Supereats kale & chia chips! Not one superfood, but two... and they're dippable
Our next stop was at the booth of start-up Supereats, which reckons it has the edge on rivals in the kale snacks market with what it claims is the first dippable kale chip.
The chips - which contain kale, black beans and/or navy beans, corn masa, safflower and/or sunflower oil, chia seeds and sea salt - were developed by co-founders Charlie Ruehr and Aaron Gailmor, who have a background in the financial sector, but wanted to do something "more fulfilling" said Gailmor.
Inspired by Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman's book Mission in a Bottle, armed with a sounder knowledge than most start-ups of how to raise money, and convinced they had a product with a better texture than other kale-based snacks, Gailmor and Ruehr scored their first big win last month after seeing their snacks hit shelves for the first time at Heinen's in Cleveland, OH.
Since then, they have secured listings at H.E.B in Texas, Whole Foods in the midwest, and several natural food stores in Chicago and New York.
The focus now is on sampling, says Gailmor, who says this remains the most cost-effective way to make headway when you don't have money to spend on big marketing campaigns.
Meanwhile, meeting other entrepreneurs that really understand the snacks market - and are prepared to share their experiences - has also helped, he adds.
"What made a big difference for us was meeting Vincent James [president of Mediterranean Snack Foods], who served as a sounding board and mentor. It's really helped us along."
