Way Better Snacks
Way Better Snacks builds momentum as a leader in better-for-you snacking, featuring a range of sprouted ingredients in its clean-label tortilla chips and crackers.
For the complete story on Way Better Snacks, see “Way Better Snacks sets the pace for better-for-you snacking.”
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Way Better Snacks makes better-for-you tortilla chips and crackers that align with multiple prevailing trends in snacking today, including clean-label, gluten-free and certified Non-GMO Project Verified.
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Using sprouted grains, beans and seeds is central to this mission, and the growth of Way Better Snacks is a bellwether for the mainstreaming of sprouted ingredients. “Consumers are demanding better-for-you foods that don’t require a compromise on taste, convenience or freshness,” says Jim Breen, founder and CEO. “We’ve also seen much more mainstream desire for sprouted whole grains like the ones that we use in all of our snacks. Sprouting premium, ancient grains has helped consumers to realize the taste and nutrition benefits of whole grains.”
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All Way Better Snacks products gain flavor and nutritional differentiation via selective use of sprouted seeds like flax, chia, quinoa, broccoli, kale and radish, as well as sprouted brown rice and black beans, courtesy of the company’s wholly owned sprouting business unit, Live Better Sprouting Innovation.
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The sprouted ingredients that go into every bag of Way Better Snacks come from Live Better Sprouting Innovation, formerly known as BioEssential Botanicals Inc. and the original supplier of sprouted ingredients for the products. The company has been in the business of sprouting ingredients for over 20 years. Live Better Brands purchased the business, based in Stirling, Ontario, in May 2014. “They are one of the true experts in the world of sprouting,” says Jim Breen.
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For Jim Breen, better snacks always start with better ingredients. “I had a vision to create better food—delicious snacks I could feel good about eating and feeding to my friends and family,” he says. “I knew that beginning with the highest-quality ingredients meant we’d end up with better snacks. Our grains, beans and seeds are expertly sourced for texture, color and—most importantly—way better flavor.”
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Jim Breen has a background in sales, and previously worked for Borden and the Unilever brand Best Foods before shifting into the natural-products industry for several years with the Celestial Seasonings brand at The Hain Celestial Group. This latter experience set him on a clear path toward natural, better-for-you snacking. “I learned what natural consumers were like, what they were seeking, things they believe—and that the greater trend would be a move toward transparency and overall wellness,” he says.
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The most-recent product launch was Nacho Cheese whole-grain tortilla chips. All of the chips recently saw an update with a new contemporary packaging design that sports clear better-for-you messaging.
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The Sriracha chips from Way Better Snacks have steadily and quickly gained momentum since their launch in 2014.
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“Our customer is seeking real, quality, wholesome ingredients—ingredients they recognize, ingredients they can find in their own kitchen,” says Emily Harris-Greene, vice president, marketing. “They care about real, high quality food that’s fulfilling. They’re not calorie-counters or completely cutting out fat. We know that consumers not only want their food to be free from the negatives, like artificial ingredients, trans fats and GMOs, but also, they want their snacks to be crafted with delicious, quality, better-for-you ingredients.”
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The Way Better Snacks story has centered on honesty and simplicity from the start. “We’ve been up for just over four years now,” says Jim Breen. “The product started strong from an ingredient-quality standpoint, and it is in an even stronger place today than it was at the beginning. We feel good about what we’re doing.”