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• The Food Issue Survey
• The Food Issue Editorial: And…
• The Mainstreaming of Organic
• Carpe Lycopersicon Esculentum…
• To Eat, or Not to Eat?
• Eating With Your Head: A Review…
• Food: The View From Abroad

While g-Think explores the growth of “big organic” in this issue, among other topics, we pause (paws) to give a healthy cheer to sisters Debbie Reynolds and Gwen Solberg who, back in 2002, were amazed at their experience taking the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. As usual, they packed home-made sandwiches, fruit and healthy snacks, but noticed other families couldn’t get anything as healthy from the food stand at the museum. And the world of Koala Krackers and Python Pretzels was founded. The two sisters now have a small but rapidly growing company, Healthy Handfuls whose customers include retail giants Costco and Target. Their products are simply kid’s snacks, certified organic without trans-fats, high fructose sugar, preservatives and artificial colors. We asked Debbie of Healthy Handfuls how big she thought her brand would become.

“This is a very difficult question to answer. Our products have been on the shelves for two years and we are a small and rapidly growing company. Our brand is very elastic, and thus, it could really be quite large one day. However, that being said, our growth needs to be appropriate. We listen to our consumers and we look at the trends. In reality, it is not the size of the brand, but the quality of our products and the satisfaction of our consumers which will drive our brand to be whatever size the market will dictate.”

Is there a trend toward increased availability of healthier products in the snack market?
Yes, there most certainly is a huge trend in this direction. Children and adults will always love to snack. Therefore, companies such as Healthy Handfuls have discovered that snacking can in fact be healthy and we are filling a need. We have launched a line of organic snack products for children and the adults love them as well. There are numerous companies that have taken snack products and made them healthier by taking out the bad oils and reducing the sugar content. It is a win-win situation.

Are your sales driven by kids wanting the product or by the concerns of parents?
Actually, a little bit of both. Initially, our sales are driven by the parents because we have very young consumers. However, once the parents have bought our products for the first time and the kids have liked them, then the second time around is usually driven by the kids. They love the taste and the packaging.

Who are the innovators in the sector and what changes do you think will occur in the next 5 years?
The innovators in the sector are all the companies that you see in both the natural and organic industry. These companies will continue to respond to the consumers who are asking for healthier food, whether it be organic or natural. Thus, in the next 5 years you will continue to see double digit growth in this arena.

Who comes up with the fun product names and what’s next?
I actually named our company Healthy Handfuls and came up with the name “Lucky Duckies.” The other fun names were conceived by our branding person, David Curtis. Our next offering will be a “Chocolate Chimpy” which will be a chocolate chip animal cracker. Stay tuned for many more fun products in the future.

From great entrepreneurs like Debbie and Gwen, to the giant Kroger supermarket chain’s just launched link up with Disney, food providers are now starting to listen to consumers’ concerns about children’s health and are responding in the marketplace with greater choice. g-Think believes this will be a high growth area in the future.