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Paleo granola startup rebrands for grain-free consumers

By Douglas Yu

- Last updated on GMT

Pic: Within Without
Pic: Within Without
Chicago-based granola startup Paleo Scavenger has rebranded itself as Within Without to capture the growing number of US consumers going grain-free.

Brittany Chibe, founder and CEO of the company, said she started the business four years ago when she was looking for anti-inflammatory food after a running injury.

She said: “I was following a paleo lifestyle. That’s why my brand was paleo-focused at the beginning.”

Headshot
Brittany Chibe, CEO and founder of Within Without, says: "Everything paleo is grain-free, but not everything grain-free is paleo."

However, as Paleo Scavenger grew its distribution and sales, Chibe found many shoppers shied away from the paleo label because they either did not know what it meant or they were not following the paleo diet.

“The purpose of rebranding is to open our door to people who don’t necessarily follow that diet,”​ she said, noting the grain-free category has more devotees than paleo.

Chibe added: “Our products and recipes remain the same, and we don’t use processed sugar that prevents people from digesting smoothly… All our products are free from dairy and soy, and sweetened with honey and maple syrup, which are paleo-friendly sweeteners.”

Within Without's granola portfolio offers five core flavors, including original, cherry, blueberry, maple pecan and a recently added chocolate peanut butter. It will also introduce a seasonal pumpkin flavor in the fall.

Since its launch, Within Without expanded distribution from local farmer markets to 500 grocery stores across the US, mostly through KeHe. The products are also available online.

Grain-free > paleo

Chibe noted that, although grain-free and paleo are two different concepts, they do overlap with ingredients.

“Simply put, everything that is paleo is grain-free, but not everything that is grain-free is paleo,”​ she said.

In July last year, Amanda Orso, Barely Bread’s CEO and founder, explained that grains encompass wheat, oats, rice and corn, and all ancient grains such as spelt, amaranth, quinoa, millet and kamut.

“Paleo, however, omits these ingredients, as well as legumes and dairy,”​ she told BakeryandSnacks.

She added many pioneers in the bakery industry also believe the grain-free​ trend could eventually supersede gluten-free.

Chibe said the US granola category is “very saturated”​, so going grain-free would help Within Without distinguish itself from its competitors.

“Many retailers are dedicating more space to healthy granola because it is outselling boxed cereal,”​ she said.

Expanding portfolio

Chibe is looking to expand Within Without’s portfolio with new snack formats because “grain-free can add value to all snack categories”​.

She said the company will launch a grain-free protein ball next year, as well as add new distribution channels.

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