Food Brands That Work With Micro Influencers

According to Amarandelma.com, 90% of consumers research restaurants online before dining, but searching for a cost-effective social media partnership alternative can sometimes be confusing for food brands, especially for small businesses. 

This is why brands like Heinz and Olipop already leverage micro influencers like you to access new, engaged audiences by showcasing their brand’s best angles through a personalized, modern, and budget friendly approach.

In this article, we will explore 10 food brands already harnessing micro influencer power, what they look for when partnering, how to find food brand partnerships as a micro influencer, and what are the best platforms / content styles to work on for food micro influencers.

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What Do Food Brands Look For When Partnering With Micro Influencers

Through platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Youtube, brands like Chipotle, Whole Foods, and Aldi have successfully harnessed influencer marketing to increase engagement and drive sales.

When looking to partner with micro influencers, food brands prioritize these 5 key aspects:

• Niche Focus: Like fashion or fitness, the food niche can represent a diverse market to create content for. One of the key perks of working with micro influencers is the advantage to target a specific engaged demographic to ensure their message is delivered to the right audience. Food niches like healthy eating, fine dining, or plant-based nutrition stand between the most popular food sub-niches.  A great example of a niche focused influencer campaign is how Hello Fresh, a meal kit delivery service, partnered with food micro influencers like @bodegacatx to reach new audiences from many dietary niches like vegan or gluten-free lifestyles, achieving a return on ad spend (ROAS) of 8.6x and increasing customer lifetime value by 21%.

• Creativity: Something as versatile as food can represent various content ideas like mukbangs or recipe videos. These brands want to harness their niche’s potential to the max by partnering with creators who can deliver original and engaging content ideas with genuine food lovers.

• Consistency & Engagement: According to Medium, consistent posting provides more opportunities for your audience to engage with your content. By searching for these key aspects on a creator’s profile, food brands not only ensure a spike in engagement and reliable collaborators, but align their brands with potential long-term partners.

• Content Quality: Food brand partnerships often include working with fresh or textured goods, this is why, to ensure showcasing their products in the best light possible, food brands often prioritize micro influencers who can seamlessly highlight the appearance and flavor of their products. Topjaw, an Instagram series created by Jesse Burgess and Will Warr, is an example of how  high-quality and consistency can eclipse even the most renowned. According to The Times, this series with guests like Andrew Garfield and Idris Elba even eclipses the Michelin guide. From high-quality audio to working on lighting, camera, editing, and more, this series featuring chefs and guest stars understood the value of quality content, earning over 700K followers on Instagram, 404K on YouTube, and 189.1K on TikTok.

• Professionalism: Smaller creators sometimes represent a big risk to brand partnerships, as they are yet to establish the credibility a big following often speaks for. This is why key aspects like showcasing measurable results, setting realistic goals, and a respectful outreach are often green flags when searching for potential collaborators.

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10 Food Brands That Work With Micro Influencers

1. Olipop

• About the Brand: Olipop is a prebiotic soda company offering healthier alternatives to traditional soft drinks.
• Partnership Example: Olipop focuses on leveraging up-and-coming nano and micro influencers and everyday content creators for marketing.
• Micro-Influencer: @ddimov_
• Targeted Audience: Health-conscious consumers seeking flavorful, low-sugar beverage options.

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2. Incredible Egg

• About the Brand: The American Egg Board is the marketing arm of U.S. egg farmers, promoting the consumption of eggs.
• Partnership Example: In 2024, they launched the "Meant to be Broken" campaign with Olympic breakdancer Sunny Choi, highlighting the versatility of eggs beyond breakfast.
• Micro-Influencer: Sunny Choi
• Targeted Audience: Younger consumers and those interested in diverse culinary uses for eggs.

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3. Blue Apron

• About the Brand: A meal kit delivery service offering fresh ingredients and recipes to home cooks.
• Partnership Example: Blue Apron collaborated with various food bloggers and dietitians to share recipe-driven content with their followers.
• Micro-Influencer: Greg is a food stylist, editor, and culinary producer known as @brooklyncooks
• Targeted Audience: Health-conscious individuals and home cooking enthusiasts.

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4. HelloFresh

• About the Brand: A meal kit subscription service delivering pre-portioned ingredients and recipes.
• Partnership Example: HelloFresh collaborated with micro-influencers like Kandy, who created a HelloFresh recipe book and shared it with her followers.
• Micro-Influencer: Kandy (@kandys.life.hey)
• Targeted Audience: Busy individuals and families seeking convenient meal solutions.

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5. Dunkin'

• About the Brand: A leading coffee and donut chain in the U.S., offering a variety of beverages, baked goods, and breakfast items.
• Partnership Example: Dunkin collaborates with micro-influencers like Besty who share their favorite orders and showcase their drink varieties / in-store experiences.
• Micro-Influencer: @betsymuller
• Targeted Audience: Coffee lovers, young professionals, and social media-savvy consumers seeking quick breakfast and beverage options.

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‍6. LaCroix

• About the Brand: A brand offering a variety of flavored sparkling water beverages.
• Partnership Example: LaCroix engages with micro-influencers like Jamie through product seeding and encourages user-generated content using hashtags like #LaCroixlove.
• Micro-Influencer: @jamie_cataldo
• Targeted Audience: Health-conscious consumers seeking flavorful, calorie-free beverage options.

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7. Arber

• About the Brand: A company producing organic gardening products for plant wellness.
• Partnership Example: Arber's GreenKeepers program collaborates with plant and garden creators and photographers like Pheobe, offering events and networking opportunities.
• Micro-Influencer: @welcometothejunglehome
• Targeted Audience: Gardening enthusiasts and individuals interested in organic plant care.

Check out the 10 best US organic food affiliate programs and get to know new eco-conscious partnership opportunities for your socials.

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8. Chipotle

• About the Brand: A fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Mexican-inspired cuisine.
• Partnership Example: Chipotle partners with both nano and micro influencers on instagram and TikTok to target younger demographics by blending gen z humor with tasteful food reels.
• Micro-Influencer: @mikailadelgado
• Targeted Audience: Younger audiences active on social media platforms, particularly TikTok.

If you are just starting, check out our top 10 list of brands that work with nano influencers as well, and start promoting brands like Chipotle who work with both big and small creators.

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9. Chobani

• About the Brand: A leading Greek yogurt brand known for its commitment to natural ingredients and social impact initiatives.
• Partnership Example: This year, Chobani partnered with chefs and micro-influencers for a food challenge with @girlsclubny, focusing on turning pantry staples into creative meals.
• Micro-Influencer: Einat Admony (@chefeinat) 
• Targeted Audience: Health-conscious consumers, food enthusiasts, and supporters of social impact initiatives.

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10. Heinz

• About the Brand: A globally recognized food company known for its condiments, including ketchup, mustard, and sauces.
• Partnership Example: In 2025, Heinz partnered with Chad to promote their limited-edition Heinz Chip Dip, encouraging fans to share their taste test reactions using #heinzchipdipchallenge.
• Micro-Influencer: Chad Savage (@chadbsavage)
• Targeted Audience: Snack lovers, condiment enthusiasts, and social media users engaged in viral food trends.

Navigate 11 brands that work with micro influencers and discover even more profitable opportunities within the micro influencer space.

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Best Platforms For Food Brands Working with Micro Influencers

Here are some relevant statistics about which social media platforms work best for food brands:

Instagram

Jobera also states 60% of Instagram food brand profiles see a spike in engagement, as most customers make reservations through this platform.

TikTok

According to the BBC, a US survey demonstrated how 53% of users visited and ordered food from a restaurant after discovering it on TikTok. Helping influencers and brands understand they can leverage this platform for influencing purchasing decisions.

Explore 10 brands that work with UGC creators and start promoting from your authentic perspective on platforms like TikTok.

YouTube

Teachable states the food and cooking niche stands number 4 for the most profitable YouTube niches, representing a great platform for food long-form content like recipes and food reviews.

Pinterest

Lastly, food and drink remains the most popular category on the platform, according to Pinterest, providing creators a helpful insight on where to post meal plans, meal pep guides, comfort food recipes, and more.‍

What Food Related Content To Post on Each Platform As A Micro Influencer

Instagram

• Aesthetic food photography with creative captions and hashtags like micro influencer Olga Shulpina (@kindelhome).
• Reels featuring trendy food challenges or viral recipes from your niche.
• Collaborative giveaways with local food brands or meal prep services.

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TikTok

• High quality recipe videos with instructions through voice over like @realadventuresofafatguy.
• Restaurant / fast food order genuine reviews.
• Food hacks and tips that are easy to replicate.

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YouTube

• In-depth cooking tutorials with high quality visuals and clear instructions like @thesweetestjourney on YouTube.
• Restaurant vlogs or foodie travel experiences.
• Taste tests and honest product reviews or mukbangs.

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Pinterest

• Curated boards with meal planning ideas and seasonal recipes like Maja (@majas_recipes) posts regularly.
• Step-by-step infographics for healthy snacks or desserts.
• Visual guides on food styling and presentation techniques.

From quick desserts to lunches for all ages, discover these Reddit user’s favorite food influencers and keep the inspiration going with their original and engaging content.

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Final Thoughts on Food Brands That Work with Micro Influencers

As a large social media niche with infinite creative opportunities, the food and drink industry has always been a great opportunity for influencers to create an additional revenue stream. Whether your micro influencer profile focuses on YouTube mukbangs, Pinterest recipe guides, Instagram food hack reels, or TikTok restaurant reviews, this category will always provide creative ideas for you to explore, along with already established brands ready to collaborate. Check out these 10 cooking affiliate programs and start monetizing your micro influencer profile today!