How SmearCase is bringing FroCo to Consumers Searching for Frozen Protein – Think Ice Cream Made from Cottage Cheese

Innovation rarely comes from reimagining traditional products in the crowded ice cream and frozen dessert market.

Yet that’s precisely what Joseph Rotondo and his business partner Anthony Dispirito have accomplished with SmearCase—a frozen cottage cheese product (or “froco” as industry insiders now call it) rapidly capturing market share and consumer imagination.

Their journey offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs looking to disrupt established categories.

Rotondo’s Journey: From Kitchen Experiment to Dairy Disruptor

Joseph Rotondo’s path to becoming a food innovator wasn’t linear.

He grew up in the food business. His father owned an Italian restaurant. The kitchen was always a lab, and his dad would instruct Joseph and his siblings to make food come alive and to experiment.

Passionate about health and wellness, Rotondo, a former nutritionist passionate about fitness, stumbled upon his frozen cottage cheese concept almost by accident. While training for a marathon, he wanted a frozen treat that he could enjoy that was better for him than traditional ice cream.

He experimented with cottage cheese in his Brooklyn apartment kitchen.

“I was eating cottage cheese daily for the protein content, but I was getting bored,” Rotondo explained during our recent interview. “One hot summer day, I threw some honey and cinnamon in the freezer just to see what would happen. The texture was surprisingly amazing—creamy yet structured, with little curds creating these delightful pockets of flavor.”

What started as personal experimentation soon became Rotondo’s obsession. He spent months perfecting his formula, addressing the crystallization issues that typically plague frozen dairy products with high water content.

The breakthrough came when Rotondo reconnected with Drew DiSpirito, a former college roommate who had built a successful career in food manufacturing. Dispirito brought production expertise and business acumen to complement Rotondo’s product vision.

Together, they refined the manufacturing process, developed flavor profiles, and launched SmearCase in 2024 with three initial flavors: Honey Vanilla, Wild Berry, and Chocolate Chip.

Three Critical Brand & Marketing Insights

Here are three key insights from their success that should guide aspiring food entrepreneurs:

1. Embrace, Don’t Hide, Your Product’s Uniqueness

Many startups make the critical mistake of downplaying what makes them different, fearing consumer resistance to unfamiliar concepts. Rotondo and Dispirito took the opposite approach with SmearCase—they leaned into the unexpected nature of their product, starting with the brand name itself.

“SmearCase” directly references the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch term for cottage cheese, immediately signaling authenticity while creating intrigue. Rather than hiding that they were selling frozen cottage cheese, which market research might have advised against, they made it their unique selling proposition.

Their packaging prominently features the words “Frozen Cottage Cheese” above the SmearCase logo, with an appealing image of cottage cheese curds swirled with flavor ingredients. This transparency builds trust and curiosity simultaneously.

The lesson: Don’t mask your product’s true nature to fit existing categories—celebrate what makes it different.

Early focus groups revealed mixed reactions to the concept, but those who loved it became instant evangelists. This polarization worked in their favor, creating strong brand advocates who felt they’d discovered something special. SmearCase embraced its position as a conversation starter rather than trying to please everyone.

2. Solve a Real Problem with Authentic Storytelling

The most sustainable food brands address genuine consumer needs rather than creating artificial ones. SmearCase has succeeded, so far, because it solves multiple problems simultaneously: protein-seeking consumers wanting dessert options, sustainability-minded shoppers looking for minimally processed foods, and adventurous eaters craving novel experiences.

Rotondo and Dispirito built their marketing narrative around this problem-solution framework, but importantly, they grounded it in Rotondo’s authentic personal journey. Their social media doesn’t feature polished, corporate messaging. Instead, it showcases Rotondo’s original kitchen experiments, with early failures and genuine excitement over breakthroughs.

This authenticity extends to its product development transparency. When formulating their third seasonal flavor line, they invited early customers to participate in tasting panels and documented the entire process. This generated valuable feedback and created a sense of ownership among their customer bases.

The takeaway for entrepreneurs is to resist the urge to create a perfect brand narrative. Let consumers see the real challenges and passion behind your product. Today’s consumers can detect artifice instantly and reward genuine stories with loyalty.

3. Design Your Distribution Strategy Around Experience and Community, Not Just Convenience

Perhaps the most counterintuitive move in SmearCase’s strategy was its distribution approach. While most food startups rush to secure retail shelf space, Rotondo and Dispirito initially focused on creating tasting experiences through pop-ups, farmers markets, and fitness center partnerships.

“We knew people needed to taste it to understand it,” explains Dispirito. “No amount of marketing copy could convey what happens when someone experiences that first spoonful.”

This experience-first distribution model allowed them to refine their messaging based on real-time consumer reactions. They carefully observed which flavor descriptions resonated, which nutritional benefits sparked interest, and which objections needed addressing. Only after building a devoted following did they approach specialty retailers with data demonstrating strong repeat purchase rates.

Their packaging was designed with this sampling strategy in mind. Each pint features a QR code that links to short videos of first-time tasters’ reactions, extending the communal experience to retail purchases.

This strategy transformed skeptical shoppers into curious experimenters willing to take a chance on an unfamiliar concept.

The lesson here is powerful: distribution isn’t just about product availability—it’s about designing touchpoints that convert curiosity into conviction. For innovative products, convenience should follow experience, not precede it.

The Future of “Froco”

SmearCase has expanded to national distribution through premium grocers and direct-to-consumer channels. Its product line has grown to include eight permanent flavors and seasonal limited editions. Most impressively, it sparked a new category, with several competitors now entering the “froco” space.

Rotondo and Dispirito’s vision extends beyond building a single successful brand. They’re actively working to establish frozen cottage cheese as a recognized dessert category through industry partnerships and educational marketing.

For entrepreneurs looking to disrupt established food categories, SmearCase offers a masterclass in turning product uniqueness into market advantage. Their willingness to embrace their product’s distinctive qualities, tell an authentic development story, and prioritize experiential marketing has transformed a kitchen experiment into a dairy case revolution.

If you’re developing an innovative food product, remember that sometimes the most powerful marketing strategy is simply letting your product be precisely what it is and finding the consumers who will love it for those reasons.

Author note:

While I haven’t tasted SmearCase, I hope to visit the metro NY area on a future trip. I love frozen desserts, and one of the joys of my career was the first time I ate sushi with Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, AKA Ben & Jerry’s. This was back in my Rachel’s Brownies days when we attended our first Specialty Food Show at the Javit Center in NY. By the way, Ben & Jerry’s is contemplating acquiring its brand from Unilever.

This is my second article this month on cottage cheese-related products. I wrote about Good Culture and how much I enjoy this brand in my daily diet. It shows that protein is one of today’s superstars in the food industry.

If you know of an innovative, highly disruptive, and distinctive food or beverage brand, please reach out to me at jeffslater@themarketingsage.com I’m always curious to write about foodpreneurs.

Connect with Jeff at The Marketing Sage Consultancy. Interested in setting up a call with me? Use my calendly to schedule a time to talk. The call is free, and we can discuss your brand and marketing needs.

If you want to learn more about my new offering, The Trusted Advisor Board, you can click here to learn the details. Feel free to email me at jeffslater@themarketing sage.com or text 919 720 0995. Thanks for your interest in working with The Marketing Sage Consultancy.

The post Curd Your Enthusiasm: How SmearCase, A Frozen Cottage Cheese Finds Its Way appeared first on The Marketing Sage.

A provocative new book called The Power of Instinct by Leslie Zane

I read many marketing and branding books and rarely find original thinking. This book is different, or I should say – distinctive.

I’m a big fan of a counterintuitive or contrarian perspective, which allows me to rethink my beliefs. Leslie Zane has created a brilliant new contribution to the world of marketing.

In this groundbreaking book “The Power of Instinct,” Leslie Zane challenges long-held beliefs about consumer behavior and brand loyalty.

Drawing from her extensive experience in marketing and brand strategy, Zane presents a fresh perspective that places instinct at the forefront of decision-making processes. This review explores my takeaways from the critical concepts of Zane’s work and examines how they represent a departure from conventional marketing wisdom.

I love a contrarian whose thinking is based on experience, science, and critical thinking.

The Central Thesis

Zane’s core argument is that instinct drives most consumer decisions rather than conscious thought. She contends that marketers have long focused on appealing to consumers’ rational minds, neglecting the decisive role that subconscious impulses play in shaping preferences and behaviors.

This insight forms the foundation of her approach to brand building and customer engagement.

The Instinct-First Approach

According to Zane, successful brands tap into consumers’ instinctive responses. She argues that people make decisions in milliseconds, often before their conscious mind has had time to process information. This rapid, intuitive decision-making is based on a complex web of associations stored in the subconscious mind. Marketers can create stronger, more resilient brands by understanding and influencing these associations.

Challenging Traditional Market Research

One of the most controversial aspects of Zane’s work is her critique of traditional market research methods. She argues that focus groups, surveys, and other standard tools often fail to capture the proper drivers of consumer behavior because they rely on conscious, verbal responses. Zane suggests that these methods may even lead marketers astray by emphasizing rational factors that play a minimal role in purchasing decisions.

The Power of Positive Associations

Zane emphasizes the importance of building positive associations with a brand. Unlike traditional approaches focusing on unique selling propositions or product features, her method centers on creating positive connections in the consumer’s mind. These associations, she argues, are what truly drive brand preference and loyalty.

Redefining Brand Loyalty

In “The Power of Instinct,” Zane challenges the conventional understanding of brand loyalty. She posits that true loyalty is not about conscious commitment or rational preference but rather an instinctive, emotionally driven attachment to a brand. This perspective shifts the focus from cultivating explicit brand advocates to fostering deep-seated, positive associations.

The Role of Emotion in Decision-Making

While the importance of emotion in marketing is not a new concept, Zane takes it a step further. She argues that emotions are not just influencers of decisions but are inextricably linked to the instinctive responses that drive choices. This view challenges marketers to think beyond creating emotional advertising and instead focus on embedding positive emotional associations at every brand touchpoint.

Rethinking Customer Segmentation

Zane’s work also has implications for how marketers approach customer segmentation. Instead of dividing consumers based on demographic or psychographic factors, she suggests focusing on shared instinctive responses. This approach can lead to more effective targeting and messaging strategies that resonate more deeply with consumers.

The Limitations of Conscious Choice

Throughout the book, Zane challenges the notion that consumers make primarily rational, conscious choices. She presents evidence suggesting that subconscious instincts drive many decisions attributed to careful consideration. This insight questions many traditional marketing strategies that educate consumers or appeal to their logical decision-making processes.

Implications for Brand Strategy

Zane’s ideas have far-reaching implications for brand strategy. She advocates for a holistic approach that considers every aspect of the brand experience, from product design to customer service, as an opportunity to reinforce positive instinctive associations. This perspective challenges marketers to think beyond traditional advertising and consider how every interaction shapes the consumer’s subconscious perception of the brand.

The Science Behind Instinct

To support her arguments, Zane draws on research from neuroscience and psychology. She explores how the brain processes information and makes decisions, often bypassing conscious thought. This scientific grounding lends credibility to her unconventional ideas and gives marketers a new framework for understanding consumer behavior.

Practical Applications

While much of “The Power of Instinct” focuses on theory, Zane also provides practical advice for applying her insights. She offers strategies for uncovering and influencing the automatic associations that drive brand preference and techniques for measuring the effectiveness of instinct-based marketing efforts.

Key Points and Contrarian Views:

• Most consumer decisions are driven by instinct, not conscious thought. This contrasts with a traditional focus on rational decision-making models.

• Traditional market research methods are flawed and potentially misleading.  Challenges the reliability of focus groups, surveys, and other standard tools.

• Brand loyalty is based on automatic, emotional attachments rather than rational commitment.  Contradicts conventional views on cultivating brand advocates.

• Customer segmentation should be based on shared instinctive responses, not demographics or psychographics. Opposes traditional segmentation strategies.

• Consumers make fewer conscious choices than commonly believed. Challenges the effectiveness of educational marketing approaches.

• Every brand interaction shapes subconscious associations, not just advertising.  Expand the scope of brand management beyond traditional marketing channels.

• Positive associations are more important than unique selling propositions. Shifts focus from product features to emotional connections

• Emotional responses are integral to intuitive decision-making, not just influencers. Deepens the understanding of emotion’s role in marketing

• Effective marketing requires influencing subconscious associations. Contrasts with strategies focused on conscious messaging and positioning

• Brand success depends on tapping into millisecond decisions. Challenges the notion that consumers carefully weigh options before purchasing.

This bullet point list summarizes the critical contrarian views in “The Power of Instinct,” highlighting how Zane’s ideas challenge traditional marketing and branding concepts.

Challenges and Criticisms

As with any paradigm-shifting work, Zane’s ideas have faced criticism. Some argue that her emphasis on instinct oversimplifies the complexities of human decision-making. Others question the practicality of her approach, particularly for smaller brands with limited resources. Zane addresses these concerns in the book, but the debate surrounding her ideas will likely continue.

Conclusion

“The Power of Instinct” offers a provocative and potentially transformative perspective on marketing and branding. Zane challenges marketers to rethink their fundamental assumptions and strategies by placing instinct at the center of consumer behavior.

While her ideas may be controversial, they provide a fresh perspective on the challenges of building and maintaining strong brands in today’s competitive marketplace.

Whether one fully embraces Zane’s approach, “The Power of Instinct” is a thought-provoking read that encourages marketers to question long-held beliefs and consider new ways of connecting with consumers. As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, Zane’s insights into the role of instinct in decision-making may prove increasingly valuable.

Here is a podcast interview she did on The Marketing Book Podcast if you want to learn more in her words. Better yet, buy the book and then listen.

Connect with Jeff at The Marketing Sage Consultancy. Interested in setting up a call with me? Use my calendly to schedule a time to talk. The call is free, and we can discuss your brand and marketing needs. If you want to learn more about my new offering, The Trusted Advisor Board, you can click here to learn the details. Feel free to email me at jeffslater@themarketing sage.com or text 919 720 0995. Thanks for your interest in working with The Marketing Sage Consultancy.

The post A New Framework For Understanding Intuition & Instinct appeared first on The Marketing Sage.

What is the essential advice for a startup?

During a call with a prospective client starting a new business, they asked me for the four critical pieces of advice that I help clients learn and understand. If she works with me, this owner wanted to know my marketing consultancy’s core beliefs. She told me she wanted to brush up on her marketing for her initial fundraising round.

I thought I’d share them with you.

1. Know your target audience. What are your target audience’s needs and wants? What are their pain points? Once you know your target audience, you can tailor your marketing message to appeal to them. These are the people you serve and who your brand/business build products or services for from day one.
2. Be consistent with your branding. Your brand should be consistent across all channels, from your website to social media and marketing materials. Consistency will help customers to remember your brand and what you stand for. Inconsistency is confusing.
3. Be creative with your marketing. Be different from the category. There are many ways to market your brand, so don’t hesitate to get creative. Try other things and see what works best for your business. Creative means disruptive and not the same as what everyone else does in the category. Boring dies sitting on the shelf.
4. Measure your results. It’s essential to track the results of your marketing efforts to see what’s working and what’s not. Measuring results will help you to optimize your marketing strategy and get the most out of your budget. You can’t win if you don’t keep score. And what you measure matters, so ensure you gauge leading success indicators.

These are four themes that are critical to success, and I repeat over and over.

I often advise startups that you’ll likely fail if they aren’t finding a narrow audience to serve with something made just for them. Being too broad, comprehensive, and general never breaks through the clutter.

A brilliantly marketed brand finds someone who says, “They made it for me.”

If you want to brush up on your startup brand, schedule a chat here.

You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

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