SEATTLE — South 40 Snacks aims to stand out in a sea of “chewy, floppy” protein bars with a crunchy nut-based offering that is set to debut in the produce section of Kroger stores nationwide.
The Seattle-based brand, created by Sahale Snacks co-founder and former president Josh Schroeter, has developed a line of bars formulated with four ingredients and featuring whole almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts or pistachios with honey and other binding sweeteners. A mixed nut bar combines almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds and hazelnuts.
“We like to call this the original energy bar because this is what people were eating thousands of years ago,” said James Swinyard, head of marketing at South 40 Snacks. “Nuts, honey and fire. Boom.”
Five years ago, South 40 Snacks initially launched with one item, jumbo-size, roasted sunflower seeds sourced from a smallholder farm in Israel. Supply chain disruption amid the pandemic prompted the team to expand the brand’s portfolio beyond the single product, which had gained popularity as the only seed of its kind sold stateside.
“People say we’ve ruined all other seeds for them,” Mr. Swinyard said, adding that the product’s “clean label got us a lot of traction and built our retail strategy.”
He noted the nut bars are a natural extension of the brand’s focus on simplicity and quality ingredients, building on the legacy of Mr. Schroeter’s previous business. Sahale Snacks, which was acquired by the J.M. Smucker Co. in 2014, is touted for putting a premium twist on the trail mix and snack nut category.
“The ingredients in our bars speak for themselves,” Mr. Schroeter said. “Grocers trust us to keep our products simple without sacrificing quality and taste, and we’re excited to build that trust with new shoppers that appreciate wholesome ingredients just as much as we do.
“We want shoppers to be able to reach for a South 40 bar in the same aisle as their apples and bananas. Fruits and nuts go hand in hand. Produce is a mainstay at Kroger. We’re excited to be a part of that.”
Mr. Swinyard, who describes South 40 Snacks as a “taste-forward simple snack company,” pointed to its “highly differentiated” take on a market awash with trending ingredients such as “pea protein powder and crickets and mushrooms.”
“People are really excited to have a whole-nut pistachio bar,” he said. “No one has ever seen that before.”Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
