Absurd Snacks is expanding its products to Whole Foods Market stores and Amazon, a step co-founders Grace Mittl and Eli Bank hope will lead to nationwide growth.
The pair of 23-year-olds first began fostering a relationship with Whole Foods in 2021 while taking an entrepreneurial pilot course at the University of Richmond, where groups of students were asked to create a packaged food product in about six months. Mittl’s group came up with an idea for a healthy, allergen-free snack. The idea stemmed from the experience of one group member with severe allergies.
“He always came to class with the same granola bar,” Mittl said. “He had expressed his struggle of being able to find high-protein, low-sugar snacks that tasted really good and that were also safe to eat.”
Mittl, now CEO of the company, came up with the idea of Absurd Snacks, and worked with Bank, who serves as COO, to develop it during their senior year. Their professor introduced them to one of Whole Foods' foragers, a scout who searches the nation for local food products to bring into stores.
As the two graduated and reincorporated their business officially in Richmond, they kept in close contact with the forager and now have their products in more than 20 regional Whole Foods, with a goal to be on every Whole Foods shelf in Virginia and D.C. by the end of October.
They will also begin selling Absurd Snacks on Amazon this month, their first online expansion beyond the startup’s website, Mittl said.
For the next three to six months, Mittl and Bank said they plan to focus on their products’ performance at grocery stores, but there are bigger things on the horizon.
“We think that Absurd Snacks could do really well in other regions around the country,” said Mittl. “Since Whole Foods is a national chain retailer… we want to also grow with them in that effort as we grow beyond the Mid-Atlantic region.”
The company is currently relocating production into a larger manufacturing facility in Richmond to be able to increase output. The new property will also have a retail storefront to host events and engage with the Richmond community, Bank said.
The move has been “a bit of a process to bring to life,” Bank said, as it involves careful oversight to avoid any cross-contamination and maintain their allergen-free certification.
Mittl and Bank declined to disclose revenue figures.
The startup tests ingredients to ensure they are free of the top nine allergens before they enter Absurd Snacks’ facilities, and again after the snacks are made. They also work with a third-party allergen-free certifier to make sure all the right protocols are in place.
The team is also pursuing other certifications to increase their customer base, like a gluten-free certification, Bank said.
