Levity helps plant-based innovator Madly Hadley find its flavor on shelf
CPG branding and packaging specialists Levity has partnered with chef and artist Madelyn Hadley to reimagine her range of plant-based toppings, Madly Hadley.
Madly Hadley’s bold, flavor-driven portfolio was brimming with culinary soul and had set its sights on achieving cut-through sales in the fast-growing plant-based category, a market which is projected to reach $160bn by 2030.
At Expo West, Jay Williams – a Levity consultant who first partnered with the agency as a client – introduced Levity to Madly Hadley, leading to an invitation to reimagine the brand identity for its Plant-Based Bacon Bits and Dairy-Free Parmesan. Eager to champion an emerging innovator, Levity took on the project pro bono, delivering a complete packaging refresh for the growing brand.
Through its Foundation, Levity supports up-and-coming entrepreneurs and start-ups, applying the same proprietary Concept-to-Commerce™ (C2C) methodology it uses with billion-dollar brands.
In partnering with Madly Hadley, Levity set out to boost shoppability – elevating a previously inconspicuous product type with clear category cues and stronger shelf presence – while staying true to the brand’s whimsical spirit and culinary authenticity. At the heart of the brief was a guiding principle: for emerging brands, product clarity must come first, with brand expression built around it.
Levity conducted a deep shelf impact analysis, benchmarking category leaders and mapping white space opportunities. From there, the agency developed fifteen creative concepts, each pressure-tested against actual retail shelf sets to ensure standout performance in-store.
The chosen design solution puts product-first typography at the center, with playful quotation marks hinting at the plant-based nature of the products. A vibrant color-coding system adds strong flavor differentiation and creates unmistakable presence on shelf.
Combined with a simplified messaging hierarchy, the new design balances boldness with clarity – all while retaining the brand’s imaginative, chef-driven personality.
Madelyn Hadley, Founder of Madly Hadley, said: “Partnering with Levity on this redesign was truly transformative. They really brought clarity and boldness to the shelf that my previous packaging was lacking. With the help of my friend and designer Karina Mazon, and the invaluable guidance of Jay Williams in helping me find my unique voice during the iteration process, we achieved a great outcome.
“An inspirational mentor encouraged me to incorporate my own sketches and handwriting, so our Plant-Based Bacon Bits feature a self-portrait with my sous chef (and cat) Goose, and our Dairy-Free Parmesan highlights Michelangelo’s David – a nod to my high school years in Florence, where I truly fell in love with food and art.”
The final packaging layout Levity created has served as the perfect foundation for my brand – simple enough to give space for my loud, funky drawings and bold flavors to shine.”
Jamie Hester, executive concierge and vice president at Levity, said: “Madly Hadley embodies everything we love about working with passionate food innovators. Madelyn’s artistry and culinary expertise created a remarkable product – our job was to match that with packaging that could stop shoppers in their tracks.
“By fusing creativity with commercial smarts, we’ve built a design system that’s unapologetically bold yet infinitely scalable – exactly what a growing plant-based brand needs to compete nationally.”
The full Madly Hadley range is available at Whole Foods Market, while the Plant-Based Bacon Bits are stocked at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide, as well as Jimbo’s, Down to Earth, Thrive Market, and other leading natural retailers.
