Bitchin’ Sauce Pushes Into C-Store Channel With Bitchin’ Snacks Line

After celebrating a decade in business this fall, which consisted of a “series of small victories,” according to founder and CEO Starr Edwards, Bitchin’ Sauce is taking on a new challenge.

Eyeing growth beyond its core sauce line, the almond dip brand is targeting the convenience store channel with its new Bitchin’ Snacks line, which rolled out at 7-Eleven locations across Southern California last month after an initial launch through the retailer’s Sips & Snacks program. Its new snack packs offer consumers a portion-controlled version of its savory sauces, which are typically offered in 8 oz. tubs, pairing it with carrots or tortilla chips.

According to Edwards, the brand is setting its sights on this channel as it believes c-stores, whose sales have been hindered by the pandemic, making a comeback as the stores continue to improve their healthy food offerings beyond grab-and-go beverages.

“I’ve had this hunch that especially our generation of consumers is going to be very much heading back to convenience stores,” Edwards said. “We’re seeing a lot of the grocery trends that are similar to what was happening, you know, six years ago, seven years ago, as people are becoming more excited about fresh food and local food. So I have this hunch that people will be visiting their convenience stores more often.”

The brand was chosen for 7-Eleven’s Sips & Snacks 2.0, the second iteration of the retailer’s emerging brands program, after participating in its “show and taste” expo in at the retailer’s Dallas headquarters last fall, where Edwards said Bitchin’ Snacks was voted the number one food item by staff. Initially launched in 200 stores in the Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas, Bitchin’ Snacks has now expanded to 1,300 Southern California 7-Eleven locations.

Edwards said the brand aims to continue to grow distribution in the c-store channel, with a strategy similar to the one it used as it expanded from natural independent stores to nationwide chains, finding success in a small foothold of stores and taking that sales story to additional retailers. To support this c-store push, the brand has added five members to its team to focus specifically on the channel, and promoted its regional sales manager to manage the team of c-store specialists.

As the brand improves its packaging and increases distribution, Edwards said it will look to add more snack options to its c-store offerings, possibly pairing the sauce with cheese crackers or additional vegetable options. On shelf, Bitchin’ Snacks competes with other dip snack packs from brands like Sabra, and while Edwards said the hummus brand has done an “amazing job” with recent innovation, she believes Bitchin’ Snacks will stand out because of their focus on health-focused offerings that don’t “cut corners” with the amount of product inside the smaller packaging.

Beyond the c-store, the brand has also made distribution gains with its core sauce line this year, launching in 650 Target stores and 350 Walmart stores as well as Costco, Albertsons and Sprouts. The brand also earlier this year rolled out a Sweet Sauce line at Whole Foods nationwide as well as new Bitchin’ Squeezers, squeezable versions of its sauces in Chipotle and Original.

With in-store sampling halted due to the pandemic, Edwards said the brand has expanded its marketing team to “get more creative” with ways to reach consumers. One way it’s done this is through holding an Instagram concert series, hosted with her husband and co-founder L.A. Edwards (who is also a touring musician), which featured music acts such as Shakey Grave and Dawes.

Bitchin’ Sauce has also recently made strides to support its approximately 40 employees and local community amid the pandemic. To accommodate the parents in its workforce, it launched a free on-site childcare program called Bitchin’ Kids that has “grown exponentially” and now includes a tutoring service. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the brand announced its new “Bitchin’ Givin’ Division,” a charitable arm which will roll out in full in January that aims to mobilize its team to provide weekly volunteer hours in its community.

Looking ahead, Edwards said she hopes to continue the brand’s agility and sense of community into the next decade of business.

“We’re very opportunistic when we see things that are a great opportunity,” she said. “We are really quick and nimble and able to act, which I think is kind of different from a lot of our peers. The overarching goal is just to maintain our integrity as a product and continue being fun and bitchin’ and give back to the community as much as we can.”