Expo West: Actual Veggies Expanding with Super Fries

Name a better duo than burgers and fries. Actual Veggies (#5252), the purveyor of premium plant-based patties, has expanded into the frozen fry segment in its pursuit to reinvent fast-food favorites.

Slated to debut at Natural Products Expo West (next week), Actual Veggies Super Fries are made with potatoes plus chickpeas, cauliflower or carrot, pea protein, chia seeds, apple cider vinegar and avocado oil. Varieties include Classic Potato, Purple Sweet Potato and Sweet Potato.

The products will roll out to Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide in April for $7.99 per 14 oz. bag, according to co-founders and co-CEOs Jason Rosenbaum and Hailey Swartz.

“We’re really looking at Super Fries almost like what Poppi did to soda or Banza did to pasta or Oatly did to milk,” Rosenbaum told Nosh. “Nobody’s really reinvented the fry.”

The new product was developed in partnership with online grocer Hungryroot, which began selling it two months ago. Early feedback from Hungryroot customers on social media is “insane” and particularly positive among parents of picky eaters, Swartz said.

“You still feel like you’re eating a potato fry, but it has added protein and fiber from the other veggies,” she said.

A serving of Super Fries has 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, while a serving of traditional french fries contains 2 grams of protein and 0 grams of fiber. Additionally, many options are made with vegetable or seed oils, which more consumers seek to avoid, Rosenbaum noted.

The launch builds on the brand’s success in the veggie burger category. Actual Veggies’ offerings, made with whole beans, vegetables and spices, are top-sellers in natural and conventional grocery stores, Swartz said.

“We’re seeing a 20% year-over-year increase in velocity in a category that’s down 20%,” she added.

The company continues to expand its footprint in retail and foodservice channels, in addition to online platforms. Its products are distributed to more than 3,000 retail outlets across the country, including Kroger, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Wegmans, and The Fresh Market.

“We’ll be in about 5,000-plus doors by the end of the year,” Rosenbaum said.

Hundreds of restaurants around the country serve Actual Veggies burgers on the menu. The company’s recent partnership with Dot Foods is expected to double or triple that business this year, Rosenbaum said.

A high-end cafe chain in Florida serves Actual Veggies Veggie Balls, another product co-created with Hungryroot, available in Eggplant Chickpea and Southwestern Black Bean varieties.

“Veggie Balls have been a great item for restaurants, but we just really haven’t pushed them into retail yet,” Rosenbaum said.

The team also plans to increase its assortment of burgers, which currently includes Purple Roots, with purple sweet potato, purple carrot and beet; Sweet Potato, with white bean and cauliflower; and Black Bean, with red pepper and caramelized onion.

“We have some crazy burgers that are coming out later this year,” Rosenbaum said. “But we’re keeping these under wraps.”