The natural and organic products industry has experienced a sea change in the past decade. As one of the early pioneers of the industry, Hain Celestial has a highly recognized portfolio of food, snacks, beverages, personal care and cleaning products available worldwide. Its vast collection or brands includes Celestial Seasonings teas, Terra and Garden of Eatin’ snacks and Earth’s Best organic baby food.
After decades as mainstays of natural food stores and recent inroads into conventional grocery store shelves, the company’s food and beverage brands were challenged by increased competition in the healthy eating category. New brands are abundant and increasingly taking market share from a company that had dominated the category for years.
Increased competition inspired a sobering moment for Hain Celestial: the future growth path rested solely on innovation. After a change in leadership, including naming longtime food industry executive Jeff George as the Senior Vice President of Research and Development, the company decided to create a new innovation operating model and turned to Sopheon for help.