LesserEvil Moves Into New Categories, Expands Distribution

After several attempts at repositioning over its 15 years on the market, snack brand LesserEvil has finally found a brand identity with “legs behind it.”

Less than a year after rolling out its latest iteration focused on “snacking as a vessel for mindful moments,” the brand is now entering new categories, launching innovative popcorn flavors and making major distribution gains. This month, it is expanding into a different aisle with the launch of keto-friendly Mini Cookies and will take on another new snack category, veggie sticks, in September. LesserEvil’s popcorn line is also branching out with a full slate of seasonal flavor launches in the works that are set to hit shelves soon at Target and Walmart.

The brand — which also markets Organic Popcorn, Paleo Puffs and Egg White Curls — made the move into cookies after it was approached by a Whole Foods buyer at last year’s Natural Products Expo West looking for innovation in the cookie category, which had previously been “pretty stale,” according to LesserEvil president and CEO Charles Coristine.

The cookies, available in Almond Butter Chocolate Chip and Snickerdoodle flavors, are a Whole Foods exclusive for $5.99 per 4.4 oz. bag. They will also be available on the brand’s website and on Amazon in 6-packs for $29.99.

While there are other keto-friendly cookie options, such as those from Amazon favorite Highkey, Coristine said that LesserEvil’s cookies are differentiated because they are low in sugar (containing two to three grams of added sugar per serving, depending on the SKU) and also avoid using sugar alcohols like erythritol in favor of organic coconut sugar. This focus on simple, clean ingredients — such as organic coconut flour, coconut oil and ghee — will set the line apart from other better-for-you cookie offerings, Coristine said.

It’s a category the brand has dabbled in before — having previously launched a line of oat-based cookies in 2016. Coristine said the cookies, which were made by a co-packer, were “inconsistent” and were ultimately discontinued. This time around, he said, the brand is producing the cookies at a bakery right next to its Connecticut facility and buying its own ingredients, allowing them to better “watch and nurture” the production process.

“We’ve definitely had a much better grasp on the whole process this time around, and I think it’s resulting in a much better cookie,” Coristine said.

LesserEvil is also planning big distribution moves for the end of summer. The brand will release its popcorn line nationwide at Walmart and Target, with single-serve bags getting front-end placement at cash registers at Target.

After unveiling its rebrand (done by Retail Voodoo, who also did Highkey’s rebrand last winter) at Natural Products Expo East 2019, Coristine said he believes this iteration of the brand finally has momentum. The rebrand, which emphasizes “mindful” snacking fueled by high quality, sustainable ingredients, included a refreshed logo and packaging with new “guru” mascots. The new cookie line packaging features a new “granny guru,” Iris.

In addition to distribution gains, Coristine said the positive consumer response has been evidenced particularly by the popcorn line’s success at Whole Foods. The first seasonal flavor, Sweetheart Pop, was introduced for Valentine’s Day exclusively at Whole Foods, where it “brought a lot of people to the brand that would have potentially never tried it,” Coristine said. That success helped spawn a whole calendar of seasonal popcorn releases: This summer, the brand rolled out a line of seltzer-inspired popcorn flavors — Grapefruit, Lemonade and Watermelon Hibiscus — at Whole Foods and on Amazon. Coristine said the company had planned to sell the summer flavors for several months, but they sold out within three weeks. Next up, the brand plans to launch limited edition flavors for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

LesserEvil is also preparing to launch a veggie stick line in September. The product will be going up against category leader Sensible Portions’ Garden Veggie Straws, Coristine said, but unlike most veggie stick products that use potatoes as their main ingredient, these sticks are vegetable-first and grain-free. While he said it’s a “risky move” trying to appeal to kids’ often unpredictable taste buds, he believes “the category needs it.”

Coristine said he worked on the veggies stick idea with David Woods, who joined the LesserEvil team as its VP of sales in February after 14 years at Whole Foods, most recently as senior category merchant for salty snacks and shelf-stable dips and salsas. Last month, Woods helped orchestrate a deal between former CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman, who resigned last month after backlash in response to Tweets about racism and public health, and CrossFit’s new owner Eric Roza. Woods will now serve as Roza’s chief of staff, and will shift to a more strategic role on LesserEvil’s advisory board while the brand looks to hire someone for a day-to-day sales position, Coristine said.

Wood’s move “may deepen” LesserEvil’s partnership with CrossFit, Coristine said. The brand had previously counted elite CrossFit athlete Lauren Fisher as a brand ambassador and sponsored CrossFit athletes and regional events in the Northeast. The brand had initially said it would no longer sponsor CrossFit events last month after Glassman’s comments, but Coristine said LesserEvil may continue a marketing partnership with the company now that there’s been “a big change in the organization.”

Over the last three months, the brand has also faced challenges due to COVID-19, including eight cases of the virus in its facility and lead time problems with its sustainable NEO packaging materials sourced from Europe. Despite this, it has been able to consistently keep products in stock and has seen Amazon sales go “through the roof.” LesserEvil has since been able to start preparing for its new product launches early enough that it’s now ready to start rolling them out.

“COVID has really forced us to keep our head down and make sure we stay on top of everything,” he said. “We’re in a really good place right now.”