Expo East 2022: Quinn Snacks Sees Leadership Shakeup; Certifications Go Beyond Carbon To Quantify A Range Of Footprints

Quinn Snacks Sees Leadership Shakeup

CPG executive Sarah Bird has been appointed interim CEO of Quinn Snacks. The leadership shakeup happened soon after Bird joined the gluten-free snack company as CMO in July.

Bird has taken over the role from Mike Keown, who joined the company in January. At the time, Keown, who had formerly been the CEO at nutrition brand Honey Stinger, replaced founder Kristy Lewis as CEO. Lewis now holds the role of Chief Visionary Officer.

Sources told NOSH there’s a good chance Bird will assume the position on a permanent basis. Bird previously was CEO at powdered bone broth company Grace’s Goodness, as well as beverage brand Bhakti Chai.

The company declined to comment on Keown’s departure or Bird’s promotion. Keown’s LinkedIn profile notes he departed Quinn in September while Bird’s profile still has her title listed as CMO. Bird’s name badge at Expo East, however, listed her as CEO.

At the show, the snack brand, which has increasingly shifted its primary focus away from its original popcorn portfolio to salty snacks, also handed out sales sheets promoting a soon-to-debut new gluten-free pretzel SKU: dairy-free Cheesy Pizzeria stuffed pretzel nuggets.

Plant-Based Brands Launch New On-The-Go Formats

As the pandemic begins to subside and consumers return to the office and in-person learning, demand for convenient, on-the-go snacks is on the rise. According to market research firm IMARC, the global healthy on-the-go snacks market is projected to experience a CAGR of 6.6% from 2022 to 2027.

As a testament to this demand, brands at Expo East showcased a diverse range of vegan on-the-go snack innovations.

Washington-based Good Planet Foods unveiled its newest offering: plant-based snack packs. Available in two varieties – Plant-Based Smoked Gouda with Almonds and Dried Cranberries and plant-based Cheddar with Cashews and Dried Cranberries – both 1.5 oz. snack packs will roll out into retail next month for a suggested retail price of $1.99 each.

Meanwhile, Ithaca Hummus showed off its new travel-friendly Ithaca Squeeze pouches. Offered in Plain, Beet and Red Pepper flavors, the 3 oz. pouches contain 5 grams of fiber and 7 to 8 grams of plant-based protein. The pouches are now starting to hit store shelves nationwide.

Lastly, organic plant-based creamery Forager Project showcased its Organic Kids Cashewmilk Yogurt pouches, which launched at Whole Foods Market in May. Available in three flavors – Berry Berry, Strawberry and Mango – the single-serve 3.2 oz. pouches contain probiotics and Vitamins D, A and B12. The pouches are also available at Giant Carlisle, Mom’s, Central Market, Market Basket and Fresh Thyme stores.

Brands Invest in Revamping Ingredient Decks, Packaging

While many brands held off on introducing new product formats at the show, citing the current financial climate, still others focused on improving existing SKUs.

Pizza and bread brand Against the Grain released its first major update since its acquisition by holding company HumanCo. The frozen products’ packaging now sports a photograph of the finished product inside — previously there was a window which showed what the uncooked pizza looked like — in an effort to better convey what the end product, general manager Mike Watts said.

All Against the Grain products have also been reformulated to remove seed oils and replace them with olive oil. In combination with a new dough recipe, the product now has a lighter texture and more authentic Italian taste, Watts said.

Meanwhile, Mexican-American brand Siete is discontinuing its hot sauce line. Fans of the line, fret not: three of the SKUs have been revamped as new “Botana” sauces which have already been picked up by a major mass retailer for 2023. The name, which translates from Spanish as “snack,” along with a new squeeze bottle format, should better highlight the sauces’ versatility, the brand said.

Positioning the line (which only had mild heat levels) as a hot sauce, a spokesperson said, limited use cases and seemed to indicate that the product should be used in small quantities. Now the hope is consumers will see it as more of a topping, dipping sauce or base for marinades and dressings.

In addition to the previous Traditional, Jalapeno and Habanero varieties (the Chipotle flavor has been discontinued), Siete has also launched a Chamoy Botana sauce, described as “spicy-sweet with a tang” that can be used in sweeter applications as well. At the brand’s Expo East booth, it used the sauce to top margaritas.

Certifications Go Beyond Carbon To Quantify A Range Of Footprints

Sustainable certification program HowGood announced its first-ever on-pack badge will debut on Quinn Snacks’ packaging next year. The organization is already working with a slew of other CPG companies including Danone and Patagonia Provisions, and has been featured on fast-casual chain Chipotle’s menus with a range of its sustainability-focused certifications.

The organization began as a database aimed at analyzing ingredients, chemicals and packaging to calculate their climate impact across areas including water use, carbon footprint, biodiversity and soon, soil health. According to a spokesperson, the database has been growing for nearly a decade and now, driven by increased consumer and brand interest, is making its way into the CPG food world with a range of on-pack certifications.

What sets it apart is its “á-al-carte” approach which allows brands to focus on specific areas and also utilize the platform to improve a product’s sustainability score by changing suppliers or ingredients. The spokesperson said it works directly with suppliers in order to calculate a product’s climate impact and when a brand is sourcing from an unknown source, it will “make its most conservative, best guess” on that ingredient’s impact, considering the information already in its database, while it works to establish a relationship with the supplier and quantify the exact ingredient being used.

Elsewhere, rePurpose Global has certified dozens of Plastic Neutral brands including Pulp Pantry, Neptune Snacks and No Evil Foods. This badge means a brand’s packaging diverts oceanbound plastic while also reducing the amount of plastic materials it generates.

A spokesperson for rePurpose said the model follows the approach of the carbon credit system by measuring a brand’s impact and then working on the best ways to reduce that impact. However, she said the plastic neutral system places a greater focus on transparency when it comes to offsetting plastic that can’t be reduced further. She said unlike the carbon credits industry, rePurpose’s clients spearhead the majority of their plastic removal projects and have a direct hand in their operations rather than just paying specific sums for another company to offset their remaining impact.

RIND Unveils Latest Innovations, Seeks to Grow Artisan Vegan Cheese Category

New York City-based artisan vegan cheese brand RIND by Dina & Joshua hit the Expo East show floor with early-stage samples of its newest product innovations: red bell pepper-based cheese and parsnip-based cheese.

The new offerings come amid heightened consumer awareness and demand; the global vegan cheese market was valued at $2.43 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% from 2022 to 2030, according to a report from Grand View Research.

Founded in 2017 by Dina DiCenso and Joshua Katcher, RIND markets vegan cheese slices, mini wheels and spreads. Earlier this year, DiCenso told NOSH that consumer demand for sustainable foods has given the brand the opportunity to expand beyond typical cashew and coconut-based cheeses.

The brand’s new vegetable-based cheeses includes the already launched carrot cheese slices and the upcoming red bell pepper-based and parsnip-based offerings. Rather than labeling its new vegetable-based products as vegan versions of traditional cheeses such as mozzarella, RIND will leave the offerings open to consumer interpretation – a RIND spokesperson simply said that the two new offerings are best used as a “white cheese.”

The bell pepper and parsnip cheeses are slated to launch later this year alongside a shredded version of its carrot cheese. In 2023, the brand plans to incorporate its proprietary vegan cultures, made in partnership with a biotech company, into its products.