stand Out In A Crowded Market
It's like walking onto the tennis court and expecting to beat Serena.
Like, why even try?
Nick described his philosophy towards products in a way I’ve never heard before.
Ok…these obviously all need their own sections.
Form Factor
You have to create a unique feel.
Whether that's a slight twist on existing leaders or a complete redesign - you need to create novelty.
Chocolate has a very clear form factor across all of the incumbent players. Reese’s is known for their cup, Hershey’s for its bar.
Which is why they have established mind-share with consumers across the globe.
Mid-Day Squares decided to create the best squares in the chocolate biz.
It was a shape not core to any of their competitors’ product offerings.
And this was key.
Because back to the sports comparisons - but trying to play an NBA player in a game of H.O.R.S.E isn’t a smart idea.
Take him to your domain where you’re an expert, and you stand a much better chance.
Supply Chain
The consumer for big chocolate is used to cheap prices. Which is why entrenched companies are scared to change the supply chain to meet the modern consumer.
The healthy chocolate consumer has a different stomach, palate, and set of preferences entirely.
Eventually, Hershey's or Mars will have to go through turbulence to upgrade their ingredients to meet future consumers where they want to be.
Meanwhile…
And shelf-stable means tons of processed ingredients.
Refrigerated brings a fresher connotation and is where MDS intends to win.
As for Marketing and Distribution…
It’s social first, and then everything else.
Take notes here. Because how Nick and the team launched in their native Montreal was brilliant.
Any startup in the 2010s likely led with FB ads. To Nick, this can create a false positive of product market fit. He wanted the real thing.
For a food product, people had to talk about it. So they created content strictly for the Montreal area on Instagram, priced the bar at $0.55 (a loss), and did everything they could to get it in people’s hands.
But, merchandisers only care about how well a product sells.
Consistently winning their category meant more buyers knocking on their door.
Fast forward to the rise of short-form viral videos on TikTok / Reels, and MDS was ready.
I’ll save you the gushing breakdown. Just go peep their TikTok account here. You’ll get the picture.
Tips for starting your own brand
Nick made it clear. Mid-Day Squares was only possible because of his previous failures.
