alldae Case Study

alldae’s Breakout: Driving Retailer Velocity on Faire and National Demand at Shelf

Ryan and his co-founders come with deep coffee and CPG experience. They have built a brand ready for the largest retailers in the world. So why keep growing on Faire?

Quick Look

  • Stronger discovery & conversion

    Unified positioning and on-page SEO improved search visibility

  • Retailer acquisition velocity

    Risk-free Faire terms + show pushing translated into faster first orders.

  • Review-driven momentum

    A steady cadence of verified reviews improved credibility and aided algorithmic ranking.   

  • National pipeline

    Repeatable outreach and show strategy opened lanes beyond the Northeast, including California interest.

The Business

Brand Origins

alldae began with four friends from the coffee world chasing a not-so-crazy dream: create a second revenue stream for coffee producers and reduce waste by upcycling cascara—the fruit of the coffee plant. They literally launched out of their cars, moved 10,000+ cans in two months, then sprinted through trade shows, events, and pop-ups on the way to hundreds of stores.   

Product Philosophy

The lineup is a lightly caffeinated, better-for-you soda built on real fruit juice and cascara. The promise: plant-powered antioxidants, gentle energy (no jitters, no crash), and a clean label with no added sugar (no stevia, no monk fruit). Whole30® Approved seals the story.     

Target Audience

Health-forward Gen Z and Millennial shoppers, café culture devotees, and premium grocers who want functional refreshment without the compromise. Early proof points include regional placement across cafés, specialty grocery, and institutional channels (e.g., George Howell Coffee, Pemberton Farms, Boston Children’s Hospital). 

Path to Growth

Before Candid Founders, alldae was delivering on all cylinders and fast—road-warrior sales, shows, and pop-ups. Momentum was real, all alldae needed was the support to scale. With us, the brand activated education-first merchandising, leaned into Whole30® and “no added sugar” discovery, and amplified its trade-show presence (Expo West; Coffee Fest with Odeko) to fuel national buyer demand.     

The Challenge

An amazing brand, just needing fuel for the Faire fire!

  1. Category education gap: Cascara is new to many buyers; the “coffee is a fruit” story needed to click in seconds.   
  2. Consistent marketplace messaging: Product pages and outreach referenced benefits but lacked a single, conversion-oriented narrative (light caffeine, clean label, Whole30®, no sugar added). 
  3. Faire algorithm velocity: Needed consistent traffic, cart adds, orders, and reviews to unlock ranking momentum. 
  4. Merchandising for reorders: Bestsellers and Variety Pack existed, but bundles, cross-sells, and review social proof weren’t fully leveraged.   
  5. National expansion ops: Interest beyond the Northeast (e.g., California) required a repeatable outreach + nurture engine and sharper show strategy. 

The Strategy

Position the brand for wholesale growth by focusing on product education, brand maturity and the product benefits . Our strategy focused on:

Brand Positioning & Storytelling

We centered the narrative on a single line buyers remember: “The all-natural, lightly caffeinated afternoon pick-me-up made from upcycled coffee fruit.” From there, we codified USPs—Whole30® Approved, no added sugar, no stevia/monk fruit; gentle lift from cascara; antioxidant-rich—and packaged the founder origin story as a tight “why we exist” module for storefront and outreach.     

Marketplace Optimization

  • Storefront SEO & taxonomy: Aligned titles and tags to discovery terms buyers actually search: “superfruit soda,” “cascara soda,” “Whole30 soda,” “no sugar added soda.”
  • Conversion blocks: Above-the-fold badges (Whole30®, No Added Sugar), quick “30 mg caffeine” explainer, and a 15-second cascara primer.

Product Merchandising & Presentation

  • Hero SKUs: Led with Hibiscus Dragonfruit and Passionfruit Guava as traffic catchers; backed with Variety Pack for trial and basket expansion. 
  • POS refresh: Briefs for postcards, fridge stickers, table talkers to translate USPs at shelf and in cafés.

Growth & Expansion Strategy

  • Weekly performance reviews: SKU velocity, saves-to-order rate, review cadence, and reorder cycle.
  • Smart promos: Tiered incentives—5% over $500, 10% over $1,000, 20% over $2,000
  • Calendarized launches: Slotted flavor and bundle moments, tied to buyer education bursts.

Retailer Acquisition & Relationship Building

  • Target lists by channel: Specialty cafés, premium grocers, wellness shops
  • Faire conversion stack: 50% off first order, 1-year free shipping, Net-60, free returns to de-risk discovery for new buyers, Faire gives this to you, so talk about it!
  • Shows & distribution: spoke about the great work Ryan was already doing with Coffee Fest (with Odeko) meetups and Expo West drive-to-booth comms to accelerate qualified conversations

Education Through Content & Communication

  • Buyer one-pagers: “What is cascara?” + “30 mg = gentle lift” + “No added sugar, no stevia”.   
  • Automated outreach: Post-inquiry drip (brand story → flavor matrix → ordering FAQ) and post-purchase flows (sell-through tips, POS requests, review ask with incentive). 
  • Review flywheel: In-app prompt to make easy for reviews to bolster social proof and search rank. 

Brand Expansion Beyond Faire

  • Direct wholesale: Recommendation to activate a Shopify wholesale app for repeat B2B and account-specific price lists.
  • Retail partnerships: Identified café groups and regional grocers for palette-level trials alongside Faire.
  • Innovation pipeline: Presell-friendly flavor drops (e.g., Black Cherry Vanilla) to keep momentum and storytelling fresh.

Results

Incredibly proud to work with this brand, we were able to build:

  • Stronger discovery & conversion: Unified positioning and on-page SEO improved search visibility for Whole30 and no added sugar queries while clarifying cascara’s benefits.   
  • Retailer acquisition velocity: Risk-free Faire terms + show pushing translated into faster first orders from cafés, groceries, and institutional buyers. 
  • Bestseller amplification: Hibiscus Dragonfruit and Passionfruit Guava anchored most baskets; Variety Pack lifted trial and reorders. 
  • Review-driven momentum: A steady cadence of verified reviews improved credibility and aided algorithmic ranking.   
  • Education at shelf: New POS collateral and concise cascara stories helped staff hand-sell and reduce buyer hesitation.
  • National pipeline: Repeatable outreach and show strategy opened lanes beyond the Northeast, including California interest.

Additional Product Imagery is Crucial to Brands

It's not just about a few product photos, crack open photoshop and create images that tell a story.

Don't just stop at product photos create POS options!

Adding simple icons, imagery and certifications, can create a great looking counter display post card.

Four individuals with their names and roles displayed on a white background

Hear what Ryan has to say about us

"We worked with Candid Founders after already having some initial success on Faire and wanted to continue to explore that. Andy and his team were incredible at creating systems that led to both new customers discovering alldae and old customers re-engaging with us. We've gotten significantly more 5-star reviews and Candid Founders has helped us grow our sales on this platform significantly over just a short time. I highly recommend working with them if you're looking to grow your business on this platform."

— Ryan Mcdonnell, Founder of alldae

Key Takeaways

  • success icon

    Lead with one unforgettable sentence. Your storefront should distill what you are and why it matters—then everything else simply proves it.

  • thinking outside of the box icon

    Design for algorithms and humans. SEO, badges, and reviews move rank; crisp education moves hearts (and wholesale carts).

  • winner icon

    Bundle the experience. Bestsellers + Variety packs + POS make it easy for retailers to trial, sell-through, and reorder.

  • cash flow icon

    Make “risk-free” real. Stack platform incentives (Net-60, free shipping, first-order discounts) with education and post-purchase nurture to turn first orders into lasting accounts

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