D2C FOOD & BEVERAGE // Q2–Q4 2024
Grove — D2C Food Brand Marketing Case Study
From $30K/month at farmers markets to $450K online revenue and 22,000 subscribers in 6 months through subscription-first strategy and community-led content.
74%
SUBSCRIPTION RETENTION
// 01 — THE BRIEF
// THE CHALLENGE
WHERE THEY WERE
Grove was doing $30K/month at farmers markets with a loyal local base but zero online presence. The product was exceptional. The brand was non-existent digitally. Previous attempt at Meta ads: $3K spent, $400 returned.
// THE APPROACH
HOW WE THOUGHT ABOUT IT
Food brands live and die by trust and taste. We built trust through content and community before we spent on acquisition. Subscription model designed from day one — LTV was the only metric that mattered.
// 02 — WHAT WE DELIVERED
THE FULL STACK
01//
BRAND FOR DIGITAL
- Digital brand identity from physical brand
- Brand story and origin narrative
- Photography direction for social and ads
- Packaging-to-digital visual translation
- Brand positioning vs grocery and DTC competitors
02//
PERFORMANCE MEDIA
- Meta Ads: video-first creative strategy
- Google Shopping: full product catalog
- YouTube pre-roll for brand awareness
- Subscription-focused conversion campaigns
- 6.4X ROAS with subscription AOV model
03//
SUBSCRIPTION STRATEGY
- Subscription model design and pricing
- Recharge implementation on Shopify
- Subscription email onboarding: 6 emails
- Churn prevention: rescued 28% of cancels
- LTV modelling and cohort analysis
04//
CONTENT & COMMUNITY
- Recipe content strategy: 4 videos/week
- Instagram: 18 posts/month including UGC
- Community group management: 12K members
- Influencer chef partnerships: 8 collaborations
- Seasonal campaign content system
05//
EMAIL & SMS
- Welcome flow for new subscribers
- Weekly recipe newsletter: 34% open rate
- SMS for flash sales and new drops
- Win-back for cancelled subscribers
- Subscription anniversary rewards
06//
SEO & CONTENT
- Recipe SEO: 40 long-tail keywords
- "How to" content for organic discovery
- Google featured snippets: 8 owned
- Blog: 4 posts/month, 60K monthly readers
- Local SEO for farmers market locations
// 03 — HOW IT HAPPENED
THE TIMELINE
MONTH 01
BRAND & STORE
Digital brand built. Shopify store launched. Subscription model live. Photography direction set.
MONTH 02
CONTENT FOUNDATION
Recipe content live. Community group at 2K members. First Meta campaigns with video creative.
MONTH 03–04
SUBSCRIBER GROWTH
Subscription gaining traction. 5K subscribers. Email at 34% open rate. ROAS at 6.4X.
MONTH 05–06
$450K & 22K SUBS
$450K online revenue. 22K subscribers. 74% retention. Community at 12K members.
// 04 — THE OUTCOMES
THE RESULTS
$450K
ONLINE REVENUE
6-month total
22K
SUBSCRIBERS
subscription model
6.4X
META ROAS
video campaigns
74%
SUBSCRIPTION RETENTION
monthly
34%
EMAIL OPEN RATE
weekly newsletter
12K
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
group
// 05 — CLIENT VOICE
"
SCHORE fixed the brand first, then the ads. Now we're doing more online in a week than we used to do in a month at the market.
RACHEL T.
FOUNDER, GROVE
// MORE CASE STUDIES
RELATED WORK