At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Dan-O's Seasoning was sold in 130 retail locations.
That all changed when the Louisville-based company's founder, Dan Oliver, began posting recipe videos using the all-natural seasoning on TikTok. He amassed more than a million followers on the platform in under a year, and currently boasts 2.3 million followers and one billion views under its hashtag, #danosseasoning.
The social media growth not only boosted sales, but apparently retail distribution, too.
In late March, Dan-O's was in nearly 1,300 stores. But starting this month, that will jump to 7,800 stores — a 6,000% retail increase since the pandemic — thanks to expanded deals with both Walmart Inc. and The Kroger Co., the nation's two largest grocery chains, according to a news release.
“It’s crazy how our ‘Plan B’ pandemic marketing strategy resonated with so many people,” Oliver said in the release. “Social media was one of the only ways to get in front of folks for a while and, once they were able to try Dan-O’s, the quality spoke for itself. Like I always say, you don’t know ‘til you Dan-O.”
While TikTok may make Dan-O's look like an overnight success, Oliver actually started selling the product in 2016. Prior to the pandemic, he had a trade show sales strategy, and when the Covid-19 canceled travel, he turned to TikTok.
“I grabbed some ingredients and a six-pack and started cranking out videos in my kitchen,” Oliver said. “People loved it — sales went up, followers went up, distribution went up. I think people respond to our authenticity. We’re not trying to be slick or gimmicky, we just are who we are — all-natural, like our product.”
Dan-O's Seasoning had more than $2 million in revenue when I wrote a profile on Oliver in January 2021, up from $210,000 in 2019. The company declined to share updated revenue figures.
Offering low-sodium blends in original, spicy and hot chipotle, Dan-O's can now be found in every Walmart and Kroger store nationwide, the release continued. It will also land on shelves at B.J.’s Wholesale Club, Ingles Market, Raley’s Supermarkets and more than a dozen other retailers, with additional distribution deals in the works.
In early 2020, Oliver was Dan-O's only full-time employee, aside from "Toothpick Timmy," his occasional TikTok co-star, who worked with him on a contract basis. The company now has 60 full-time employees in sales, marketing and warehouse.
The news of the distribution growth comes just a couple of months after the company announced it was teaming up with Eric Wood, former University of Louisville and Buffalo Bills center, as an investor and strategic partner. Wood is helping Dan-O’s continue its expansion across the U.S. and internationally by increasing brand awareness and growing strategic partnerships.
