Sometimes, the most overlooked categories tell you exactly where the market is headed

Mayonnaise Is Having a Moment

For decades, mayonnaise lived in the background.
A default. A commodity. Something you bought once and forgot about.

That’s changed.

Today, mayo is quietly becoming one of the most strategically interesting categories in food, not because consumers suddenly crave mayonnaise, but because brands and chefs have figured out the opportunity.

The Brands Driving Category Evolution

Sir Kensington’s: The Brand That Made “Better Mayo” Normal

Before mayo was cool again, Sir Kensington’s made it acceptable to care.

It was one of the first brands to push:

• Clean-label expectations

• Cage-free eggs

• Better oils

• Ingredient transparency

Sir Kensington’s didn’t just premiumize mayo — it normalized the idea that mayo should be better.

After its acquisition by Unilever, the brand shifted from disruptor to standard-bearer. It stopped leading the conversation, but it cemented the category’s new baseline.

In many ways, Sir Kensington’s represents the first wave of modern mayo:

• The bridge between commodity and premium

• Proof that consumers would pay for quality

• The brand that made space for everything that followed

JUST: The Brand That Challenged the Rules

JUST took a different approach.

Rather than improving traditional mayo, it asked a more radical question:
What if mayo didn’t need eggs at all?

JUST reframed mayo as a function, not a formula, opening the door to:

• Plant-based emulsification

• Allergen-free alternatives

• A broader definition of what “mayo” could be

Its path hasn’t been linear, but its impact is undeniable. JUST proved consumers were willing to rethink even the most entrenched categories as long as performance and taste held up.

Graza: Mayo as Lifestyle Extension

Graza’s entry into mayo marks the next phase.

They didn’t treat mayo as a product line extension they reframed from their worldview:

• Ingredient-forward

• Quality driven

• Designed to be seen and used every day not on special occasions

Much like their olive oil, Graza’s mayo signals modern taste and intentional cooking. It confirms that mayo has become a platform brands can build on not just another SKU.

Ayoh: Mayo as Personality

Ayoh brought voice and authorship into the category.

Flavor-forward, expressive, chef-driven.

It showed that mayo could carry:

• Personality

• Cultural relevance

• A point of view

Once that happens, a category stops being about function and starts being about identity.

Legacy Brands: Quietly Repositioning

Duke’s, Kewpie, and Hellmann’s haven’t reinvented themselves but they’ve evolved.

They’re no longer selling “mayo.”
They’re selling:

• Use cases

• Flavor outcomes

• Culinary credibility

That shift matters. It signals that even the largest players recognize that mayo’s role has changed.

How Chefs Actually Use Mayo

In professional kitchens, mayo isn’t nostalgic, it’s infrastructure.

Most chefs use commercial mayo intentionally because:

• It’s consistent

• It’s stable

• It’s food-safe

• It saves labor

But they don’t use it as-is.

Commercial mayo becomes:

• Aioli

• Dressing

• Sauce base

• Binder

• Texture enhancer

• Browning agent

It’s the starting point, not the finished product.

When chefs do make their own mayo, it’s deliberate:

• The dish centers on it

• The oil matters

• The menu story demands it

Mayo as a Brand Signal

This is where the shift becomes visible.

Today’s mayo brands quietly communicate:

• How seriously they take flavor

• Whether they value craft or convenience

• What kind of ingredients they believe in

• Who they are trying to reach

Examples:

• Kewpie → culinary fluency, umami-forward

• Duke’s → bold, confident, regional

• Graza → ingredient-driven, modern

• All-natural / avocado-oil mayo → health-conscious, values-led

• Generic foodservice mayo → efficiency-first

Just like olive oil or chocolate, mayo now acts as a shorthand for intent.

You don’t have to explain your philosophy if your ingredients already do.

The Fear That Used to Hold Mayo Back

For years, mayonnaise carried a quiet stigma:
Is it safe? Will it spoil?

That perception shaped behavior more than most people realized.

What changed:

• Commercial mayo is acidified and pasteurized

• Food safety standards are well understood

• Packaging reduces contamination

• Clear labeling builds trust

• Chefs and consumers understand technique

The fear didn’t disappear, it was engineered away.

And once that happened, mayo was free to evolve again.

Where Opportunity Lives

1. Mayo as a System, Not a SKU

Few brands offer:

• A base

• Flavor extensions

• Clear use cases

There’s room for modular mayo platforms built around how people actually cook.

2. Premium That Feels Practical

Consumers will pay more for:

• Better fat

• Better texture

• Better performance

They won’t pay more for:

• Vague claims

• Overdesign

• Precious storytelling

The win is premium and useful.

3. Foodservice Thinking, Applied to Retail

Mayo is one of the few categories where foodservice leads culture.

There’s white space in:

• Chef-informed retail SKUs

• Back-of-house ideas adapted for home

• Brands that teach usage, not just flavor

What Retailers Are Still Getting Wrong

Treating Mayo Like a Commodity

It’s merchandised by price and size, not by use or quality.

No Education = Lost Value

There’s little guidance on:

• How to cook with mayo

• Why types differ

• When to use what

That’s missed margin and missed storytelling.

Missed Cross-Merchandising

Mayo belongs near:

• Proteins

• Bread

• Grilling items

• Prepared foods

Not isolated in the condiment aisle.

The Takeaway

Mayonnaise didn’t suddenly become interesting.

We finally started paying attention to what it already was.

It’s:

• A culinary tool

• A flavor amplifier

• A brand signal

• A quiet indicator of quality

For brands, that makes it powerful.
For retailers, underutilized.
For chefs, indispensable.

And for anyone building in food right now, it’s a reminder of something bigger: sometimes, the most overlooked categories tell you exactly where the market is headed and offer lots of opportunity.

What This Signals For Brands in The Near Term

The mayo story isn’t really about mayonnaise. It’s about how brands are evolving in response to a more informed, more selective, and more values-driven consumer.

What we’re seeing play out in this category reflects a broader shift:

1. Brands are moving from products to platforms.
Mayo works now because it’s flexible, a base that can support multiple flavors, formats, and use cases. The same thinking is shaping how brands approach sauces, snacks, beverages, and beyond.

2. Ingredients are becoming signals, not just inputs.
Consumers read meaning into what brands choose to use. Oil type, egg source, processing method, these are no longer technical details. They’re brand language.

3. Utility is replacing novelty.
The next wave of successful brands won’t win by being louder or more surprising. They’ll win by being more useful, more adaptable, and easier to integrate into everyday life.

4. Foodservice thinking is increasingly shaping retail.
Chefs prioritize performance, consistency, flexibility and price. Those same values are now driving what consumers expect at retail, whether they realize it or not.

5. Trust is the new premium.
Clean labels, stable formulations, thoughtful packaging, and transparent positioning matter more than trend-driven claims. Brands that earn trust quietly will outlast those chasing attention.

In that sense, mayonnaise is less a trend and more a case study.

It shows how a once-invisible product can become a brand signal, and how the next generation of food brands will be built not around novelty, but around function, fluency, and intention.