Knorr, Unilever’s largest food brand, has a mission to get as many people as possible eating healthy vegetables by “making the good stuff irresistible”. But there’s a brand perception problem. Knorr is perceived as “the Granny in the room” - a somewhat old-fashioned “flavourings” brand with associations to processed convenience foods – hardly the champion of natural, nutritious vegetables. The challenge was to reposition Knorr as a fresh-thinking innovator, fully invested in inclusive nutrition – in a way that would generate talkability and boost appeal amongst fresh young audiences. As to how that could be achieved, any idea was on the menu.

“Fussy”, “picky”, “difficult”… Society labels those who struggle to eat veggies. Yet 1 in 4 people are born with gene TAS2R38, known by scientists as the “supertaster gene”. This makes many vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach and cabbage taste extremely bitter. It can also result in a lifetime of anxiety around food and avoidance of healthy meal options. So we invented the Supercube, for supertasters. We believe this is the first food product made specifically for those with the gene, helping a quarter of the population enjoy a healthy, vegetable-packed diet. Unlike usual stock cubes that add flavour, this reduces certain flavours. The cube works its magic with natural herbs, spices and some clever flavour science. Whether infused or sprinkled as a garnish, the ingredients work in unison to activate and deactivate key taste receptors on the tongue, reducing perception of flavours supertasters find bitter.

As awareness of the gene TAS2R38 is so low, there’s also a bitter taste in society. Gene carriers are labelled “picky eaters”. To validate this, we conducted a study into stigmas faced by supertasters, which found 77% experience negativity from others, regardless of life stage. But they're not “picky”, they're “supertasters” – a far healthier message to put into the world. By leveraging Knorr R&D, we could go beyond comms to develop an actual solution. The first food product for supertasters would position Knorr as a pioneer of inclusive nutrition – and provide a story that could be shared via social influencers, events and news media. As the issue affects gene carriers throughout life, the story would resonate with the widest possible audience – but we would refresh the brand by giving media focus to young Millennials and Gen-Z parents who particularly relate to the tensions caused by "fussy eating."

We (submitting agency) had the Supercube idea October 2023 and Knorr R&D immediately fast-tracked prototype development. “Predictive flavour modelling” allowed testing of hundreds of natural ingredients that modulate tastebuds, while design teams developed packaging. Pre-launch, we generated talkability by developing a Knorr branded test kit – paper strips infused with “PROP”, a scientifically established test for the gene. Influencers shared their results and the public could request kits via supertasters.se. We also developed the first study exploring the stigma faced by supertasters, with sensory expert Dr. Johan Swahn and 94 confirmed supertasters. The story of the limited edition Supercube launched 19 February with the opening of a restaurant dedicated to confirmed supertasters – Stockholm’s Nabo brasserie rebadged as “Supertasters”. Films captured supertasters loving the foods they normally hate and were distributed via social media through March and April. The product is aimed for retail rollout in 2025.

The Supercube is a radical new food technology, validated to “significantly reduce bitter flavours” by an independent expert sensory panel.

The innovation reached 144 million via coverage in Sweden’s most popular news outlets: TV4 Nyhetsmorgon, P4 Extra, Göteborgs-Posten, plus various food, lifestyle and health titles in Sweden and beyond. Our entire stock of 30,000 test strips were sent on request to the public in one week.

Demand for the product has been proven: 70% of consumers who saw the news would buy the Supercube. Brand perception aims were achieved too: 80% perceive Knorr as inclusive, 85% view Knorr as more innovative than before.

The Supercube is easy to scale. Knorr aims to bring it to six EU markets in 2025, making this the first product for supertasters – a huge new commercial market for Knorr and the wider food industry. Retailers have already requested to stock the Supercube.