Chicory
Chicory is a contextual commerce advertising platform that connects CPG brands and grocery retailers with high-intent shoppers through shoppable recipe content across 7,000+ publishers and 70+ retailer integrations, reaching 150M+ monthly unique shoppers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Chicory does
Chicory is a contextual commerce advertising platform founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York that operates a three-sided marketplace connecting CPG brands, food and grocery publishers, and grocery retailers through shoppable recipe content. The platform places contextually relevant advertisements within recipe pages and food content across a network of over 7,000 publishers (including Food Network, The Kitchn, Food.com, and Cooking Channel) and integrates with 70+ retailers for direct add-to-cart functionality, reaching approximately 150 million monthly unique shoppers. Its core product suite comprises Chicory Premium (in-recipe ad placements with 1:1 ingredient targeting), Chicory Portfolio (multi-product rich media units bundling up to four products), Chicory Reach (extended contextually targeted display inventory), Chicory Video (shoppable outstream video with cited 80%+ completion rates), and Shoppability (proprietary single-click add-to-cart technology). A Partner Portal provides self-service insights and reporting to publishers and bloggers.
Chicory monetizes through advertising fees charged to enterprise CPG advertisers for managed contextual commerce campaigns, supplemented by transaction economics from retailer integrations. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base spans major CPG brands (General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Mars, Mondelez, Unilever, Campbell's, Primal Kitchen, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute) and grocery retailers and their retail media networks (Walmart Connect, Ahold Delhaize USA's AD Retail Media, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Target, Whole Foods, H-E-B, ShopRite, Stop & Shop). Distribution occurs through direct enterprise sales, RMN reseller partnerships, a publisher network, and grocery/meal planning app partnerships (MyFitnessPal, Listonic, OurGroceries).
The company differentiates through exclusive contextual inventory unavailable programmatically, closed-loop retailer-verified measurement (documented outcomes include 8.96X-9.8X iROAS and $600K-$736K incremental sales per campaign), and cited 2X+ iROAS advantage over behavioral targeting. Chicory received its first outside institutional capital in September 2024 via a minority growth equity investment from SEVA I LP, with stated intent to scale technology, expand the publisher and retailer network, and develop new products and markets. The team remains small (1-10 employees) relative to the network scale.
Chicory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chicory
- Legal name
- Chicory, Inc.
- Website
- https://chicory.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Chicory is a contextual commerce advertising platform that connects CPG brands and grocery retailers with high-intent shoppers through shoppable recipe content across 7,000+ publishers and 70+ retailer integrations, reaching 150M+ monthly unique shoppers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chicory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contextual Commerce Advertising Platform
- NAICS
- All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)
- SIC
- Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights) (MPAAALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research (MPAAAJAL), Grocery, Food & Essentials Commerce Platforms (BPAMAGAF)
Keywords
Where Chicory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chicory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Contextual Commerce Advertising: Chicory generates revenue through advertising fees charged to CPG brands and grocery retailers for placing contextually relevant ads within recipe content across its publisher network. The platform offers various ad formats (Premium, Portfolio, Reach, Video) with managed service execution.
- Retailer Integration/Transaction Fees: Chicory monetizes through retailer integrations (70+ integrations) that enable direct add-to-cart functionality from recipe content, potentially taking a transaction fee or revenue share on sales driven to retailer platforms.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Chicory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chicory operates a contextual commerce advertising platform that places shoppable ad units (Chicory Premium, Portfolio, Reach, Video) within recipe and food content across a network of 7,000+ publishers and meal planning apps, then drives consumers directly to add-to-cart at 70+ integrated grocery retailers. The platform pairs proprietary contextual targeting and closed-loop retailer-verified measurement so CPG brands and grocery retailers can reach high-intent shoppers in active meal-planning moments and prove incremental sales.
Product overview
Chicory is an end-to-end contextual commerce media platform that combines engaging media experiences with relevant, brand-safe content to reach consumers when they're making grocery decisions. The platform operates a network of 7,000+ food & grocery publishers and 70+ retailer integrations, reaching 150M monthly unique shoppers. The core product suite includes Chicory Premium (in-recipe ad placements), Chicory Portfolio (multi-product rich media units), Chicory Reach (extended display inventory), Chicory Video (shoppable video ads), Shoppability (proprietary add-to-cart technology), and Featured Retailer (sponsored retailer positioning). The platform enables brands to drive measurable outcomes including up to 8.96X incremental ROAS, with closed-loop, retailer-verified measurement. Chicory has established RMN partnerships with Walmart Connect and Ahold Delhaize USA, and expanded into meal planning apps including MyFitnessPal, Listonic, and OurGroceries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chicory Premium Premium ad format enabling 1:1 targeting of specific ingredients within recipe cards (In-Line units) and product alignments with recipes based on lifestyles, occasions, and seasonality (Pairings units). Drives shoppers directly to retailer baskets with shoppable solutions, targeting enterprise CPG brand advertisers.
- Chicory Portfolio Rich media ad unit allowing advertisers to promote up to four products within a single placement, bundling products together to highlight seasonal relevance, flavors, or pack sizes. Supports driving individual products or full bundles to retailer carts.
- Chicory Reach Display ad product that extends campaign reach with contextually targeted standard ads on exclusive, non-programmatic inventory. Features larger ad formats with proprietary contextual targeting and third-party behavioral segment layering for CPG and grocery advertisers.
- Chicory Video Outstream shoppable video ads served on recipe pages across the Chicory publisher network. Contextually targeted to align with relevant recipes, with documented >80% video completion rate performance.
- Shoppability Technology Proprietary shoppable technology enabling true add-to-cart functionality from any media touchpoint. Drives single SKUs or product bundles to cart at 70+ integrated retailers with single-click checkout, removing barriers between inspiration and conversion.
- Partner Portal Self-service insights and reporting platform for food bloggers and enterprise publishers, providing detailed revenue insights, ingredient performance analysis, and customizable reports to optimize content and maximize earnings.
- Offsite Retail Media Off-site retail media solution delivered through RMN partnerships (AD Retail Media, Walmart Connect, Giant Eagle Leap Media Group), enabling brands to reach consumers in active mindsets at high-intent moments across food and recipe content with closed-loop, retailer-verified reporting.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8.96X iROAS for co-branded peanut butter and jelly holiday campaign
- +17 more outcomes
Companies that use Chicory
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Chicory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability4 records
Feature8 records
Chicory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MyFitnessPalcoreStrategic partnership making Chicory's contextual advertising available within the MyFitnessPal app. MyFitnessPal is the #1 global nutrition and food tracking app with over 280 million members in 120+ countries. The partnership delivers brands contextually relevant, high-intent ad inventory reaching health-focused consumers in decision-making moments.
- AD Retail Media (Ahold Delhaize USA)coreAD Retail Media, the retail media arm of Ahold Delhaize USA (East Coast's largest grocery retail group), announced a strategic partnership with Chicory to offer enhanced off-site advertising solutions including contextual commerce media for CPGs. The partnership helps reach customers and unlock incremental value through retail media, providing robust closed-loop measurement.
- Giant Eagle (Leap Media Group)coreGiant Eagle's Leap Media Group added Chicory's contextual commerce to its offerings. The partnership enables CPG brands to reach consumers through shoppable recipe content and drives measurable conversions for Giant Eagle's advertising clients.
- Walmart ConnectcoreChicory became a member of the Walmart Connect Partner Network, enabling brands to reach verified Walmart shoppers through Chicory's contextual targeting across its network. The partnership provides managed service, first-party audience targeting combining Walmart data with Chicory's contextual targeting, and closed-loop sales measurement executed by Walmart.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Chicory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Instacart (Carrot Ads / Instacart Ads): Operates a grocery-focused retail media network enabling CPG advertisers to reach shoppers via shoppable recipes, list placements, and off-site contextual placements. Most direct large-scale comparable to Chicory's contextual commerce offering for grocery.
- Criteo: Global commerce media platform serving retail and CPG advertisers with shoppable ad formats and retailer-direct activations. Overlaps directly with Chicory's commerce-enabled display, video, and shoppable recipe products targeting grocery purchase moments.
- Quotient Technology (now Neptune Retail Solutions): Digital promotions and shopper marketing platform offering CPGs digital coupons, media, and retailer-verified measurement. Highly comparable historical direct competitor in CPG-grocery digital promotion media.
Broad incumbents
- Catalina Marketing: Established shopper marketing and personalized media company targeting CPGs and grocers with in-store, digital, and closed-loop measurement capabilities. Larger incumbent operating across the same buyer set with broader channel portfolio.
- Walmart Connect: Walmart's owned retail media network offering CPG advertisers on-site and off-site media with closed-loop sales measurement. A current partner of Chicory but also a potential competitive RMN for off-site grocery commerce media.
- Roundel (Target's Retail Media Network): Target's retail media arm offering CPG advertisers off-site and on-site media with first-party data targeting. Comparable incumbent RMN with overlapping buyer set and similar closed-loop measurement approach.
- Kroger Precision Marketing (84.51°): Kroger's retail media and consumer insights arm serving CPG advertisers with first-party-data-driven media and closed-loop measurement. Incumbent RMN competing for the same advertiser budgets that flow through Chicory's contextual commerce channel.
- Circana (formerly IRI and NielsenIQ): Global leader in retail measurement, shopper insights, and CPG analytics. Adjacent incumbent providing the consumer research, category insights, and measurement layer that surrounds the contextual commerce media market Chicory operates in.
Emerging players
- Taboola: Content discovery and native advertising platform monetizing publisher editorial environments with contextually relevant ads. Overlaps with Chicory's contextual targeting layer on recipe and food publisher inventory.
Others
- LiveRamp: Data connectivity platform enabling advertiser onboarding of first-party retailer data for closed-loop measurement and audience activation. Listed as a current integration partner of Chicory, supporting its retailer-verified measurement capability rather than directly competing in media placement.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Chicory social profiles
Digital presenceChicory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chicory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Chicory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chicory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chicory
What does Chicory do?
Chicory operates a contextual commerce advertising platform that places shoppable ad units (Chicory Premium, Portfolio, Reach, Video) within recipe and food content across a network of 7,000+ publishers and meal planning apps, then drives consumers directly to add-to-cart at 70+ integrated grocery retailers. The platform pairs proprietary contextual targeting and closed-loop retailer-verified measurement so CPG brands and grocery retailers can reach high-intent shoppers in active meal-planning moments and prove incremental sales.
Is Chicory a public or private company?
Chicory is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Chicory founded?
Chicory was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Chicory based?
Chicory is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chicory make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Contextual Commerce Advertising is the primary driver. The others are retailer Integration/Transaction Fees.
Who are Chicory's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Instacart (Carrot Ads / Instacart Ads), Criteo and Quotient Technology (now Neptune Retail Solutions). Broad incumbents are Catalina Marketing, Walmart Connect, Roundel (Target's Retail Media Network), Kroger Precision Marketing (84.51°) and Circana (formerly IRI and NielsenIQ). Taboola is listed as an emerging player. LiveRamp is listed as an others.
Does Chicory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chicory.
What industry is Chicory in?
Chicory's product category is Contextual Commerce Advertising Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAJ, Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights), with a secondary code of MPAAAJAL, Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research. Its NAICS code is 445298 and its SIC code is 5411.