Oser Communications Group

1 0 SNACKING NEWS August 2018 SNACKING NEWS SNACKING NEWS The Secret That Will Keep Jasper Specialty Foods Going quired two years ago, Jason says. Jason's father, Jim, and Art Nunes had been friends for years, he explains, and when the Nunes family had to sell their orchard and its accompanying confection company because of California's continuing drought, it "only made sense for us to ac- quire their business and take it to the next level," says Jason. Young Jake's uncommonly sophisti- cated palate is helping to shape the flavor offerings of the Jake's Nut Roaster's line, says Jason. "He has the palate of a mid-30 to 40-year-old — he likes bleu cheese and balsamic vinegar, for example. He's al- ways pitching ideas at us" for different fla- vors, says Jason. Jake's Nut Roasters, named for Jake himself, offers "numerous package sizes, including a 1.5-ounce single-serving size that's perfect for snacking," Jason says. "Of course, we also offer larger sizes. One thing we do well is packaging in a can, the way nuts were traditionally packaged, so we do a 7-ounce can. It fits in the cup holder [of your car], and it displays nicely on shelves. We've decided to stay with that packaging." The Jake's Nut Roasters brand grew out of a desire to bring "fun, trendy flavors" to the market, he says. "Right now, we're doing Mesquite-Smoked, Hatch Chile, Bleu Cheese Cracked Pepper, Bloody Mary, Maple, and Barbecue flavors. We wanted to stay away from oil-roasting, so we dry-roast everything. Getting the fla- vors right on dry roasted nuts is difficult, but we've perfected a very even applica- tion process, where the seasoning doesn't come off on your hands like it does with oil-roasted nuts." More flavor profiles are in the pipeline for the Jake's Nut Roasters line, he says. The company also produces almond butter, "and I could see some flavored ver- sions of that in the future," Jason says. Other innovations on the horizon in- clude some packaging geared toward men, with a burlap bag of almonds in the shell. "We're just finalizing the packaging of that line," Jason says. "Roasting in the shell gives a bit of a caramelized flavor to the nuts." Overall, the future looks bright for young Jake's ability to grow into the fourth generation of the business. "Our industry has been growing over the last 10 years," says Jason. "Our customers are really lik- ing our sweet and savory combination of flavors." n BY ROBIN MATHER Thirteen-year-old Jake Jasper may be the keeper of the secret that will carry his fam- ily's business in Newman, California, into its fourth generation. It's in his mouth. This year, Stewart & Jasper Orchards, the company Jake's great grandfather founded, celebrates its 70th anniversary. The company not only grows almonds on more than 2,000 acres, it provides hulling, shelling, processing, and marketing serv- ices to neighboring growers, Jake's father, Jason, says. Today, Jasper Specialty Foods, a spe- cialty almond products company started by the Jaspers as part of Stewart & Jasper, markets almonds under three brands: Nunes Farms, Jake's Nut Roasters and Jasper Ranch. Nunes Farms, a nearby grower and specialty processor, was ac- "There is a tremendous shift that's hap- pening in how we're snacking. ... This represents a much broader shift that's hap- pening across the landscape. "Across the consumer-packaged goods industry, snacks are at the forefront of the foods that people are starting to buy on- line," Rost said. Nielsen had previously predicted that the online grocery market would saturate in 2026 with 70 percent of consumers buying groceries online. But a recent acceleration in consumers' adop- tion of online grocery shopping has changed that forecast. "Last year, we started to see rampant adoption," he said. "We attribute this to all these new plat- forms where you actually can buy food online." This acceleration now has Neilsen predicting that online grocery shopping will peak as early as 2022. About 8 percent of packaged-goods sales is currently sellinig through online channels, but the online channel accounts for upwards of 30 percent of the growth in the packaged-goods market. "These are dollars that would have flowed through conventional outlets," Rost said. Snack foods are particularly amenable Snack Category Continued from Page 1 to online sales, according to Rost. "Dis- covery is available through the endless as- sortment that's available online. Plus, you can automate replenishment," he said. "The balance of replenishment plus serendipity means that some of the snack products might be the next wave of things to move online. There's really pent-up de- mand here." Snacks are already the most common foods purchased through the click-and- collect services that conventional grocers now offer. That presents an opportunity for snack food makers as more and more re- tailers invest in those services. For retailers, it's never been more im- portant to understand why consumers buy the foods they do, according to Rost. "En- able discovery and the fun aspects of why people buy your categories," he said. "Snacks are some of the most fun and en- joyable things that people bring into their lives." He noted that consumers have many reasons to buy snack foods, and as their reasons for snacking change, so does their definition of what makes a snack food. In addition to fun, they may seek functional benefits and better-for-you options. "We snack with purpose. People indulge with purpose. More and more shoppers are re- ally thinking about their purpose for snacking," Rost said. "People are thinking of food as medicine. Snacks are a part of that as well." That's why snackable cate- gories are growing across the store and now include drinkable snack options like kombucha and even sparkling water and ready-to-drink coffee. Nondairy yogurt and Icelandic yogurt are now perceived as snack foods, as are specialty produce items such as mandarin oranges. Six per- cent of snacks now claim that they include superfood ingredients, and even within traditional snack food products, Neilsen is starting to see a shift toward cleaner ingre- dient lists, according to Rost. "It's still a small slice of the pie, but it's growing rap- idly," he said. But even though many consumers are looking for cleaner ingredients, that's not affecting all product categories in the same way. As consumers think about what they want in a snack food, they consider the length of the ingredient list. But they also consider their perceptions about the authenticity of the product and the ingredients, Rost said. In the case of potato chips, a package that offers a thicker, kettle-cooked chip with ethnic flavoring might be what tips the balance in their decision away from the length of the ingredient list, Rost suggested. "It's not a universal push towards cleaner," he said. "When we look across the cate- gories benefiting from the shift to clean, chocolate is now a wash between cleaner versions and conventional. In potato chips, we're seeing more growth in con- ventional versus clean." "What is the authentic experience you're providing for consumers? That might be clean, but it also might not," he added. However, specific ingredients are no- nos for some consumers, and ingredient avoidance is driving growth in the snack foods category. As an example, non-dairy alternatives to conventional dairy foods are fundamentally redefining products. In the case of many, such as ice creams, con- sumers are looking for products that never included dairy ingredients, rather than products in which the lactose has been re- moved. In the candy category, growth is being driven by consumers' willingness to spend more on a product they perceive as supe- rior. "We're seeing a shift over the past few years toward premium candy," Rost said. "Much of the growth we're seeing across candy is in premium price tiers and premium brands." n EPIC Provisions Launches New EPIC Performance Bars EPIC Provisions, the snack brand on a mission to make humanely-raised, animal- based foods, debuts EPIC Performance, a line of non-GMO protein bars made from cage-free egg whites, nuts, and dried fruit. Each whole food bar is packed with 12 grams of clean protein, made with six in- gredients or less and no added sugar or un- specified natural flavors. Every bar is gluten free, soy free, and Kosher, offering delicious nourishment fueled by nature. Available in four varieties including Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Almond Butter Chocolate, and Lemon (Whole30-ap- proved), EPIC Performance Bars bring to life whole food nutrition in a single-serve protein bar that is perfect for athletes and adventurers. "With all EPIC products, we purpose- fully innovate and produce in order to pos- itively impact the animal supply chains we source from," said EPIC Provisions Co- Founder Taylor Collins. "The launch of EPIC Performance Bars is only the start. Creating a product made from cage-free, non-GMO egg whites is the first step to taking on our commitment to lead and im- prove the development of premium, pas- ture-raised laying hen supply chains." EPIC Provisions has already converted 10 laying hen farms in the U.S. from con- ventional practices to cage-free models, ensuring all their hens are fed a diet of non-GMO feed. EPIC Performance Bars can be found at natural, organic, and traditional grocery stores nationwide including Kroger, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods. All flavors are also available online at www.store.epicbar.com, retailing for $2.29 MSRP each. n

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