Rubix Foods
QSR Flavor Innovation at the Speed of Social
Recognized by PRovoke Media's SABRE Innovation Awards for Crowdsourcing & Co-creating
Rubix Foods
Industry: B2B
Rubix Foods is a premier culinary and food science-focused provider of flavor and functional ingredients, offering up insight-driven concepts and breakthrough food solutions for industry-leading restaurants, retailers and manufacturers in the United States.
Challenge
Rubix Foods turned to Belle Communication with a tasty challenge. After rebranding from Darifair, Rubix sought to redefine its identity beyond dairy products and become a leader in flavor and food innovation. Rubix aimed to show its target audience of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) that it was a premium provider of bold, timely flavors that appealed to trend-driven Gen Z audiences.
APPROACH
We knew QSRs were increasingly turning to foodies on TikTok and Instagram to keep an eye on what’s hot—yet, few were gathering customer insights from social media to drive menu innovation or predict future flavor trends. Enter the idea of Rubix’s NEXT Flavor Network: a handpicked, powerhouse group of influencers with engaged Gen Z followings who would partner with Rubix to dream up the next trending sauce and crowdsource coveted insights directly from their audiences.
Letting social media influencers take the wheel on flavor decisions? Bold. But also a smart play to show off Rubix’s knack for helping QSRs create Gen Z-approved limited-time offers (LTOs) in under two weeks. Add sharp thought leadership and smart media relations, and Rubix was poised to elevate its standing.
PROGRAM
The NEXT Flavor Network’s inaugural class included three respected foodie influencers with a combined 2.6M+ Gen Z following. Creators were engaged early on in product development and market research processes, bucking their expected role in the marketing mix. They answered flavor briefs sharing more information about the brands and taste trends that were catching their eye, then visited Rubix’s Innovation Center to mix up and develop their own resonant sauces that they believed would capture the hearts (+ taste buds) of Gen Z.
In true B2C fashion, once chosen and named, sauce creations were introduced on social media and taste-tested at a Flavor Fight activation outside of Lollapalooza. Proprietary insights from influencer flavor polls + surveys were bundled up into sales enablement assets and a research report to fuel Rubix's market positioning as an ingredients supplier with deep connections to Gen Z and secure meetings with top QSR targets.
Outcomes
Influencer-created sauces weren’t just a hit—they changed how new flavors were brought to market. Social polls racked up over 45K responses and nearly 1K people weighed in during the Flavor Fight, delivering richer, more authentic audience insights than the industry’s typical survey methods.
Rubix’s top targets couldn’t look away, impressed by the supplier’s ability to churn out pre-tested, Gen Z-approved concepts on a tight timeline. The buzz even landed Rubix an exclusive spot at a top target’s Innovation Day where they showcased their new flavors and approach. And the media? Hooked. Findings from Rubix’s Gen Z Flavor Trends Report lit up foodservice trades and even made waves in national news.
