Leveling Up: Famous Twitch Streamer, CPG Vet Bring BFY Snack Line, Myna Snacks, into the Digital Age

CPG veteran Darcey Macken and Twitch streamer Imane Anys, also known as Pokimane, today announced the launch of Myna Snacks, a better-for-you snack line intended to reestablish “positive relationships with snacking.”

Macken, who has 15 years of CPG experience leading companies like Noosa and Planterra Foods, and Anys, the most followed female Twitch streamer, were introduced by Connect Ventures, an investment partnership formed by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), which incubated the brand. Connect’s other investments include CPG brands like Ghia and Boisson. Myna’s team also includes former Meati, Brave Robot and La Colombe marketing exec Jon Spear as its head of marketing.

Myna was built on its co-founders’ mutual desire to craft a healthy, convenient snack designed for consumers who spend large portions of their day in front of a screen, whether for work or for entertainment. According to Macken, who serves as the company’s CEO, gamers are searching for products that will keep them full and focused, not for the overly caffeinated items often marketed toward them.

“After the pandemic where I spent a lot of time streaming, I realized it was time to prioritize my health,” said Anys in the announcement. “Finding a snack that was delicious but also made me feel replenished always felt like a trade-off between not satisfying my craving or feeling guilty about fueling my body.”

The brand’s first product, Midnight Mini Cookies, is gluten-free and dairy-free, made with ingredients like almond flour, coconut  flour, organic coconut sugar and Vitamin D-rich mushroom powder. Each serving contains 140 calories and has 8 grams of sugar.

For now, the snacks are available exclusively on Myna’s website for $28 per 4-pack of 4 oz. bags. According to Macken, the brand will hold off on conversations about a potential entry into retail until next year.

“We want to build that community, that audience, and that loyalty and understand more so we can bring more knowledge to retailers around who’s buying it and all of the questions they ask from a category perspective,” she told NOSH.

The global better-for-you snacks market currently has a valuation of $28.5 billion and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7%, reaching $54.3 billion by 2032, according to market researcher Fact.MR. Other players in the BFY cookie category include Simple Mills, which produces a line of gluten-free cookies in flavors like Snickerdoodle and Peanut Butter and Outstanding Foods, a vegan snack food company that recently brought on new president Bobbie Turco.

Looking ahead, Myna hopes to use the brand as a “springboard” and do “big things in food,” whether that be launching additional cookie flavors or expanding into other categories such as crackers. According to Macken, the brand is also considering capitalizing on opportunities for collectibility, such as releasing items autographed by Pokimane.

As part of today’s launch, Anys will jump online to do a giant unboxing with 150 of her friends who received carefully curated boxes featuring the Midnight Mini Cookies in addition to other goodies. The goal, according to Macken, is to generate user content that can be reposted and help get the word out about Myna Snacks.

“We’re going to bring back that positive relationship with snacking because you don’t have to sacrifice taste for nutrition,” said Macken. “This is an easy solution and that go-to snack that you can have throughout the day.”