05/03/2022
Hen Of The Woods Redesign:
Weird name, right? Even weirder when you find out we don’t sell chicken feed, forestry services, or even mushrooms.
So if it’s not a product, or even an ingredient, just what the heck is it?
Hen of the Woods is an attitude — a tireless belief that there has got to be a better way.
It all started with a salad, and three Cincinnati chefs who were absolutely convinced that there had to be a better way to make gluten-free croutons. Countless trials later we found it, and our Red Wine Vinegar potato chips born.
That better crouton became a runaway hit, and grew into a complete line of full-flavor, better-than-the-other-guys potato chips that we sold to like-minded food lovers, restaurants and breweries.
Surely, we said to ourselves 20,000 conference calls later, there had to be a better way to share our products with people who would really love them — a way to sell them without selling out. So we built our brand market by market, partnering in each region with grocery stores and food retailers who had tried our products and were as excited about them as we are.
That better way to grow became a better way to collaborate. Rather than building our brand from scratch in markets that don’t know us, we realized we could partner with house brands that customers already know and love and trust. And rather than give them a watered-down, second-tier version of our products, we bring our A game, which makes our partners and their customers love us — even if they don’t know us by name, they know when they’re getting a better product and a better deal. Finally, after long careers in restaurants, we know there has to be a better way for chefs, line cooks and other people who love food to make a living. We started Out of the Woods to help them handle life in the kitchen. It’s our way of giving back and reminding them — and ourselves — that there must be a better way.