Baking & Snack - April 2022 - 20

SOSLAND PUBLISHING
years
back when we were on Montrose Avenue - this was
pre-1980 - we had a Unex brand extruder, which extruded
two pretzels at a time, " he explained.
That amounted to about 100 pretzels per minute
while extruders today can produce several thousand per
minute, although Mr. Spannuth said that to ensure quality,
Unique Snacks doesn't operate at maximum speed.
And the industry has changed significantly over the
years, said Troy Gunden, president of Herr's and the
third generation to run the family-owned company,
which employs 13 family members in a variety of roles.
" For the first 75 years of your publication, there would
have been a lot of mom-and-pop businesses and independent
snack food companies in each different area
producing either potato chips or crackers or any number
of things, " he said. " In the '80s, '90s and definitely now, it
seems like there's significantly more consolidation. "
Malcolm McAlpine, business manager for branded
snacks and confections in foodservice for Mondelez
International, Chicago, pointed out that there wasn't
much in the way of packaged snacks outside of retail 100
years ago.
" Over the past 30 years, the variety and pack formats
Consumers
primarily seek
enjoyment and
indulgence
when looking for
a snack.
Herr Foods Inc.
have exploded, " he said. " For example, on Oreo we have
probably 20 different pack formats on a regular Oreo.
Everything from two-count, four-count, six-count,
king size, mini big bags, regular bags, retail family size,
20 oz. What's really happened is not only has snacking
increased dramatically, but also the fact that, particularly
in the last 20 years, pack sizes and formats have
been developed to fit specific
channels. "
Creating community
Snack producers say they have
found success in a variety of
ways. Herr's maintains not only
a dedication to tradition, community
and
sustainability but
also through steady expansion
and progress.
" We pretty much stick to what
we do and try to do it really well, "
Mr. Herr said. " We're really proud
of our culture and our people. Our
slogan this year is 'It's our people.'
We believe it's not just our Herr
family, it's the Herr Foods family,
and we all work together to build
a strong reputation in the industry.
We believe in our mission to
safely provide the best products
and service to our customers. "
20 Baking & Snack April 2022 / www.bakingbusiness.com
LEVELING
THE PLAYING FIELD
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
provided a shot in the arm to the
e-commerce market, which already was
growing before March 2020. That's good
news for newer and startup snack makers
that may not have access to crowded
retail shelves. They can put up their
own direct-to-consumer (DTC) websites
to get their products noticed.
" Our DTC site allows consumers to
engage directly with our brand, learn
more about our 'Be better, do better' mission
and speak with us one on one, " said
Stacey Benham, vice president marketing,
Quinn Snacks, Boulder, Colo. " As a result,
we also gain valuable insights to help
us drive new innovation and understand
what our consumers expect from our
brand. "
Digital brands can ramp up more slowly
and don't need the volume needed to
produce a snack that is going on retail
shelves.
" E-commerce really has leveled
the playing field in that initial startup
phase, " said Ryan Quinn, who is a
founder and managing partner of
Bougie Bakes, Los Angeles, along with
his wife, Meghan Quinn. " I don't think
e-commerce can completely replace
everything in the food business, but I
think it's a great start that you can get
that proof of concept with live sales and
direct customer feedback. "
Selling online allows companies to gain
quick feedback and understand how their
products are doing and being received by
customers, said Joe Ens, chief executive
officer of HighKey, Orlando, Fla., which
started as a digital brand and has moved
to retail.
" The unique element that digital does
create for a company like ours and others
is you can very quickly iterate, you can innovate,
you can kill ideas or explode ideas
depending on how quickly they succeed,
and you'll know within days or weeks, not
months or years, " he said.
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