# Hero Bread Scaled to $54M Using Creator Marketing

> CEO YuChiang Cheng turned Hero Bread from near collapse to $54M revenue by betting on social media creators.
- Title: Hero Bread Scaled to $54M Using Creator Marketing · Inc
- Summary: CEO YuChiang Cheng turned Hero Bread from near collapse to $54M revenue by betting on social media creators. Hero Bread grew from zero revenue to $54 million…
- Keywords: hero bread, yu chiang cheng, inc 5000, creator marketing, social media, high protein bread, low carb bread, revenue growth, san francisco, Hero, Bread, Scaled
- Source: Inc — https://inc.com/ali-donaldson/hero-bread-yuchiang-cheng-creator-marketing-strategy-54-million/91422813
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: hero bread, yu chiang cheng, inc 5000, creator marketing, social media, high protein bread, low carb bread, revenue growth, san francisco
## Hero Bread's Crisis
Hero Bread nearly collapsed in 2023 when CEO YuChiang Cheng took over the company.

> We basically went from zero revenue to over $50 million in revenue in about roughly three, four years
## Pivoting to Consumers
Cheng dropped Hero Bread's key client Subway to focus on direct consumer sales instead.
## Price Challenge
Cheng convinced shoppers to pay $9 for Hero Bread loaves instead of $2 competitors.

> Bread has largely become a commodity. People have been racing to the bottom in terms of price and quality
## Creator Marketing Strategy
Hero Bread scaled by partnering with social media creators for authentic customer stories.

> Creators, if you partner with the right ones, are going to be very authentic
## Social Media Campaign
Nearly all social media content came from creators, not Hero Bread's team.

> That campaign happened where the vast majority of Americans spend time each day: on social media
## Revenue Growth
Hero Bread grew from zero revenue to $54 million in three years, ranking No. 122 on the Inc. 5000.
## Market Positioning
Cheng emphasized that healthier bread could taste good without crumbling when adding mayonnaise.

> It would not, in Cheng's words, 'crumble or turn into dust if you put some mayonnaise on it'
## Creator Impact
Creator content works 1000 times better than CEO messaging for brand education.

> That’s really hard to do, but it’s also really hard to change people’s minds about a category
## Current Status
Hero Bread ranks No. 122 on the Inc. 5000 list after growing by 2,392 percent.
## Key takeaway

Hero Bread grew from zero revenue to $54 million in three years by partnering with social media creators for authentic marketing.