I've bean thinking... Chickpeas - aka garbanzo beans - head into snack limelight
It seems 2014 is the year that fiber & protein-packed snacks made with peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas are really taking off.
One firm that is tapping into this trend is The Good Bean, co-founded by Sarah Wallace, who cut her teeth in the fiercely competitive snacks market by working on brands from Luna Bars and PopChips to thinkThin.
Wallace, who launched her first product (roasted chickpea snacks) in late 2010 and her second (Fruit & No-Nut Bars) in May 2012, has now moved into bean chips, which combine chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), lentils, navy beans and pea protein isolate with sweet potato and quinoa. Each serving has 4g protein, 2-3g fiber and 130 calories.
While American consumers are more familiar with chickpeas in a can or in a tub of hummus than in the snacks aisle, they ‘get’ that chickpeas are healthy and nutrient dense and they are also starting to see them appear in a wider range of snackfoods, says Wallace.
Retailers, meanwhile, recognize that pulse-based snacks are opening up new incremental growth opportunities in the snacks aisle, she adds: “Bean chips are growing in the high double digits. Retailers don’t want another variety of potato chips. They want something different.”
Other firms hoping for a slice of the action at the show included Maya Kaimal with its chickpea chips; plus Saffron Road and Biena Foods with their chickpea snacks.
Says Biena Foods founder Poorvi Patodin: "People are trying to give up their potato chips for something with a healthier profile, but they also crave taste and texture. Roasted chickpeas are tasty, crunchy and satisfying without all the calories and fat."
