Specialty condiment maker Truff has parlayed a small-scale test with Taco Bell into a nationwide co-branded partnership.
The Huntington Beach, California-based company, which makes gourmet hot sauce, spicy mayo, pasta sauce, and other products, is supplying the signature ingredient in Taco Bell’s new Loaded Truff Nacho Fries, a limited-time offer available in all of the fast food giant’s locations across the U.S.
“At TRUFF, we have never looked at partnerships in a conventional way, and this partnership is no exception,” Nick Ajluni, co-founder and co-CEO of TRUFF, told SFA News Daily. “Through both brands’ strong pop culture roots, we knew a collaboration would authentically resonate with both TRUFF and Taco Bell’s audiences while generating a lot of hype around the world.”
The two companies conducted a one-restaurant test of Loaded Truff Nacho Fries in Southern California last year, and were encouraged by the enthusiastic customer response, he said.
“The success we found on social media proved that our audiences had significant overlap,” Ajluni said. “After the one-store test, we knew that there was significant demand around the world.”
That test marked the first time Taco Bell collaborated with another brand on a new sauce.
During the test, Truff promoted the partnership heavily on Instagram, and carefully monitored the response, Ajluni said. The company noticed that 15.9 percent of comments were calling for the product to be rolled out nationwide.
“There was even so much buzz that the one store test in Newport Beach actually resulted in broadcast coverage across local news stations in 25 separate markets,” he said. “At the end of the collaboration, we were able to put together a case study that outlined the need for this collaboration to go nationwide.”
Loaded Truff Nacho Fries feature Truff Hotter Sauce atop a bed of seasoned fries, topped with grilled marinated steak, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh diced tomatoes, warm nacho cheese sauce, and reduced-fat sour cream.
Customers can also add Truff to any menu item using the Taco Bell app, for an additional charge. The restaurant chain is encouraging users to follow the Truff Tracker on the app, which monitors the limited supply of Truff at local Taco Bell restaurants.
Taco Bell is not Truff’s first restaurant collaboration. The sauce company has also worked with Noodles and Company on a mac-and-cheese dish, and provides the truffle oil for the Truffle Ramen dish at all 22 Silver Lake Ramen locations in Southern California.
“Striking up limited-time partnerships with mass restaurants helps us put TRUFF in front of new customers,” Ajluni said.
The company first got involved with Taco Bell through a mutual college friend who was involved in the restaurant chain’s partnerships and public relations.
During the past two years, Truff has made a concerted effort to expand in retail, and is now available in grocery stores throughout the country, as well as directly through the company’s website.
The company was created through a popular food and lifestyle Instagram blog called @sauce, and launched its first hot sauce in 2017. It soared in popularity due to its distinctive flavor profile—described by the company as tasting “like if truffle and sriracha had a baby” — and its packaging, which includes a truffle-inspired bottle cap. It also gained national media attention and was featured on Oprah's Favorite Things list two years in a row.
It has since expanded its line of products to include Truff Pasta Sauce, Truff Mayonnaise, and Truff Truffle Oil.
Related: Truff, Gopuff Team Up on Pizzas; Truff's YouTube Series Tests Celebrity's Pizza Skills.