Guillermo's, a refrigerated salsa brand born from an unlikely but inspired partnership, is proving that the right digital advertising strategy can accelerate growth for a young consumer packaged goods brand — even in its very first year on shelves.

Founded by celebrity Guillermo Rodriguez, renowned chef and entrepreneur Chris Kirby, and brand-building veteran Leo Chris Kasuya, Guillermo's was built on a straightforward but powerful conviction: that salsa, one of America's most consumed condiments, deserved to be made with real ingredients and uncompromising flavor. From the beginning, the team knew that building awareness and driving trial quickly would be essential — and Instacart Ads became a cornerstone of that effort from day one.

A brand built for the modern grocery landscape

In many ways, Guillermo's reflects the story of America itself. Rodriguez immigrated from Mexico and built a life through hard work and an infectious sense of humor, ultimately becoming one of the country's most beloved late-night television personalities. Kirby spent years challenging convention in the refrigerated food space, growing Ithaca Hummus into one of the fastest-growing brands in its category. Kasuya brought the operational and strategic experience needed to turn a compelling vision into a company capable of scaling nationally.

Together, they set out to bring what they call "the American Dream to every table" — starting with a salsa category they believed had long been engineered for shelf life rather than flavor.

Screen-to-shelf marketing for a refrigerated brand

For Kirby, the decision to activate Instacart Ads immediately upon launch was an easy one. His experience building Ithaca Hummus had already demonstrated the platform's value, and he was eager to apply those learnings to Guillermo's from the start.

"Instacart has been a tremendous tool for us at Ithaca Hummus, so I knew as soon as I started Guillermo's that it was a tactic we wanted to turn on right away," said Kirby, Co-Founder and CEO of Guillermo's.

Kirby describes Instacart's advertising capabilities as uniquely suited to refrigerated brands that lack access to traditional direct-to-consumer sales channels. He refers to the approach as "screen-to-shelf" marketing — the ability to target specific consumers digitally and create a direct path all the way to a product landing in their cart.

"We can use Instacart's consumer profiling and targeting capabilities to reach very specific consumers, whether that's a loyalist we want to introduce to a new flavor or item, or a new-to-brand consumer who has never tried Guillermo's before," said Kirby. "That ability to connect targeted digital marketing directly to the grocery shelf is incredibly powerful, especially for a young brand trying to drive awareness and trial quickly."

A full-funnel approach across ad formats

Guillermo's has taken a comprehensive approach to its Instacart advertising strategy, utilizing Sponsored Product, Display, and Video advertising formats. The brand has also deployed nearly every available targeting option on the platform, including remarketing, category targeting, loyal customer targeting, and keyword targeting — a notably sophisticated approach for a brand less than a year old.

That depth of investment reflects the team's conviction that Instacart is not simply a promotional channel, but a critical growth lever. "We have a very experienced team that understands that there is a clear relationship between effective and efficient Instacart investment and increased retail sales, so we considered Instacart a critical part of our growth strategy from Day 1," said Kirby.

Strong early results across efficiency and incremental growth

Despite being in the market for only seven months, Guillermo's has already seen meaningful results from its Instacart campaigns. The brand has driven strong return on ad spend (ROAS) while reaching a high percentage of new-to-brand consumers — a combination that speaks to both the efficiency and the reach of the platform.

Equally important, the campaigns have helped Guillermo's drive velocity at retail. As the brand has rapidly expanded its distribution footprint, Instacart has provided a cost-effective way to support new store doors, build awareness in specific markets, and convert that awareness into measurable sales.

"Instacart has helped us drive velocity at retail," said Kirby. "As a fast-growth brand expanding distribution quickly, the platform has given us the ability to support new doors in a cost effective way, build awareness in specific markets, and turn that awareness into measurable sales."

A 360-degree strategy with Instacart at the center of the purchase journey

For Guillermo's, Instacart does not operate in isolation. The brand is investing across social media, digital advertising, public relations, partnerships, and retailer-specific marketing to build broad awareness and demand. Instacart serves as the critical link between that demand generation and the actual point of purchase.

"Instacart is an important part of our 360-degree marketing strategy because it connects all of the demand we're creating for Guillermo's directly to the point of purchase," said Kirby. "Instacart gives us a way to capture that demand when the consumer is actually shopping."

The precision of the platform is what Kirby and his team find particularly valuable. Guillermo's can tailor its messaging differently for existing brand loyalists than for consumers who have never encountered the brand — introducing loyal fans to new products while simultaneously acquiring first-time buyers, all with the ability to target campaigns around specific retailers and geographic markets.

A collaborative partnership built for a fast-growth brand

Guillermo's relationship with the Instacart team has been a meaningful part of its early success. As a year-one brand with an aggressive growth trajectory, the company's needs have not always fit neatly into conventional advertising frameworks — and the Instacart team has responded with flexibility and creative problem-solving.

"The Instacart team has been phenomenal," said Kasuya, Co-Founder and President of Guillermo's. "They've been incredibly flexible and have developed creative solutions to help us achieve our goals. The team has worked hard to understand where we are, where we're going, and develop programs that meet us where we are."

What's next — a national expansion and a primetime moment

If Guillermo's first chapter was about proving that consumers wanted a fresher, better salsa, the next chapter is about making sure they can find it everywhere.

This fall, Guillermo's is expanding nationwide with Kroger, bringing its salsa to more than 2,500 stores across 35 states. The expansion coincides with Guillermo Rodriguez's debut on Dancing with the Stars, creating a high-profile moment to introduce the brand to millions of new consumers across the country.

With ecommerce playing an increasingly important role in how consumers discover and purchase grocery products, Guillermo's sees Instacart continuing to grow as a strategic priority. The brand has committed to investing in the ecommerce channel as it evolves, viewing online grocery not as a secondary consideration but as a fundamental part of how modern consumers shop.

For a brand with its sights set on becoming a household name, the combination of compelling storytelling, retail expansion, and precision ecommerce advertising may be exactly the recipe needed to bring the American Dream — and a better salsa — to every table.

Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes.

This post contains third-party claims and descriptions provided by the featured third party brand. Instacart does not make any representation as to the accuracy or suitability of any of the information provided herein by the featured brand.

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