Consumers looking for coffee at the grocery store or online are deluged by choices: three levels of roast; dozens of added flavors; branded, co-branded and generics; regular, decaf and half caf; premium, regular and economy. It’s a wonder that any brand can stand out.
Mimi Nguyen, founder of Cafely — which produces robust coffee and functional drinks based on coffee beans from Vietnam — has competed in this crowded space by utilizing knowledge about her buyers’ demographics and influences.
Cafely’s online buyer data revealed that Gen Z consumers – people born between 1997 and 2012 – were the majority of their customers, especially among those who made repeat purchases and brought in referrals, Nguyen reports. Interestingly, some of the online reviews and feedback noted these buyers were influenced by their Gen Alpha family members (Gen Alpha are current children and pre-teens).
“To put it simply, both generations have a strong influence to drive current and future buying behaviors,” Nguyen says.
Cafely has structured its marketing to reach these potential buyers. They emphasize their commitment to sustainability – an important factor for Gens Z and Alpha – and collaborate with “influencers” who spread the word on social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Cafely’s efforts are repeated throughout the food industry as manufacturers seek to engage the newest generations of buyers.
“Traditional advertising won’t cut it,” says Petra Khan, associate director-social strategy at ICUC, a social media services management company. “These generations respond to humor, fast-moving content and brands that don’t take themselves too seriously. The key is meeting them where they are on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and even Snapchat, with content that entertains first and sells second.”
What drives Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Every generation is affected by the era in which they grow up, and today’s young consumers are no exception. The world today seems to move quickly, knows few borders, is less respective of tradition and always seems on the edge of crisis. Those attributes are reflected in young consumers who seek rapid gratification and have less trust of authority.
But this group is complex and certainly heterogeneous. Many embrace sustainability – realizing it is their future that is threatened by climate change – value authenticity and eschew phoniness.
What does all that mean for consumer food manufacturers? Let’s consider these issues, and what they mean for this industry, one at a time.
+ Authenticity: Cafely’s promotional campaigns emphasize the company’s back story – Nguyen arrived in the U.S. from her homeland of Vietnam and discovered that coffee here is comparatively weak. She solved the problem by creating a company that emulates Vietnamese coffee, and continues to work with producers in that country.
“Our commitment to sustainability and our transparency with working with homegrown farmers from Vietnam were reasons why our customers are buying our products,” Nguyen says.
Emphasizing that back story builds the company’s authenticity, which is attractive to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. These young consumers would rather buy from a company with a genuine background than from a faceless conglomerate.
Betty Kaufman, strategy director at The Culinary Edge, explains that transparency about background grabs attention.
“Gen Zs value, and demand, transparency when determining which F&B brands they choose to spend their dollars on,” Kaufman says. “From hyper-specific sourcing stories to a deeper understanding of whole body wellness, this generation takes a more-is-more approach to information.”
Authenticity is not just about a back story, however. Mitch Van Kampen, president and head of account management at Curious Plot, says that another way for a brand to express authenticity is to create experiences that directly interact with consumers.
For example, Curious Plot was tasked by client Midwest Dairy with building loyalty for dairy products among Gen Z consumers. They created a campaign called Moo Lab that included bringing samples of “moon milk,” a frothy, milk-based drink infused with spices and functional ingredients, to students at two college campuses. They encouraged students to create and share images on social media.
“We served more than 1,500 cups of moon milk across the two campuses, and students organically spread the word through social media and word-of-mouth throughout the day,” Van Kampen says. “The campaign reinforced that when dairy is presented in an engaging, relevant way, Gen Z is open to incorporating it into their routine.”
This campaign, which debuted in 2018, was followed up in 2023 with a similar campaign that provided dairy products to students on five campuses. They surveyed students afterwards and learned that 74.5% “were more likely to include dairy in their next meal.”
“By meeting Gen Z where they are — on campuses, through peer-led conversations and with hands-on experiences — we created a more modern, values-driven narrative around dairy that went beyond traditional nutrition messaging,” Van Kampen says.
+ Exploration: Young consumers are less wed to traditional products and enjoy trying new or refreshed brands. Kaufman cites a trend called “newstalgia,” in which a legacy brand refreshes itself to attract a new audience.
“Gen Z loves a rebrand, so when kombucha legacy Health Ade created a Gen Z targeted brand, Sun Sip, Gen Z was all in,” Kaufman says. “With a focus on gut health, vibrant packaging and smart influencer collaborations, functional sodas have become a hit among this demographic.”
Kaufman also points to Kraft Heinz’s Taco Bell at-home kits and branded sauces as an example of legacy brand that expanded into the retail space with a fresh approach to better reach younger buyers. And she says olive oil provider Graza also fits into this category – the brand created new Instagrammable packaging that prompted Gen Z consumers to “flock to the brand,” she says.
“While older generations like to hold tight to what they know and love, Gen Zs love a good rebrand and thrive on fresh, new, and innovative concepts,” she says. “Gen Z and Alpha are often excited by legacy brands that are not afraid to own their history, or better yet, when they give themselves a bit of a new look to stay relevant. For manufacturers, this can be an exciting opportunity to let go of the fear of alienation or leaving their legacy consumer behind and embrace the era of rebirth.”
+ Sustainability: Younger consumers like Gen Z and Alpha have been raised on the concept of global climate change and are more likely than older consumers to value a brand’s commitment to sustainability.
However, how brands connect themselves to sustainability is important. As noted above, authenticity is important to younger consumers, and “greenwashing,” or an inauthentic sustainability campaign, does not fly with them.
“Gen Z expects food brands to not only talk about sustainability but live those values,” Van Kampen explains. “In our research, 65% of respondents were highly curious about reducing food waste, and 63% sought inspiration for preparing smaller meals. These numbers suggest that younger consumers want practical, everyday ways to minimize their impact.”
Those percentages, which come from an annual study called the Consumer Curiosity Report that Curious Plot undertakes, suggest that Gen Z and Alpha are not responsive to promotions that just offer platitudes.
“Sustainability messaging should be clear and actionable,” Van Kampen says. “The goal is to engage consumers by making sustainability tangible and showing how their choices can make a difference. For example, by showing how a brand’s packaging reduces waste, providing ideas for reusing or repurposing items, or highlighting farmers’ regenerative practices in an engaging way.”
+ Diversity: Young consumers also recognize that their world is more diverse than ever, and they value brands that express that fact in their promotions. They appreciate promotional campaigns that reflect the world they are living in.
“Gen Z and Alpha want to see a diverse representation within products, marketing and messaging,” Kaufman says. “For Gen Z, inclusivity is more than just surface-level diversity — it’s about brands representing a range of identities and being transparent about ethical practices.”
How to deliver that message?
Once a brand has nailed down its story, created a sustainable culture and created a campaign that shows its commitment to diversity, how should it spread that message to Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Since these consumers were born after the internet, they are totally comfortable with the world coming to them online.
“Gen Alpha is the most tech-integrated generation yet,” Khan of ICUC says. “They’ve been exposed to screens from birth, so using digital platforms feels second nature. Like Gen Z, they prefer short, attention-grabbing content, making TikTok and YouTube their go-to platforms. But Gen Alpha takes it a step further, gravitating toward interactive experiences like Roblox and YouTube Kids. Research shows that 65% of kids aged 8-10 spend up to four hours daily on social media and consume entertainment and educational content.”
One way that brands use TikTok and the other social media platforms is to engage with influencers. These are individuals with a broad social media following who are willing to promote a given product, often for pay.
Tapping influencers is an important part of Cafely’s strategy, Nguyen says.
They start the relationship with influencers by searching social sites to find individuals whose content seems relevant to their brand and whose manner and content quality match the quality Cafely wants to express. They search these sites manually or by using hashtags. A tool called HypeAuditor also helps them find influencers who align with their values.
Once they identify an influencer they would like to connect with, they send an email and offer to send product in exchange for honest reviews. If the influencer declines, they suggest a paid partnership instead. When a paid relationship develops, Cafely writes a contract that includes key points about the products the influencer can include in content and guidelines that ensure the brand is properly represented.
“For example, we often prioritize reaching out to influencers who are coffee enthusiasts, along with home cooks who are passionate about creating and experimenting with new recipes,” Nguyen says. “A few we’ve worked with integrate it into their morning routines while others use some of our products as key ingredients to create delicacies like brownies.”
Nguyen says they measure the success of an influencer’s engagement by looking at metrics from Instagram and Google Analytics. In the former, they look at engagement rates, reach and video plays, as well as data about demographics. With Google Analytics, they compare how each campaign drives new people to the Cafely website.
Conclusion
Not everyone agrees that Gen Z and Gen Alpha require new approaches. Reilly Newman, founder of Motif Brands, takes the contrarian view.
“My marketing philosophy is that age plays a relatively minor role,” he says. “While it certainly must be considered in product design, recipes, etc., I believe that the ‘boxes’ we place consumers in based solely on their age are too broad to market effectively and accurately. From Crocs to Apple products, buyers of all ages agree on brands.”
But most food marketers see younger consumers as a group that does require special attention. Their digital-first attributes, combined with life in a world consistently rocked by crisis, means they have developed buying habits that must be acknowledged.
“Reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha isn’t about making food trendy, it’s about making it meaningful,” Van Kampsen says. “Brands that can tap into functionality, authenticity and values-driven messaging will earn this generation’s trust and loyalty in the long run.”
