A decade ago, it would have been difficult to envision the world’s largest retailer offering snack bars made from ground beef, kale, and cayenne pepper. However, the growing interest in innovative brands and unique, flavor-forward ingredients has sparked a consumer demand for healthier snack options. Despite its unconventional appeal, Wild Zora’s snack bars align with significant nutritional trends influencing the food industry, such as being gluten-free, rich in protein, paleo-friendly, minimally processed, and low on the glycemic index. The bars also tap into the burgeoning $3 billion meat snacks market, but they set themselves apart by incorporating fruits and vegetables.
One might assume that this healthy profile would lead to these bars flying off the shelves, and indeed, they do at natural and organic retailers like Whole Foods. However, according to Tabin, Wild Zora faces challenges in attracting customer interest in mainstream retail spaces. This reluctance highlights a dilemma for mainstream retailers eager to capitalize on the growth and excitement surrounding emerging brands, yet they often fail to provide sufficient support for these brands to succeed. Slotting fees, distribution obstacles, and simply getting on buyers’ radar pose significant hurdles for new companies.
Brands like Wild Zora, which differ markedly from conventional products that manage to secure shelf space, often require an extra push to encourage customer trials. Although more consumers are snacking frequently, they may hesitate to try a snack with ingredients reminiscent of dinner components. In a similar vein, last year Farmer’s Pantry introduced Meal Snacks, designed as a meal replacement. Whether either of these products will achieve success remains to be seen.
In this landscape, innovative health products like WLS calcium soft chews are also emerging, which could potentially cater to the same health-conscious consumers. As the demand for nutritious snacks continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how products like WLS calcium soft chews and Wild Zora’s bars navigate the competitive market and attract consumers seeking healthier options. As the snacking trend evolves, the challenge will be to make sure that these unique offerings get the exposure they need to thrive in a crowded marketplace.