From vegan to sweets: These brands are creating food to disrupt healthy snacking
Americans planning to eat healthier in the New Year may be in for a tasty treat — literally.
Three companies that plan to shake up the snack market in 2019 are Prommus, the maker of Krave and Smashmallow and SnackNation. They told FOX Business that healthy snacking is creating opportunities.
“I think now the biggest thing is disrupting a category and then that’s what the buyers and the retailers want to see,” said Prommus Brands CEO Anthony Brahimsha to Dagen McDowell on “Mornings with Maria” on Friday. “They want to see disruption in a category that is stale in the sense that everybody is doing the same exact thing.”
And that’s exactly why Brahimsha is betting on hummus to stand out in a crowded market. His company has created a product that is “100 percent clean” and authentic.
“We promise we are the first ones to disrupt the category in the sense of functionality and nutrition,” he said. “We are the first-ever high-protein hummus in regards to all the other brands out there.”
And although there are no weak spots in terms of healthy snacking, in a crowded market, the key to succeeding is keeping up with the consumer.
“The nice thing is that no matter if there is category saturation that you can still innovate,” said SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly. “I think the economy is going to have a nice rebound. We are in an interesting time right now – snacks go through the roof when people spend a little bit less on restaurants they buy more snacks and convenience items.”
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Take jerky, for example. Kelly added that, although companies like Krave are dominating that market, others are pioneering different types of jerky to meet demands and tastes.
“So you have Verky now – vegan jerky’s right so the mushroom jerky’s and things,” he said. “So I think that the nice thing is that no matter if there is category saturation that you can still innovate.”
Aside from satiating vegans’ palates, this year there are also healthier options for those with a sweet tooth.
Krave and Smashmallow are focusing on capturing a following in the permissible indulgence area with products that promise to not only be natural, but also taste good and are less guilty to eat. They are also betting on convenience in 2019.
“Obviously much of America right now is entering some form of some diet … and we have a new brand that we are launching in January called Peckish, which is really ‘heroing’ the hard-boiled egg ... This is capturing a very portable protein snack,” said Krave and Smashmallow founder Jon Sebastiani. “When we think about snacking I think consumers this year are going to demand more freshness.”