Sarah Meis, CPG Execs Launch The Humble Seed in Sprouts

After spending decades at some of the leading food and beverage companies, longtime CPG exec Sarah Meis is moving to the driver’s seat as CEO and co-founder of snack brand The Humble Seed.

“I wanted the experience of being able to start something from the very beginning without bringing anything forward from the past,” Meiss said. “[We] have a clean slate to build a brand the way that [we] want to build it.

The grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free cracker line is available in three flavors: Garlic Herb, Sea Salt and Everything. Retailing for $5.99, The Humble Seed debuts in Sprouts nationwide this week.

Meis previously held senior level marketing positions at Good Karma, Lily’s Sweets, Purely Elizabeth and Van’s, while The Humble Seed co-founder and chief customer officer Steve Shaffer was a senior sales executive at SimplyProtein, Miyoko’s, Good Culture and Van’s. Jennifer Mancusco, the company’s third co-founder and chief of R&D, brings experience from larger corporations including Kelloggs, General Mills and Conagra.

While Meis admits that she’s not the “first person that ever put seeds in a cracker,” the team believes offering a gluten-free snack that doesn’t rely on nuts or a high-carb base of cassava will bring something new to the set.

Rather than for entertaining, The Humble Seed wants to frame the line as a snack to replace chips or puffs. The crackers are smaller than most other options which gives the perception of a larger portion size, and makes them easier to eat by the handful. While the team considered other product options, crackers, Meis said, is a large category that has seen strong historical growth.

“There are category dynamics that exist in [snacking] that I think help new brands…you don’t have to get all the volume in this category to be successful, you just need a slice,” she said. “Consumers also love the idea of discovering new [snack] products and that’s not the case in all categories.”

The Humble Seed won’t be alone, though, with many other brands looking to shake things up with twists on classic offerings. Milton’s, which was acquired by investment firm VMG last year, offers gluten-free, organic and traditional crackers options. Meanwhile, Biena Foods launched Tasty Snacks last month, aiming to target calorie counting consumers with its chickpea and vegetable based extruded crackers. Mondelez is also in the game after picking up Hu Products, which produces grain-free crackers, in 2021.

Investor interest in the category reflects consumers’ changing perception of “special diet” snacks, with “free-from” callouts no longer an indicator of compromised taste, Meiss said, citing her time at Lily’s and Good Karma.

After the company’s exclusive period with Sprouts is over, Meis said she plans to “incubate” The Humble Seed in the natural channel and likely won’t add other major retailers until 2023. Later this year the team will also add to its headcount and begin exploring outside investment interest. Farther down the line, Meiss said, the company could add other shelf-stable snack items beyond crackers.

“I designed a brand that I think can be extendable…But right now, I just want to give people the opportunity to discover The Humble Seed,” she said. “It’s important to me that everybody that spends money and chooses to buy this brand and this product, that we deliver a really premium product experience to them.