Small Brands Are Taking a Thousand Little Bites Out of Campbell’s Business

Ever had a Figgy Pop “supersnack”? Dr. McDougall’s tortilla soup? Living Intentions “sprouted” pumpkin seeds?

These are some of the brands taking residence in my cupboards on a typical afternoon, and they are products I didn’t know existed even a month ago. Onetime staples like Kraft mac-n-cheese or Heinz Ketchup, meanwhile, are nowhere to be found.

As Americans become more adventurous with the grocery cart, food aisles are undergoing a transformation that is no less significant than marketplace changes sparked by Amazon, Spotify, Uber or Netflix. But the disrupters in food are more likely to look like a guy at the farmers market selling some unique recipe from the bed of a pickup than a snazzy startup working in an office full of ping-pong tables—and this presents a unique challenge to publicly traded giants struggling to cope in an era where buying mainstream grub is increasingly passé.

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