Ting A Ling

0:00Welcome to the Emerging Brands Podcast with Kelly Bennett. This is the podcast to discover stories behind your new favorite CPG brands. Each episode brings you behind the scenes of the brand and founder story, learn what sets them apart in the marketplace, and their strategy going to market. We talk about plans for growth, practical advice for an emerging brand founder, and where to shop products that are making waves in food, beverage, wellness, beauty, and beyond. You'll also hear from industry experts, brand builders, investors, and operators you should absolutely have on your radar if you're building a CPG brand today.

0:44I'm your host, Kelly Bennett, a Brooklyn-based brand strategist with a front row seat of what makes an emerging CPG brand stand out. Whether you're building a brand of your own or love supporting what's next, you're in the right place. This episode was made possible by our sponsor, Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds is a platform that connects everyday small creators with brands that drive user-generated content, build buzz at specific retailers, and captures competitive market share. It's a tool that I recommend to all of my clients that you should absolutely check out. Head to hummingbirds.com for all the details.

1:27Now let's dive into the new episode. Hi everyone. Welcome back to a new episode of Emerging Brands Podcast with Kelly Bennett. Today I have a New York City based founder, which I always love to feature local founders. Shanice Black is the founder of Tingling, which is an incredible product. I remember the first time I tried it was at a female founder picnic for really cool CPG brands in Central Park. And it's been on my radar. So Shanice, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today.

2:03Shanice Black:Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here and just to have this conversation with you. Very excited. Awesome. So I know that this is essentially the one year mark of the brand, which is incredible. The first year is not for the faint of heart, so congratulations first on that. But before we dive into your strategy and how the first year has been going and where you're going next, I would love if you could take people behind the scenes of the brand itself. How did Tingling come about? Yeah. Thank you, first of all, for congratulating us on a year. It feels like forever ago, and it's such a journey.

2:44Shanice Black:and like I know other brands are further along in their journey but the one-year mark is just so special and like it's very huge yeah um yeah so quickly about the brand um this all really started with like I start like we sort of say like my grandmother is kind of like the impetus for all of this she is an incredible chef um she had no formal training just like years of wisdom and tradition that she passed on to my mom, my aunts and uncles, and my mom, who really just kind of like took to all of this. She's a chef. And so growing up, I always remember like food being such a big part of our culture, our family, like particularly in Jamaica, like food is such a special way of how we come together, especially on Sundays, we make our biggest meal of the week.

3:42Shanice Black:Like, so food was just always a big part of how I grew up. When we moved to the U.S., it was always just really hard for us to kind of, like, find the flavors and spices that, like, reminded us of home. And I remember, like, going grocery shopping with my mom and grandma and them just being, like, so frustrated that, like, whatever spice they were looking for, they couldn't find it that day or we would have to drive somewhere really far to get it. And so we really wanted to create something that really kind of just like reminded us of home and really captured the flavors that we grew up loving.

4:23Shanice Black:And so that's really the kind of the crux of what started all of this. My mom opened a restaurant in Virginia and the sauces would be one of the things her customers would always ask her. would you ever bottle this? Would you make this? And like, just after years of like, umming and ahhing over it, should we do it? Should we not do it? We just decided like, why not? Um, like it's such a big celebration of like just family, our culture and who we are as people and how food brings people together that we're just like, let's just do it and see what happens. That is all incredible. So when did you all move to the States?

5:08Shanice Black:Well, I moved here when I was very young, like elementary school. Okay. Yeah. So like years ago now, but I always remember like going to the grocery store was just like not fun because whatever we wanted, chances are it wasn't going to be there yeah yeah and we would always have to go out to these like really like far out stores to get things um and it just like it I think what what used to be so fun like us cooking on Sundays wasn't really fun anymore and so we just wanted to not have that experience anymore and it shouldn't have to be that hard especially in today's age to find just like global spices and like unique flavor profiles that are not just like the cookie cutter things that fit on shelves.

6:10Shanice Black:And so I think that was really kind of what stood out for us. That's really interesting of how your family came to the States, had such a struggle in the grocery section as far as finding the ingredients to then your mom opening up a restaurant. I mean, that is such a cool journey of and why I think food is so powerful and why the culinary space is so transformative is that you can make people feel seen and to really bring that sense of home no matter where you are. So when your mom had the restaurant, the guests were asking for the sauces to be bottled. What was the next step of like how you got involved to actually launch a sauce line?

6:57Shanice Black:yeah um to be honest with you like it's all sort of like a blur at this point but I just remember me really getting involved because like I saw that my mom like really loved what she had created with this restaurant um and like with any business starting something it's just so overwhelming and And like, there's a lot that goes into it. Like running a restaurant is no small feat. It's really not. No. And I could tell she wanted to do this, but probably didn't have the brain space to kind of like really carve out like, okay, how do we create a sauce or like a brand for a sauce and really just kind of flesh that out.

7:48And so that was sort of my involvement of just like wanting to help her and doing so much for me growing up. I think when you are an immigrant and like you're a child of an immigrant, you understand that your family sacrificed so much for you to have the things that they didn't have.

8:06Shanice Black:And this was kind of like a way of like me helping my mom with a part of her dream come to life. And I love to cook as well. So like I love being in the kitchen as well. But like this is really such a passion project for the both of us in that like we kind of get to bond over this really unique thing that we're building here. What a cool way for you to say thank you. Yeah. Right. And also for you to leverage your experience now being in the States, being in Brooklyn. Right. Like you have such an incredible exposure to the best of the best in this space. And for you to take what your mom has done and then grow it in a new way, that is such a cool generational like evolution of a concept and idea that started also with your grandma cooking as well.

9:04And so what was your background or what were you doing before you decided to create the sauce line with your mom.

9:13Shanice Black:Yeah. So I, my background, I worked as a consultant for many years doing business strategy and still continue to do that now as well. And I also did my MBA. So I've kind of always had like this entrepreneurial spirit inside of me. I mean, coming from like my family and just like, you know, I think it was sort of just always ingrained in me. So I think building is not something that is like a new concept to me. I think I've always been building in my own way, but now I'm building something very special and very secret. And so, yeah, I think like I always pull back on a lot of like my consulting experience over the years, working with different clients, different industries, like all of it becomes even so more relevant, like as you build a brand, because it's like, you really have a piece in like every single part of it now.

10:17Shanice Black:Whereas like in corporate organizations, you sometimes are just like in the confines of this, like one project now, like you have a full view of the project. So that's really fun and such a unique growth area for me as well. So that is a big, and also a big switch of when you're a consultant to being in corporate to then now being a founder, co-founder, like running the show, right? Yeah. And so now in your role here in really leading the brand, what was your strategy of going to market when you were starting to launch last June? yeah so in the beginning um the focus is really just on niche retailers okay and that was sort of our plan for the most part and then we started to get like a lot of outreach from um other like restaurants that like would see our products and be like oh like we'd like to try like you know bringing this on or adding it on our menu.

11:29Shanice Black:And so like, we do get a lot of like, uh, partnership outreach from like other restaurants, surprisingly, as well as like food baskets, um, has been one of our biggest kind of like, uh, like traction thus far. Like we did our biggest account recently. And I think just like even getting reorders from those kinds of accounts, like it's just like, it's so fulfilling and rewarding because you're like, oh my God, people actually love your stuff. So that's so major. So when you were saying specialty retail, who were you really going after in the beginning of last year? Yeah. So our first store was actually like pop-up grocer.

12:10Shanice Black:That's where I remember you launching. Yeah. So I think just for customers who really want, like, I think like people who are really interested in looking at products that are a little bit more unique than what you would find in your typical grocery store. Like again, looking for those global flavors, really good integrity of the products, meaning like stuff that's not going to be bad for you. Like, you know, I think those kind of customers probably have a different shopping experience than like someone who's going to like a big retail store looking for those kinds of things. Like, I don't think we were at that point to like, you know, being a big grocer, but we still saw that there was traction that we could possibly like lean off these specialty retailers and really kind of find our customer through those doors.

13:05I could say too, as a shopper at Pop-Up Grocer, I always look at what is unique and different and something I haven't seen before. And I remember when I first tried your product and then I saw it at pop-up grocer I was like this is a really cool niche I hadn't really seen something like it it really stood out to me and your story and just the dynamic flavor profile as well I felt like that really made it stand out too yeah yeah it's

13:41Shanice Black:Jerk is such an interesting like flavor profile as well. I feel like it is becoming a lot more mainstream. But I think when people think of Jamaica, it's like kind of like our legendary like flavor profile. So I think just getting more people more exposed to those global flavors has really been so fun and rewarding. And just also showing them that like it can be used on so much more. I think a lot of people think that jerk can only be used on chicken. And I think like part of our innovation of the product and the flavors is really showing people how it can be used for so much more than that. Absolutely.

14:25For tingling, where has been the focus for this year? Now you're a year in, you did pop-up grocer, you're finding a niche with also, you said the gift bags, and sorry, the food baskets. Where is the focus now of like after testing the market, getting a brand awareness going,

14:49Shanice Black:where are you looking to grow this year? Yeah, actually, that's such a great question and so timely because we're actually getting ready to do our launch on Amazon. So that will be our big feat of the summer. um so we're really excited about that um and I think we want to continue to grow with like um obviously like the food baskets um I don't even know if that's the right terminology I'm using but like I think just like we've seen so many good traction with like people who really want like a curated experience for like their meals and their meal prep. We've had a lot of growth with that. And I think we want to continue to leverage and capitalize on that.

15:42And also what's interesting is the fact that it was essentially a spinoff or a brand extension of the restaurant. And then also other food service is reaching out to you, which is an interesting I mean it makes sense um anything there that you're looking to grow on or do you want to stay more to like your mom's area of her restaurant like what's the thought process there

16:09Shanice Black:yeah um I think in terms of other areas that we really want to grow uh is we have a third product that we're working on introducing. It's very, it's very innovative, I think, like to mainstream, but to our culture, I think once we unveil it, it will make a lot of sense also in the sauce category. And we've been doing a lot of research on it and think it will be very, very timely. And so we're very excited about that, like growing with new products as well as like, you know, continuing to strengthen our partnerships that we have currently, I think are our two biggest priorities right now. That's awesome.

17:00Well, I love a sneak peek and I love a teaser. So I'm excited to hear about the next SKU. What do you see as the overall vision of the brand? Like where would you and your mom love to take it?

17:12Shanice Black:yeah I think for us we would love to really just have like I think like just a big celebration of our culture like going back to what I said earlier like their global flavors are becoming more there's there's more exposure that's coming to them but there's still so much work that needs to be done with like introducing new flavor profiles. And I think like the more that we can make things like what we're doing more accessible to people, I think would be a very good indicator of success for us in terms of like, we are actually exposing more people to new ingredients, flavor profiles that they may have not always been exposed to.

18:06Shanice Black:And I think like a lot of our customers will say like, oh, I've had this like when I went to Jamaica and like I tried to find the same thing here, but like I couldn't and it just wasn't the same. And so I think like that authenticity of like what we're doing is like such a core component of this as well, because I think there's a lot of brands and products that do that capitalize on the Caribbean global flavor aspect of things. But I think as us as founders being Caribbeans and Jamaicans, like we uniquely bring a fresh perspective to this problem that I think that no one else can essentially kind of communicate and interact with it the same way that we do.

18:53Love that. I love that point of view. And the fact that it's your family too, I think is just so special. also launching with the restaurant with the sauces I mean that's a huge advantage too that you're able to test and have a built-in audience to launch with like congrats that that's major that's like goals definitely yeah um if there is a piece of advice you would share with someone who maybe is a few different areas that you touch upon maybe they're launching a business with their family and using a recipe that is inspired by their family or they're in those very early trenches of getting ready to launch and looking at how do they, you know, get brand awareness when they don't necessarily have much traction getting started.

19:46What are a

19:47Shanice Black:few pieces of advice that you would share with someone a year ago from where you are? yeah I think the biggest piece of advice I would share is that I think the CPG space like it's such a crowded space and I think there's so many products like there's always like something that is available and I think the most useful piece of advice that I received when I was doing this is really just kind of like sitting down and understanding like your unique story, your unique point of view that you bring to this, that no one else probably has that same lens. And I think the more that you kind of sit with that and peel back the different layers of like what that means, you really can carve out of space that you're like, okay, this is kind of where I sit uniquely different.

20:44Shanice Black:I think sometimes it'd be like to chase the formulas of like, oh, so-and-so is doing this or they're doing that, or this works for them. I should do that too. And you sort of get in this rat race of like doing a bunch of different things that may not necessarily work for you because your customer segment might be different. Like your goals are different. And so I think for me and my mom, it's a constant reminder of like, like checking back in with that. Like, what is our POV? What is our why? What is our unique story that like no one else can do the same way that we do? Because there's someone out there that's looking for that.

21:24Shanice Black:And you sort of have to like continue being yourself so that the people who are looking for you can find you would be the best piece of advice I would give to anyone, honestly. That's a huge, huge piece of advice that I would definitely sign off on as well because I interview so many people, even on a weekly basis, at least three interviews. I have clients, pitches. The people in brands that really stand out to me are the ones exactly what you said, have a unique perspective, a unique take on something. And it feels very genuine and authentic that this is who they are, what they believe in, what they're passionate about, what they bring to the table.

22:06And when you could really hone in on that, I think everything starts falling into place from there.

22:13Shanice Black:Yeah, it really does. And it's hard. Like it's tough, but I think when you are passionate about what you're doing, like I think you always find a way to persevere. Absolutely. And one other thing I want to ask you for someone who is starting a brand that's based off of a family recipe and wants to be respectful of the roots and origin, but also bring it into the U.S. market where maybe people are not as exposed to their flavors and dishes. Any piece of advice for them? Um, yeah, I mean, I think like, okay, I think it's twofold. Like, I think you also have to like, understand your customer who you're serving, right?

23:06Shanice Black:That's like one side of things. Like, but if you have like maybe secondary, a secondary customer segment that you think there is potential to grow with, but they may not necessarily know everything about like international and global flavors. I think educating them in a way that doesn't sound like preachy, but like fun and exciting and like, oh, I'm learning this cool new thing. And like, I think for us, like we in our like marketing, uh, like on our pages, like we use a lot of like our Jamaican slang because that's just like what our primary consumer would like know and hear, You know, but for those that may not necessarily know that, like we try to make it fun for them to learn like what these words mean as well.

23:54Shanice Black:So we're not like detracting from who we are, but like also like encouraging those who may not be familiar to like kind of get involved in a fun way and learn more. That's a great tangible example. And I've noticed that about your brand. And I thought it was really fun because a lot of that's like, I don't know. but your brand feels really welcoming and fun and just the way that you're approaching it. I felt, I feel that genuinely. Yeah. Yeah. So great. Okay. Last question before I let you go, where can we shop tingling? Yeah. Um, so we are online. You can get us directly from our website at tinglingeats.com and we will be launching on Amazon as well this summer.

24:42Shanice Black:And we have on our website, we have all of our, we have our store locator. So we are in about 24, um, stores right now across the country. So if you're in the area of any of those stores, you can pop on by and check us out. Um, and we're here in New York as well, Virginia. So yeah, wherever is convenient for you, definitely check us out. Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I love that it's a mother-daughter duo and how you're taking your heritage and your story and your recipes and bringing it to the U.S. market. It's really cool. Congrats. Thank you. Thank you so much, Kelly. You're so welcome.

25:21Thank you everyone for listening and I'll see you on the next episode. This episode of the Emerging Brands podcast was made possible by our sponsor, Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds is a platform that connects everyday small creators with brands to drive user-generated content, build buzz at specific retailers, and capture competitive market share. It's a tool that I recommend to all of my clients and one you should absolutely check out. Head to hummingbirds.com for all the details. If you're new here, hi, I'm Kelly Bennett, a Brooklyn-based brand strategist working with first-time CPG food and beverage founders.

26:02I have a front row seat of what makes an emerging CPG brand stand out because you're not just building a product, you are building a brand. And you want to make sure that is one that consumers love and retailers remember. That's where I come in. I've recently advised brands like Frankly Good Coffee, She's the Sauce, a new non-alcoholic cocktail line that's coming to market soon, and a hormone-conscious deodorant because food adjacent brands count to. If you are bringing a new product to market, please reach out at withkellybennett.com. Thank you so much for listening and sharing. You can follow me on Instagram at withkellybennett and you can follow the show at Emerging Brands Podcast.

26:51Thank you again and I'll see you on the next episode.