Hain Celestial taps better-for-you snack growth by expanding tortilla chip portfolio

13-Jan-2017 - Last updated on 17-Jan-2017 at 16:38 GMT

Better-for-you snacking is one of Hain Celestial's five strategic growth platforms in 2017. Pic: Hain Celestial

Related tags Hain celestial Organic farming

New York-based natural and organic food company, Hain Celestial, has introduced two new tortilla chip products under its Garden of Eatin’ brand.

Hain Celestial currently owns 37 brands, including snack brand Bearitos, Arrowhead Mills, GG Crispbread crackers and Health Valley. Garden of Eatin’ is currently the number one product in the natural tortilla chips category, with natural tortilla chips being the largest segment within natural snacks, according to Spins data that includes multi outlets for the last 52 weeks ending on November 27, 2016.

The two new organic corn tortilla chips are available in Nacho flavor, featuring farmhouse cheddar and paprika, and ranch with hints of buttermilk, garlic and onion, according to the company. Both varities are made with non-GMO ingredients, are gluten-free and have a PSP of $3.49 per five-ounce bag across the US.

What kind of snacks are considered natural?

Natural snacks have been categorized by Spins into four smaller segments, including natural standards, specialty natural, naturally perceived and conventional natural, according to a previous report by this site.

Hain Celestial-owned Terra vegetable chips also fall into the natural standards segment, which refers to snacks that are marketed and sold in natural retailers. These products, Spins described, “meet the strictest quality standards demanded by core natural consumers.”

“We plan to continue innovating to meet consumer tastes, while maintaining our strong heritage as the organic tortilla chip of choice made with non-GMO ingredients and simple ingredients that consumers are looking for,” director of marketing of snacks at Hain Celestial, Brett Hartmann, told BakeryandSnacks.

Aligning with Hain Celestial’s 2017 growth strategy

Hartmann said Hain Celestial is known for better-for-you products, and Garden of Eatin’ has provided better-for-you options since it was founded more than 40 years ago.

“Garden of Eatin’ has a longstanding commitment to organic farming practices and it continues to excite consumers through its rustic, authentic, handcrafted taste,” he said.

According to the company’s Q3 earnings results announced in March 2016, Hain Celestial plans to establish five strategic platforms in 2017 with the purpose to drive accelerated net sales and margin growth. One of the platforms is better-for-you snacking, which includes developing “wholesome products for in-between meals.”

Founder and CEO of Hain Celestial, Irwin Simon, previously commented, “We are excited about the launch of our new platforms in fiscal year 2017, which are uniquely aligned with consumer eating habits and usage needs.”

“We believe our platforms represent distinct opportunities for incremental growth and margin improvement. We expect this new approach will enable us to define more distinct channel strategies for our branded product offerings, and ensure that we continue to extend our organic and natural industry leadership position.”

By the end of 2016, Hain Celestial reported its total net sales range between $2.946bn to $2.966bn, “an increase of approximately 9% to 10% as compared to fiscal year 2015,” the company said.