8 Myles Expands in the Northeast, Launches New Products

Myles Powell, founder and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based frozen comfort food brand 8 Myles, has had a full plate over the last few months as he doubles down on his goal to create a “strong regional brand” in the Northeast. The company, funded by food and beverage business accelerator Union Kitchen, is focusing on retail and product expansion as it brings its frozen mac and cheese business to new markets.

Powell said he was inspired to launch the brand after experimenting in his home kitchen led him to launch a successful food blog. Ultimately, his site caught the attention of the Food Network, which invited him to appear on the competition show “America’s Best Cook” in 2014. Encouraged by this experience, he launched 8 Myles the following year.

For its first two years, the brand sold a line of fruit-based buffalo and BBQ sauces. When Powell moved to Washington, D.C., he began working with and received funding from Union Kitchen, and pivoted to producing its current offering, frozen mac and cheese. The three varieties — Three Cheese Homestyle, Buffalo and recently launched BBQ — are made with premium, locally sourced ingredients, including dairy from Maryland’s South Mountain Creamery. The line is sold in over 100 Northeast retail locations, spanning from Virginia to upstate New York. The sauces, which are now a secondary focus, are also available in select D.C. retail locations.

Powell believes there’s ample opportunity to reinvent the classic frozen meal that previously dominated store shelves, particularly in conventional retailers.

“If it was microwavable and it was edible, they were fine,” Powell said of early frozen food consumers. “I think now people are starting to say, ‘I need more quality in whatever I bring home, even if it’s just in the microwave.’ You should be happy and be enjoying your food, not eating it because it’s convenient.”

Besides offering kitchen space for production, Union Kitchen, which also works with brands such as M’Panadas, Snacklins and Berg Bites, assisted in branding and distribution for 8 Myles. The accelerator put the brand in front of Whole Foods, and its Homestyle and Buffalo products hit shelves at the natural retailer’s locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia in April.

Meanwhile, buyers for Target came across the mac and cheese at Union Kitchen’s own grocery store, which have several locations across Washington, D.C. Although the retailer initially delayed consideration of the brand due to COVID-19, its buyer, seeing an opportunity to fill out-of-stocks in the frozen set with an emerging brand, brought on 8 Myles’ products for a five-week test in select Target locations in the DMV. With solid results under its belt, the brand is now under full review with Target to determine further launches in locations across the Northeast.

8 Myles has also expanded its direct-to-consumer business, launching on grocery delivery platform Peapod last month.

This month, the brand also tried a novel approach, partnering with delivery services to offer its mac and cheese prepared fresh, in place of a restaurant takeout order. The brand uses a ghost kitchen for fulfillment and Uber Eats and GrubHub for delivery. The delivery launch will serve as a “test” as Powell considers opening a brick and mortar location in the future.

“The concept of the snack bar or restaurant space is really intriguing,” Powell said. “Retail is number one but I haven’t forgotten about the other dream that I have too.”

In terms of short-term innovation, Powell said he’d like to go deeper into mac and cheese before possibly expanding to other gourmet comfort food items in the frozen set. Frozen mac and cheese bites are currently in development and will launch in the coming months. Powell said vegan versions of its products are also in the works, as is a shelf-stable boxed version of its mac and cheese.

On the recommendation of Whole Foods, the brand is also developing different serving sizes beyond the current 8 oz. format in order to cater to families. The original target for 8 Myles’ was young adults and millennials looking for a quick meal after work, Powell said, though over time it’s become apparent that the brand also caters to parents and families with children and the product’s marketing has been adjusted to cater to this audience.

Right now, Powell said the biggest hurdle for 8 Myles is brand recognition, especially as demos and sampling have been halted by the pandemic. His hope is that focusing on the brand’s social media presence, along with expansion of its new delivery business, will help it reach new consumers.

Outside of product development and distribution expansion, one of Powell’s major goals for 8 Myles is to give back to the local community through youth mentorship.

Building off of the brand’s budding consumer base of families and children, Powell said he has connected with local schools in the D.C. area to educate young students through workshops on the “path of entrepreneurship” which many young people may not realize is an option for them.

“There’s not a sheet of paper that says you need to pick from these options for a career,” he said. “I want to encourage kids to start to explore what their passion might be, and encourage entrepreneurship.”