Daily Crunch, Fly By Jing Launch Co-Branded Snack

Laurel Orley, co-founder of Daily Crunch and a self-professed “Fly By Jing fan girl,” planted the seeds of a partnership with her cherished chili crisp brand two years ago at Natural Products Expo West.

“I went [to the booth], and I had a call with Jing [Gao, founder of Fly By Jing] a few weeks later, and she was like, ‘I’m going to send you a bunch of product. Let’s see we can make some magic,’” Orley recalled.

Today, Daily Crunch Sweet & Spicy Sichuan Sprouted Cashews & Edamame is debuting at Whole Foods Market. The snack mix features sprouted cashews and crispy edamame seasoned with Fly By Jing Mala Spice Mix, which has Sichuan chili pepper, coconut sugar, salt, garlic, mushroom powder and spices. The product will retail for $7.99 per bag.

All Daily Crunch products contain sprouted nuts that are made using a patented process and are more nutritious and crunchier than raw or roasted nuts, according to the company. The new addition represents the brand’s first offering showcasing cashews instead of almonds.

“This was our way to diversify what we offer. The cashew really matches the flavor profiles you’re used to with Szechuan cooking,” said Dan Stephenson, chief operating officer of Daily Crunch.

Additionally, the launch marks the company’s first full-scale national launch with a retailer, rolling out to every Whole Foods Market store for a 90-day exclusive and expanding the brand’s retail footprint to 6,000 doors.

“We think this is going to become our bestselling SKU for next year. This is our focus. This is going to be our focus at Expo West in March. This is what we’re going to be sampling there. We’re going to be going all in on our flavor,” Orley said.

The collaboration with Fly By Jing follows a successful co-branded item with Cleveland Kitchen; Daily Crunch previously developed a Dill Pickle Sprouted Almonds & Pepitas mix in partnership with the fermented foods maker.

“We saw the power of our collaboration with Cleveland Kitchen with our pickles and how people love brands that can come together,” Orley said. “I know that there are some brands like Jing that are bigger than us, and we just respect so much that they’re taking a chance on us.”

Last month, Daily Crunch announced it had raised $4 million in a Series A funding round led by Launch Tennessee, with participation from various strategic investors, to support expanded retail distribution, increased production capacity, innovation and marketing efforts.

“We’re growing rapidly. We’re going to double again in 2025,” Stephenson said.