Supernola Spreads Its Wings

Snack brand Supernola debuted in retail in February and is now selling its organic granola clusters in 8,000 stores, including Walgreens, select Giant and Whole Foods locations and natural retailers.

The brand, owned by snack company Evolve Brands, previously sold its products online only: granola clusters made with superfoods, nuts, seeds and spices. Available in six flavors, Banana Nut Crunch, Dark Chocolate Nut Crunch, Dragon Fruit Lemon Zest, Honey Sweet Goji, Triple Berry Vanilla and Pineapple Ginger Fusion, the snack is positioned as a replacement to bars for what founder Cindy Poiesz calls “mindful snacking.”

While working as an investment banker in the energy industry, Poiesz in 2015 created the grain-free product after discovering she had a grain sensitivity. After selling it at farmers markets, she met former Hershey director Frank Jimenez who “saw where the market was going and immediately believed in Supernola like I did,” Poiesz said. The two formed Evolve Brands in 2018, acquiring snack mix brand Gorilly Goods from cereal company Nature’s Path, and teaming up to run Supernola, which is their focus for 2020, Poeisz said.

“Gorilly Goods and Supernola are a match made in heaven,” Jimenez said in a 2018 release. “While each brand has different targeted audiences, the synergy afforded by these brands is extraordinary.”

Both product lines are produced in a Jackson, Wisconsin-based facility using low temperature dehydration to maintain nutrients and create an “awesome, bright, fresh flavor” incorporating “exotic” ingredients, Poiesz explained. Eventually, the two might morph under the Supernola brand; Evolve will reevaluate its plan for Gorilly Goods, which is sold in 1,300 stores, later in 2020, Poiesz added.

“Gorilly never got the marketing attention it needed and proper strategy behind it, but has lived on for so long and has such a loyal base,” she said. “We want to make sure to give Supernola the push that it needs and deserves.”

Supernola launched in February in 6,500 Walgreen stores nationally and 150 Giant locations in Washington D.C, Maryland and Virginia. To prepare for retail, the product was repackaged as single serve and features a close-up food image on the front of the pack, better showcasing its form factor (clusters, not bars) and with clearer callouts for organic, paleo, gluten-free and vegan, Poiesz said. As the brand expands, the single-serve format will help bring it into the convenience channel, she added.

To help fuel its growth, Supernola in January closed a Series A investment round for an undisclosed amount with local Midwest investors, which will be used toward marketing efforts and facility expansion to support the new store pickups. Previously, the company had closed one private seed round in January 2019.

“We wanted to have Midwest-based investors, which is really hard to find because a lot here are focused on the tech space,” Poiesz said. “We found the right people with a lot of experience and resources behind them.”

With the investment and retail pickups, Supernola is poised for a great year, Poiesz said. Still, Evolve has had setbacks: both brands were launching into Earth Fare just as the retailer announced plans to close. Additionally, due to coronavirus cancellations, the brand is reinvesting marketing dollars from events into e-commerce. Otherwise, she added, it appeals to both mainstream and special diet consumers.

“We have everything aligned in order to really grow and hit the marketplace, all triggered by the deal with Walgreens,” she said. “We’re actively approaching convenience chains. We want the average active person to be able to get it wherever they are.”