Veronica Blue built a career in the hotel industry before going back to school to learn marketing. She was managing SEO for a major U.S. retailer based in Cleveland and working on her health, when she invented what would soon become her third career: Phenomenal Foods Co, a brand of keto-friendly hot cereals that quickly became a best-seller.
Phenomenal Foods Co. is the product of Blue’s struggle with chronic fatigue. For 10 years, she said she was a “pin cushion,” as several doctors ran “every blood test known to man to determine a cause.” Fed up and without answers, she decided to try a ketogenic diet, cutting carbs, in an effort to lose weight and regain energy.
It worked. Blue lost 60 pounds and gained a whole new life that she credits to the diet. While playing around with recipes, she made an oatmeal replacement that was high in protein, low in carbs and completely grain- and gluten-free. It would become her flagship product, Creamy Keto Hot Cereal Original.
Blue developed her keto-friendly recipes after work and on weekends. She calls herself “her target customer”; because she’s on the keto diet, she sees what is and isn’t on the shelves for gluten-free products. Seeing a gap in hot cereal options, Blue launched Phenomenal Foods Co. in the Amazon store in September 2021.
Blue says tools like Amazon Prime have been crucial in providing an unparallel customer experience that she would be hard-pressed to deliver on her own. Knowing that her customers can get next-day delivery and easy returns puts her mind at ease.
“One reason Amazon is such a great place to start a business is you literally have a built-in logistics department as soon as you start,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to put that together on my own.”
Three months later, Phenomenal Foods was close to selling $10,000 a month in hot cereal. With her concept proven, she said, she quit her job and never looked back.
“The best part of my job now is getting the direct messages from our customers, reading the reviews. It’s just been amazing,” said Blue. “I know the frustration of being in the grocery store and not being able to find foods that meet your taste and nutritional preferences. This was something that I really felt a responsibility to bring to the market. There are millions of people who need a product like this.”
Blue said that, with Amazon, she’s able to focus on what she does best and “let Amazon do the rest.” Calling Amazon her logistics partner, she said the savings from choosing Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which handles her shipping and logistics, gives her capital to invest in other parts of her business.
“Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey, as I am the only full-time employee. It would be nearly impossible to try and manage all of the moving parts on my own,” said Blue. “As a small business owner, I get to take advantage of the cost savings that Amazon can offer their shipping partners and it has definitely helped to save money that can be reinvested into other areas of the business.”
One crucial area of investment has been in her marketing initiatives, of which Amazon—particularly Amazon Ads—has played a large part. Because of the ability to target new Amazon customers with top-performing keywords, Blue has been able to scale her business more quickly.
“Amazon Ads are a really powerful tool for targeting new customers and for staying top-of-mind with existing customers,” she said. “Over time, we’ve been able to optimize those ads so that they’re performing in a way that’s more efficient, and they’ve been a big part of our growth.”
Blue said selling in the Amazon store has also helped Phenomenal Foods Co. gain visibility and build credibility offline. She’s now partnering with Midwest grocery stores and getting ready to launch her own direct-to-consumer website. As sales continue to grow, Blue said she’s ready to take Phenomenal Foods Co. global, confident that she’ll find success with Amazon as her partner.
“Five years from now, I envision Phenomenal Foods being a multi-million-dollar organization with global reach and just continuing to grow,” she added. “We will absolutely be a household name.