Raising the bar category’s profile
Kansas City The chief executive officer of John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. stated that “the growing snack bar category” was a major motivator for the company’s agreement to pay around $63 million to buy certain snack bar assets from TreeHouse Foods, Inc. in early September.
“With the addition of fruit and grain, crunchy, protein, sweet and salty, and chewy bars to our in-house nutrition bars, we will be able to provide our private label customers with an extensive portfolio of snack bars,” stated CEO Jeffrey T. Sanfilippo.
According to Chicago-based market research firm Circana, dollar sales in the snack bars/granola bars/clusters category reached $6.87 billion in the 52 weeks that concluded on July 16. This is an 8.3% increase over the same period the previous year. Unit sales decreased by 8.5% to 1.36 billion.
According to Circana, dollar sales of breakfast, cereal, snack, and bar/cluster products surged 7.6% to $1.96 billion, while granola bars had a 9.8% increase to $1.59 billion. Within the category, nutritional/intrinsic health value bars saw a 5.9% increase to $3.06 billion.
In 2023, 75% of present bar purchasers want to continue or expand their purchases, according to the Mintel 2023 US research titled “Snack, Nutrition and Performance Bars.” When it comes to selecting bars, consumers are impacted by a multitude of criteria, including cost, flavor, and convenience.
According to Sydney Olson, senior food and drink analyst at Mintel, “brands that can strike the balance between innovation and familiarity while maintaining great taste will come out on top.”
In the bar market, Flowers Foods, Inc., of Thomasville, Georgia, is a relatively recent participant. Flowers, which is well-known for its bread, rolls, and snack and sweet cakes, is entering the bar market with its Dave’s Killer Bread brand. A. Ryals McMullian, chairman and chief executive officer of Flowers Foods, stated during a presentation on September 7 at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference in Boston that DKB Organic Snack Bars, which were introduced last year, have surpassed initial distribution projections of 12,000 stores by the end of 2023 and are now headed toward 13,000 outlets by year’s end. With DKB Amped-Up Protein Bars, the business has extended the DKB bar pipeline. Currently in test markets, a countrywide launch is scheduled for 2024.
Earlier this summer, the health and wellness company Alani Nu made a significant adjustment as a result of listening to customer input. The firm redesigned their protein bars to make them more oozy, chewier, and softer.
Founder of Alani Nu Katy Hearn stated, “We’re just so happy to be able to give our community what they’ve been asking for—a softer, chewier bar in fun and delicious flavors.”
“Soft” served as the inspiration for two more bar varieties that Kind Snacks, a division of Mars, Inc., unveiled this summer. Kind introduced a caramel peanut version to their Breakfast Protein bar line. The firm defined this variety as a crispy, soft-baked bar with five super grains and chopped peanuts on the outside. The
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With its most recent release, the Cookie-fied Big Bar, Lenny & Larry’s had bigger goals in mind than smaller ones. The Big Bar, which weighs ninety grams instead of twelve, is a bigger, 90-gram version of the company’s Cookie-fied Bar, which is created with nutrient-dense protein dough. In addition to not containing any soy ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, or sugar alcohols, the Big Bar is still gluten-free, vegan-certified, and Non-GMO Project confirmed.
Lenny & Larry’s CEO Jolie Weber stated, “We’re proud to have pioneered the snack bar category by creating functional products that satisfy the need for nutrient-dense options, coupled with an element of playfulness.” “Fans of Cookie voiced their wish for an even higher protein version of a food that had become a necessary component of their busy, mobile existence. Lenny & Larry’s is still a cutting-edge company that uses comedy to bring customer preferences to life, and there’s much more to adore now.