• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 1, 2016

Sweet Earth Natural Foods is very much in the sweet spot when it comes to today’s packaged foods arena.

Founded in Monterey County, Calif. in 2011 by Brian and Kelly Swette, a husband-and-wife team with heavy CPG marketing backgrounds, the brand is vegan and vegetarian, employs organic, GMO-free ingredients wherever possible, and stresses ancient grains, heritage beans and exotic herbs and spices. All catnip to Millennials. 

While still small by Big Food standards, the brand is carried in more than 10,000 retail locations, including Walmart, Kroger, Target and Whole Foods, and has doubled its sales every year since 2012. This year, sales are projected to exceed $20 million.

Having been focused on product development, distribution and building the brand on social media, Sweet Earth is now running its largest marketing campaign since launch, to introduce a new line of heat-and-serve entrée bowls. The line features 12 updated global favorites, including Bean & Mango Cubano, Curry Tiger, Moroccan Tagine and Kyoto Stir Fry. 

The campaign, “Exotic by Nature, Conscious by Choice,” employs images and videos of exotic animals “to highlight the exotic flavor profiles” of the new bowls and Sweet Earth’s products as a whole, says CEO Kelly Swette.

The campaign, from Dallas-based Brand Cory, includes out-of-home advertising in San Jose, Orlando and Minneapolis.

Its other big focus is Facebook, including ads targeted to prospects with interests in fitness, healthy eating, animal welfare and the environment, as well as posts to the brand’s 170,000 existing fans.

The video ads include ones in which ostriches (below) and flamingos appear to be hurrying home across their native environments, bearing packages of the new entrées.