Dr. Praeger’s ‘Ages Up’ Snack Line with Pizza Stars to Capture Untapped Audience

After working to turn the veggie burger from a niche offering into “something craveable,” Dr. Praeger’s is expanding its presence in the veggie-based frozen snacking space with the introduction of four new offerings aimed at broadening its reach.

The 30-year-old, New Jersey-based brand added Pizza Stars, Taco Stars, Ranch Crunchy Fries and Broccoli Cheddar Cheesy Bites to its portfolio in May. The snacks are available in major retailers nationwide, including Target, Whole Foods and Kroger, among others.

According to CEO Andy Reichgut, the new products were created to fill a gap in Dr. Praeger’s portfolio for consumers ages 10 to 18. The move marks a generational shift as the brand seeks to grow with consumers who once ate its Littles lineup as they transition into their tween, teen, and adult years.

The Littles line has been on the market for over a decade and has been growing at a CAGR of 25% since 2019, despite not having significant distribution growth. Rather, its growth is fueled by velocity and consumer demand. Now, Dr. Praeger’s is targeting success with an older audience.

The star (pun intended) of the new snack collection, Pizza Stars, capitalizes on the $1.4 billion pizza snack market – an area rich with involvement from consumers, claims Reichgut. Crafted with cauliflower, navy beans, zucchini, oats and mozzarella, the better-for-you take on the classic pizza roll has 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving.

To generate awareness for the new product, Dr. Praeger’s partnered with nano influencers who are also mothers. According to Reichgut, the content went viral and Pizza Stars “really just exploded.”

“It’s all word of mouth marketing, which is the best kind. We’ve turned off the high spend on national advertising because we think it’s far less effective than amplifying real people saying how amazing the product is,” he said.

The frozen plant-based snack market is a growing sector, with the vegan frozen market alone currently valued at $5 billion and projected to reach $12 billion by 2034, according to market researcher Exactitude Consultancy. Veggie burger producers such as Actual Veggies and MorningStar Farms have also ventured into the snack space, with the former launching Super Fries last year.

Founded in 1994 by two former heart surgeons, Dr. Praeger’s has grown and evolved as consumer interest in vegan and plant-based meals gained traction. It was acquired by private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners in 2021 for an undisclosed amount.

In 2023, the brand tackled texture innovation with the release of crunchy-coated veggie burgers in Crunchy Cauliflower Veggie and Crunchy Southwestern Sweet Potato varieties. The brand approaches new product releases through the lens of creating veggie-forward iterations of “food people want to eat.”

“We don’t chase fads [such as keto]. We try to stay true to what we think our brand is about, which is making vegetables available for people in forms they’ll actually eat,” said Reichgut.

Reichgut, who has over two decades of experience in the better-for-you food sector, took over the reins from founder and former CEO Larry Praeger in 2022. He came to the company from vegan cheese maker Violife, where he served as general manager, and has leveraged lessons from his past roles to inform his decisions at Dr. Praeger’s.

Above all else, Reichgut emphasized the importance of setting an intention for who you are as a brand and not chasing the next shiny object.

“There are so many brands that I think lose consumers because they get confused about who they are,” he said. “Dr. Praeger’s started out with a meaningful intention to give people food they will eat that’s better for their bodies. It’s evolved to this veggie-forward focus, and that’s never going to change.”

Looking ahead, Dr. Praeger’s will focus on expanding its snacking line over the next few years, while also building up its flagship veggie burger line. The vast majority of Americans still struggle to consume an adequate amount of vegetables, according to Reichgut, a statistic the company aims to change.

“We still have to finish the play on snacking. If it’s a 90-minute soccer match, we’re in the 15th minute. We have a lot of room to go before we’re done with snacking,” said Reichgut. “Veggie burgers are also critical to who we are, and we’re always innovating.”