What products will soar in popularity on Instacart in 2017? According to the grocery delivery giant, a Chicago startup's gluten-free baking mixes and a locally-made protein bar are poised for big years.
This month Instacart wrote a blog post on its predictions for 2017, highlighting the items that saw the greatest rise in searches on its platform from 2015 to 2016. Among the five most searched products were two Chicago companies: Simple Mills, a Chicago-based food startup that makes gluten-free baking mixes that are also soy-free, non-GMO, and paleo-friendly, and RXBAR, an all-natural protein bar that boldly lists its ingredients on the front of its package.
Searches for RXBAR were up 716% from 2015 to 2016, making it the third highest searched product on the platform year-over-year. Simple Mills searches rose 634% during the same time, making it the fourth highest searched product on Instacart. Other product on the list include Halo Top ice cream, New Barn almond milk, and Harvest Snaps.
Simple Mills, founded by University of Chicago graduate Katlin Smith, has been growing quickly since winning the UChicago New Venture Challenge in 2014. The baking mix is sold nationally and can be found at Albertsons/Safeway, Hy-Vee, Mariano’s, Raley’s, Wegman’s and Whole Foods, as well as online.
RXBAR, founded by Peter Rahal and Jared Smith, is a gluten-free all-natural protein bar made with egg whites. The bars are paleo-friendly and sold in CrossFit gyms and other stores throughout the US. Each RXBAR has six or fewer ingredients, which are displayed prominently on the front of the packaging.
Clearly healthy eating is a top priority for many Instacart users, which could mean big business for these two Chicago startups in 2017.
Images via Simple Mills and RXBAR
