PepsiCo Inks Deal for Bare Snacks

Late May saw PepsiCo, Inc. announce its agreement to acquire Bare Foods Co., a San Francisco processor of baked fruit and vegetable snacks. PepsiCo officials said the move “will expand the company’s snacking portfolio and further deliver on its ‘Performance with Purpose’ vision to offer consumers more positive nutrition options.”

“For nearly a dozen years, PepsiCo has been committed to Performance with Purpose, our vision of making more nutritious products, while also reducing added sugars, salt, and saturated fat. Bare Snacks fits perfectly within that vision,” said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and CEO. “The Bare Snacks leadership team has done an outstanding job building a top-tier organization and a strong brand with authentic roots, and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Bare Snacks to the PepsiCo family.”

Bare Snacks was founded in 2001 by a family-owned organic apple farm in Washington, which began selling packaged baked apple chips in local farmers’ markets. Under its current leadership team, it has expanded steadily to become the leader in apple, banana and coconut snacks. It has recently expanded into vegetable chips and offers the industry’s broadest assortment of baked crunchy fruit and vegetable chips.  Bare products are made from simple ingredients that are baked, not fried.  They are Non GMO Project verified, feature clean labels and are sold online and in natural and conventional retail channels across the United States. 

“We are thrilled to work with the PepsiCo team to further our mission of bringing simplicity to snacking,” said Santosh Padki, CEO of Bare Foods.  “With a shared passion for crunchy, better-for-you snacks, PepsiCo is the right partner to help bring our simply baked fruit and vegetable snacks to even more consumers across the world and continue to grow our brand.”

Upon closing, Bare Snacks will continue to operate independently from its San Francisco offices. Its leadership will report into PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division. 

“Bare premium baked fruit and vegetable chips are an exciting expansion of Frito-Lay’s better-for-you snack offerings,” said Vivek Sankaran, Frito-Lay North America president and chief operating officer. “While we will continue to offer the current Bare Snacks product line, we look forward to working with the Bare Snacks team to deliver new, innovative options, and ultimately expanded distribution, to meet the ever-growing consumer demands for authentic and nutritious snacks.”

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Snacks Among SFA’s sofi Awards

Specialty Food Association honors 156 new products in 39 categories.

The Specialty Food Association (SFA), sponsor of the Winter Fancy Food Show and the Summer Fancy Food Show, presented its annual sofi Awards for new product excellence to specialty food and beverage manufacturers. 

A national panel of culinary experts considered more than 2,650 entries in a blind tasting evaluation. In all, the 2018 sofi Awards honored 156 winners with Gold, Silver, Bronze, and “Best New Product” recognitions in 39 categories.

“Our 2018 winners possess the passion for innovation and great-tasting food that fuels our industry,” said Phil Kafarakis, president of the Specialty Food Association. “Today’s consumers are clamoring for new and exciting foods across every channel, from retail to foodservice. The sofi winners are at the forefront of that growth and rising excitement for specialty food products.”

Of the many diverse categories, three directly involved snack and snack/appetizer products. Following are the winning products and companies. 

Sweet Snacks

Gold: Nibs & Coffee Cacao-Nectar Bar / Honey Mama’s, Portland, Ore.
Silver: Swell Grain-Free Granola Bar, Coconut, Pistachios & Cocoa Nibs / Nana Joes LLC, San Francisco
Bronze: Mayan Spice Cacao-Nectar Bar / Honey Mama’s 
Best New Product: Almond Crunch Quinoa Bar / Cocoa Parlor, Laguna Niguel, Calif. 

Savory Snacks

Gold:  From The Ground Up Cauliflower Pretzels With Sea Salt / Halen Brands, Fairfield, N.J.
Silver: Organic Purple Sweet Potato Chips / Jans Enterprises Corp., El Monte, Calif.
Bronze: SeaSnax Chomperz Jalapeno / SeaSnax, Los Angeles
Best New Product: Almond Clusters Baked With Cashews, Pumpkin Seeds & Sunflower Seeds / Creative Snacks Co., High Point, N.C.

Savory Appetizers, Soups & Stews

Gold:  Potato Samosas with Chutneys / Cafe Spice, New Windsor, N.Y.
Silver: Ritrovo Selections White Beans with Truffle / Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods LLC, Seattle
Bronze: Carrie’s Black Pepper Bacon Biscuits / Callie’s Charleston Biscuits, LLC, North Charleston, S.C.
Best New Product: Organic Carmelized Onion and Feta Pastry Kiss / The Perfect Bite Co., Glendale, Calif.

Related sofi Award categories included baked goods, chocolates, chocolate candy, confections and crackers.

There were 58 judges including chefs, culinary instructors, recipe developers, food journalists, and specialty food buyers participated in the selection process. The sofi Award Product of the Year, given to the product that received the highest cumulative score, was to be announced during the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in New York, June 30-July 2. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

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NCA Honors Snacks

At the National Confectioners Association’s 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo, innovations in candy and snacks were recognized with the industry’s annual Most Innovative New Product Awards. The awards—including those for “Best in Show” and the newly added “Small Business Innovator”—highlight creative, innovative and fun products new to the marketplace.

Winners were selected from more than 300 new product award entries across nine candy and snack categories: chocolate; non-chocolate; sweet; salty; savory; novelty; seasonal; gourmet/premium; and gum and mints. Product submissions were rated based on four weighted criteria: taste, packaging, innovation and go-to market feasibility.

“Innovation and new products are key drivers of treating and snacking,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association. “Our ‘Most Innovative Product Awards’ celebrate creative product development by category innovators. The competition is fierce, and the companies that have been recognized should be very proud of the contributions they make to advancing the fun and enjoyment of the category.”

The awards are sponsored by IRi, an innovator in big data known for the integration of the world’s largest set of purchase, media, social, casual and loyalty data. 

This year’s snack nominees and winners were:

Sweet Snacks Winner: Justin’s / Justin’s Organic White Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Nominees: 
That’s How We Roll - Cinnamon Crumb Cake Thins
Edward Marc Brands, Inc. - Cookie Butter Snappers
Vidal Candies USA, Inc. - SPICY MANGOS
The Promotion In Motion Companies, Inc. - Superfruit Mix

Salty Snacks Winner: Sahale Snacks / Sahale Snacks Tangerine Vanilla Cashew-Macadamia Glazed Mix
Nominees:
From the Ground Up - Cauliflower Pretzel Sticks
Perfect Snax – Butterfinger
Made in Nature, LLC - Veggie Pops / Salt and Pepper
Rudolph Foods Co, Inc. - Oven Baked Pork Rinds/Blackberry 
Habanero

Savory Snacks Winner: Alli & Rose / Trail Mix Crackers
Nominees:
Cheesewich Factory - Bacon and Eggs 
Kellogg’s - Cheez-It Duoz Caramel Popcorn & Cheddar
Land O’Frost - High Protein Chips
Clever Cookie - Baked Cheddar Protein Crisps

“Being selected for a prestigious award like NCA’s Most Innovative New Products Awards, acknowledged by retailers, is the pinnacle of accomplishments,” said IRi’s Sally Lyons 

Wyatt, executive vice president and practice leader. “Retailers are advocates for consumers, and they see the value these products will bring to their shoppers.”

To learn more about the Sweets and Snacks Expo, visit www.sweetsandsnacks.com