Gut Instincts: Gutzy Organic Riding GLP-1 Trend

Fruit puree pouches are often relegated to the kids food aisle, but elevated demand for prebiotic and gut-health products has one of the few adult-positioned brands readying to scale up.

Gutzy Organic spent last year raising capital from strategic partners as it retooled its formulation and packaging to better target consumers seeking high-protein, gut-health snacks while using or in place of GLP-1 weight loss medications.

Launched in 2018, gutzy Organic is not the first portable pouch offering for adults launched by founder David Istier. After helping French applesauce maker Materne launch GoGo squeeZ in the U.S., Istier founded Energy Fruits, a pouched product targeting more mature snackers.

“We wanted to become the vitaminwater for fruit snacking,” he said.

Unfortunately, Energy Fruits did not resonate with consumers. Consumers thought the fruit pieces in the pouches were off-putting, Istier said, but he was determined to find a way to reach the older demographic. Istier returned to the concept after learning about the role of the gut microbiome and prebiotics in holistic health. Incorporating this angle led to the rebrand as gutzy Organic.

Utilizing his rolodex, Istier was able to bring strategic partners like former Materne North America CEO and president Michel Larroche, CPG strategist Jason Lannert and Bel Group holding company Unibel chief investment officer Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet. All three are listed as part of gutzy’s board on a recent $4 million funding round, according to a Securities and Exchange Committee filing in January.

The brand is not the only snack pouch maker with an eye toward adult consumers. Noka Organics and Designer Wellness have both used the format, pairing smoothies with a high-protein value proposition to reach health-conscious consumers looking for convenient nutrition. Gutzy is taking a page from those playbooks with the launch of its newest product next month.

The brand’s Prebiotic Plant-Based Protein Smoothies took over four years to develop as gutzy’s team tried to find the right balance of flavor and macronutrients without the chalky mouthfeel that can come with high-protein purees, Istier said. The 3.3 fl. oz. pouches will launch in two flavors with 7 grams of pea-based protein and 8 grams of fiber from its differentiating ingredient, acacia.

“I call it the queen of prebiotics,” he said. “The problem I have with a lot of the other [sources of] prebiotics is there is only so much the body can take. A lot of people have problems with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), bloating or gas.”

Now, as consumers are looking for new sources of fiber and gut-health products to either supplement or replace GLP-1 drugs, gutzy has found an opening to a broader market.

“There was a big shift prepandemic and then postpandemic when we saw the acceleration for our brand. People were realizing that they needed to pay attention to what they were eating, an increased awareness around food as medicine,” he said. “There’s a shift where people are now looking for low-calorie foods that offer convenience and are more functional.”

Attempting to capture its functionality, gutzy reformulated last year, reworking the botanical elements (dandelion and turmeric) so they weren’t so “medicinal,” Istier said. The company also updated its packaging, making it “a little less old-school” by removing the “fruit window” from the front-of-pouch and bringing more emphasis to the snacks’ prebiotics.

Even though the brand uses premium ingredients like acacia and organic fruits and vegetables, gutzy has found a footing in more conventional grocery retailers. It is available in about 7,000 doors through partnerships with Wegmans and Market Basket in the Northeast as well as Publix, Food Lion and Meijer in the Southeast and Midwest.

Istier noted the brand is making inroads in Texas with H-E-B and the West coast with some divisions of Albertsons and Safeway. Gutzy is also preparing to go nationwide with Walmart in May.