A Richmond snack company is ready to enter major retailers after a reformulation and taking on some new packaging.
Grace Mittl and Eli Bank founded Absurd Snacks last year. Early on, they were part of two accelerator programs — Idea Factory and Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program. Through that process, they took the time to fine tune the product. Absurd Snacks focuses on trail mix for people with allergies to nuts, wheat and dairy.
“We were able to dig deeper into what we had done right and what could use some improvements,” Bank said. “We conducted a series of customer interviews and wanted to learn more about their needs and desires and what they are looking for, especially those people with allergies because that is who we want to speak with directly.”
They learned customers preferred their Magic Maple Cinnamon product and wanted a savory flavor. They dropped a chocolate line and added Rockin’ Rosemary Sea Salt. People sometimes treated Absurd Snacks as a breakfast cereal, but the goal is a stand-alone snack, Bank said.
“Our product used to be beans, seeds and oats,” he said. “It was clusters and roasted beans. We have maintained the same basic formula, but the clusters are much bigger now.”
The company also worked with a New York agency and redesigned the packaging. Absurd Snacks has been available at Elwood Thompson, Libbie Market and other independent groceries stores, but Mittl and Bank were eyeing larger retailers and wanted to make sure the product was ready for a bigger stage.
Bank said the company should soon be able to announce it is entering a major grocery retailer. The company declined to provide information on revenue.
“That will mean a lot of in-store demos and raising awareness,” Mittl said.
The company has also begun producing Absurd Snacks in an allergy-free facility. Now, the company can make allergy-free claims on the label. The snacks had been produced at a commercial kitchen, but the new facility will help the company increase production.
Absurd Snacks was originally a school project for the budding entrepreneurs. The two founders enrolled in a program at the University of Richmond designed to help students start a food and beverage company. The company was spun out of the university and has raised several hundred-thousand dollars through friends, family and angels.
“Eli and I were sort of in the right place the right time,” Mittl said. “At the time, the university was launching a food and beverage incubator. Essentially, it enabled us to create a packaged food product in about six months.”
Bank said he believes the company will have to raise more capital. The food and beverage industry is capital intensive, and Absurd Snacks will require more money if it wants to grow. The founders want to ultimately move out of a contract manufacturing facility and open a production facility.
The pair decided to forgo opportunities with larger companies after college and pursue an entrepreneurial dream. Mittl said the company’s growth would not have been possible without the support of the startup ecosystem in Richmond and the faith of angel investors.
“I feel like we have jumped into the middle of the ocean, and we are just still floating around,” Mittl said. “But all and all, it’s been really fun actually.”
