Get the insight you need to understand what actually motivates specialty food and beverage customers to try, buy, or switch ... straight from the horse’s mouth.
We use our proprietary customer segmentation model to divide the general population of the U.S. into 64 unique customer segments based on their self-reported specialty food and beverage buying motivations, preferences, and habits.
We’ve found that many (or all) of these common problems are usually a result of one thing:
We regularly survey and interview tens
of thousands of U.S. specialty food and beverage consumers to find out exactly why they buy and what motivates them to try new brands and products.
Members gain unlimited access to all of our consumer research, including aggregated data on the motivations, preferences, and purchasing habits of the general population of the U.S. We recruit new participants on a monthly basis, so our core sample is always growing.
We then use our proprietary segmentation model to divide the general population into 64 unique segments based on their self-reported specialty food and beverage buying motivations and preferences.
Members can search, browse, and explore any of our 64 unique customer segments, including the ability to easily compare segments to one another — or to compare a specific segment against the general population of U.S. consumers.
We can then connect you directly to consumers in any of our segments so that you can explore, evaluate, or “pressure test” nearly any key growth decision — from branding, messaging, pricing, packaging design, and more.
Members can connect directly with individual consumers in any of our segments via quick-turn pulse surveys or AI-moderated video interviews that produce real feedback in a matter of hours.
All at wholesale prices that don’t break the bank.
Brands, Retailers, and Agencies turn to Specialty Foodies to better understand why consumers try, buy, and switch.
For Brands
Whose livelihood—and existence—relies on driving more product sales
For Retailers
Who want to sell more, choose the right products, and increase store loyalty
For Agencies
Who are under constant pressure to boost conversion and prove their worth
Other consumer insights companies provide you with analytics and behavioral data that often tell you what your ideal customers have done (and that’s great). But we focus on the why, so that you can better understand what your ideal customers will do, how they will act, and what motivates them to try or buy specialty food and beverage products.
Learn what your customers are looking for.
Directly from them.
Specialty Foodies is a consumer segmentation model that breaks down specialty food shoppers into 64 unique segments based on their shopping habits, spending, and preferences. We surveyed and interviewed over 11,000+ U.S. households.
Our team at Schaefer loves the food & beverage industry. We saw a gap in the specialty food market and felt like we could fill it. Giving away this kind of data is a way for us to be apart of an amazing food community and help founders, marketers, and creatives.
The segments are based on real shopping data, surveys, and industry insights, grouping people with similar behaviors and preferences. We focused primarily on the motivations of shoppers rather than just key demographics.
We talked with over 11,000+ U.S. households. Our research focused on the general U.S. population and participants mirrored U.S. census records to ensure that age, demographics, income, and even location proportions all matched the U.S. at large. We also isolated people who purchase specialty food as a percentage of U.S. households.
It helps brands find their best customers, create better marketing, and avoid wasting money on the wrong audience. You can get SPINS data and behavioral analytics already -- but it's hard to know why people buy. We answer that with this segmentation data.
You can analyze your customer data using Specialty Foodies' segmentation model or request a custom report.
Yes, the data helps businesses target the right audience, shape marketing messages, and develop products that match consumer demand.
Find the segments that spend the most, learn what they care about, and advertise where they shop. If you want to talk directly to this segment -- reach out.
Yes, you can request a custom segmentation report that aligns with your custom needs. We also can setup segment specific follow up research if you desire. Because we already connected with each of these segments, follow up research is massively discounted.
The data is updated regularly to keep up with changing consumer trends. We've already updated the data twice since launching the original research at the end of 2024.
The research team behind Specialty Foodies is Schaefer, a boutique research and marketing strategy firm. We help special brands (like you) find and talk to their ideal customers.
We’re your “Why People Buy” agency. You get the insight you need to understand what motivates food and beverage customers to try, buy, or switch — straight from the horse’s mouth.
Specialty Foodies is a project to better the industry and live our mission “To transform the world’s access to quality foods & beverages by helping brands reach everyone.”
