Distribution Roundup: Stellar Snacks Lands First National Retail Account, Four Sigmatic Enters Target

Stellar Snacks Launches Braids Line into Whole Foods, World Market

Nevada-based pretzel brand Stellar Snacks has launched its latest offering — Vegan Butter Braids — into Southeast retailers, the company announced this month.

The vegan butter braids are available in Simply Stellar (original with sea salt), Maui Monk (Maui onion style seasoning with monk fruit sugar), Bold & Herby (garlic and onion with monk fruit sugar) and Sweet & Sparky (spicy buffalo blend with monk fruit sugar) varieties. The snacks are peanut-free, non-GMO, vegan and kosher.

The line retails for $5.99-$.6.99 per 16 oz. bag and is now available nationwide in Cost Plus World Market as well as Florida-region Whole Foods, Mazzaro’s and Mother’s Market stores in Florida and Piggly Wiggly accounts in Florida and Georgia. The brand will also be expanding into the Northeast, Texas and South California markets in Q4, the company told NOSH, with a Chicago launch slated for Q1 of 2022.

“The launch at Whole Foods and World Market represent Stellar Snacks’ official launch for the Stellar Braids brand,” director of sales Audrey McAuley told NOSH in an email. “We’ve been planning and strategizing for well over a year. The result is a product that we believe brings together the best of all aspects of what snacking should be…great tasting, clean ingredients you can feel good about, and beautiful packaging that tells a story.”

According to McAuley, Stellar intends to focus on adding more upscale retailers in the grocery channel in the coming months, with a focus on driving in-store sales through targeted social media marketing campaigns as well as sampling events.

Hungry Planet Enters Sprouts

Plant-based meat brand Hungry Planet has rolled out to all 362 Sprouts Farmers Markets stores nationwide, the company announced last week. The natural channel retailer will carry six of the brand’s products, including its Hungry Planet Beef Classic Patties, Grilled Chicken Strips, Crispy & Fried Chicken, Pork Thai Meatballs, Pork Gyoza and Italian Sausage Crumble.

“Hungry Planet is delighted to partner with Sprouts to make our game-changing plant-based meats available to food fanatics across the country,” said Todd Boyman, CEO and co-founder of Hungry Planet. “By delivering superior meats with industry-leading taste, health, and variety, we are providing customers authentically great food, and are developing a very loyal following. Our national launch into Sprouts increases points of distribution to serve shoppers hungry for more.”

In an email to NOSH, Hungry Planet co-founder and chief purpose officer Jody Boyman said the retailer is a natural fit for the brand, noting that the company is targeting a flexitarian consumer base that Sprouts is well suited towards. The products will be merchandised in the frozen plant-based meats section of the store.

Hungry Planet is now available in about 1,000 stores nationwide, including Lazy Acres in Southern California and Food Bazaar in the Northeast, along with other specialty retail accounts. Earlier this year, the brand closed a reportedly $25 million funding round, led by Post Holdings. The multinational corporation has helped Hungry Planet develop its go to market strategy and scale as it focuses on nationwide expansion.

“Our broad range makes it easy to swap plant-based meat for conventional meat in any cuisine, with any flavor, across all proteins – without compromise,” Jody Boyman said in the email. “With Post, we can rapidly reach the growing number of consumers who have been clamoring for our delicious meats.”

Four Sigmatic Adds Target

Mushroom coffee maker Four Sigmatic has entered Target stores in California with three functional ground coffee SKUs: Think Coffee, Gut Health Coffee and Balance Coffee.

The brand, which is also for sale on Target’s website, is currently available in about 6,000 doors nationwide — including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Wegmans, HEB, King Soopers and Fred Meyer — and is also sold in over 55 countries.

“Since we started Four Sigmatic in 2012, our customers have trusted us to create only the highest quality, most potent, and rigorously-tested products,” said founder and CEO Tero Isokauppila in a press release. “We’re thrilled to expand our footprint with Target at a time when consumers are more health-conscious and better educated about the importance of healthy choices for every occasion including their morning coffee routine.”

Three Wishes Goes Nationwide with Whole Foods

Three Wishes, the maker of a line of grain-free, high-protein and low-sugar cereals, has expanded nationwide with Whole Foods, with authorizations to enter 500 doors by the end of the year. According to a press release, the expansion will bring the startup’s total footprint to about 2,000 doors, including Sprouts, The Fresh Market, Wegmans and Erewhon stores.

The brand’s Honey, Fruity and Cinnamon varieties will be available everywhere, while select Whole Foods doors in Southern California and the Northeast will stock additional flavors. Each box retails for $6.99.