LesserEvil

LesserEvil Snacks LLC is a leading natural snack food company located in Danbury, Connecticut. The company manufacturers and distributes its own products. Currently, the company employs about 80 people between its factory, two warehouses, and office. The company has four snack lines: LesserEvil Popcorn, Paleo Puffs, Egg White Curls, and Green Elephant Chips. The company differentiates itself by its emphasis on organic ingredients with a focus on premium oils like coconut and avocado.

LesserEvil Snacks
Private Company
IndustryFood products
Founded2004 (2004)
HeadquartersDanbury, CT
Key people
Charles Coristine (Founder and CEO)
ProductsOrganic Popcorn, Paleo Puffs, Egg White Curls, Green Elephant Chips
Number of employees
100
Websitelesserevil.com
A variety of LesserEvil snacks

It is also an industry leader in environmentally enhanced packaging, composting, and energy efficiency. Its products are distributed to national retailers by UNFI/Market Center, Kehe, DPI, Lipari, Dot Foods, Davidson, Gordon Food Service, March Health, Newport Gourmet, Left Coast Naturals and Vistar among others. A retailer list can be found on the store locator page of LesserEvil's website. LesserEvil is one of the top three popcorn lines in the natural retail channel, and is the top-selling organic popcorn line in the US.

History

LesserEvil was founded in March 2004 in Tuckahoe, New York. Their first products included potato puffs and a line of four Kettle Corns, touting them as low in carbohydrates, free of trans fats, preservatives, and high-fructose corn syrup.

In early 2005, LesserEvil shifted from a low-carb line to an all-natural line. In early 2007, LesserEvil entered the potato snack market and launched Krinkle Sticks, a line of baked, reduced-fat potato snacks.

In November 2011, the company was sold to Charles Coristine. Charles and his partner Andrew Strife opened a new office in Wilton, CT. A new direction was formulated and the company discontinued most of the initial products that it had started with. They shifted to a new emphasis on healthy, instead of better-for-you. The first new product launch was Chia Crisps; a black bean chip with chia inclusion. Then in 2013, an organic popcorn called Chia Pop was launched.

In 2012, the company decided to vertically integrate to allow for more innovation and a better margin profile. The first LesserEvil factory was opened in Danbury, CT. The new factory allowed the company to play with better ingredients, oils, and salts that traditional co-packers were reluctant to use. Super Bites and Buddha Bowl products were launched in 2013 and 2014. The organic Buddha Bowl popcorn line was inspired by a yoga retreat at the Kripalu Yoga Center in New England.

In 2018 the company expanded to a new, larger factory in Danbury, CT. This newer much larger facility allowed for more popcorn lines and a new focus on twin-screw extrusion technology. In 2018, the company launched organic, grain-free Paleo Puffs, and in 2019 the company launched another grain-free line called Egg White Curls. This product uses certified humane, cage-free egg whites.

The company is now headquartered at 41 Eagle Road in Danbury, CT, with warehousing in Danbury and Brookfield.

Products
  • Organic Popcorn
  • Paleo Puffs
  • Egg White Curls
  • Green Elephant Chips

Distinctions

In 2014, according to spins, LesserEvil is one of the top selling snack lines in the natural category in the country. Also, Dr. Oz featured LesserEvil's Chia Crisps as the “Ultimate Snack” in late 2012.[1] In earlier 2012, LesserEvil won the Gluten Free Snack of the Year by the Connecticut Specialty Foods Association. LesserEvil Healthy Brand Snacks have also been featured by Rachael Ray,[2] Hungry Girl,[3] Shape Magazine,[4] and Inc. magazine[5] among others. CSP also chose LesserEvil's Classic SeaSalt Krinkle Sticks as a finalist for their Retailers’ Choice Best New Products in the ‘Salty Snacks’ category.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Dr. Oz Show". November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-01.
  2. "Rachel Ray Show". 2007-10-05. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. "TOP ATE Food Finds of 2007". Hungry Girl. 2007-12-31. Archived from the original on 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  4. Pressner, Amanda (July 2008). "Shape's 2nd Annual Best Snack Awards". Shape Magazine. 27 (11): 166.
  5. "Inc. Magazine". September 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  6. "2007 Retailers' Choice Best New Products". Retrieved 2008-07-15.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.