Two paths to plant-based snacking

What does a green gherkin from the UK have in common with a purple potato from California?

Both have been “snackified” – instantly making them more convenient and able to command a significant price premium of up to 1400%.

As we said in 10 Key Trends 2020, “Finding more ways to help people eat vegetables in convenient and snackified ways is the single-biggest area of opportunity for all companies, big or small.” Mass-market consumers will pay a premium for a good-tasting snack.

But these products have taken different routes to snackification.

Serious Pig’s gherkins are plants remade as heroes – a strategy that’s primarily about enabling people to get more vegetables, and in the case of Serious Pig, offering a non-meat alternative to its range of charcuterie and crackling.

The focus is all on quality and taste: “We’ve used the finest tastiest baby gherkins and gently pickled them with garlic and a pinch of dill… they’re crunchy and tangy, not too sweet.”

And just in case you’re concerned about pickle juice dripping everywhere, the pack reassures you that this will be a hassle-free snack: “Drained, ready to eat”.

The snacks come in 40g packs of two pickles, for which you’ll pay £1.40 ($1.80/€1.67), giving it a per kilo price of £35 ($45/€42). By way of comparison, a 600g jar of pickles in the supermarket also costs £1.40 – or just £2.30 ($2.96/€2.75) per kilo. But the hefty premium is worth it to consumers when they want a snack right now, with their drink, and without all the pickling liquid you find in a jar.

Along with Serious Pig’s meat snacks the pickles are served in the bars of popular UK craft beer company BrewDog, and are also available in UK supermarkets and other retailers.

In California, the purple sweet potato’s path to snackification has been via processing. `Uala has turned it into a plant-based dairy yoghurt alternative that’s far more convenient for consumers than having to prepare potato themselves. The sweet potato, often touted as a superfood, is the main ingredient, providing a natural substitute to dairy or nuts – the most common bases of smoothies, yogurts and bars – but it comes with a supporting cast of pumpkin seed butter, sweetener and flavouring.

The 4oz (113g) single-serve vegan pots, which are also billed as energy snacks, come in three flavours – chocolate, strawberry and chai. They’re sold online in packs of 12 cups for $39.99 (€36.64) and can be found in selected US shops, including Target. Priced on a per kilo basis, `Uala costs $29.50 (€27.33) compared to just $6.98 (€6.47) for a Chobani Greek 4X150g-pack.

The energy cups are made from “real food ingredients” and free-from artificial sweeteners, with sweetness deriving from coconut sugar as well as the purple sweet potato. Marketing highlights that they’re a good source of antioxidant vitamins A & C, fibre and iron. On the website, `Uala is feted as a protein source that is “as tasty as nut butter without the allergens or water waste”.

Versatility is at the heart of `Uala; it can be consumed as a single-serve pot of spoonable yogurt, spread over bread or even used as a base for a smoothie.

`Uala Pure Purple Power connects to several key trends – plant-based, snackification, sugar, protein and good carbs – while providing an interesting alternative to the usual plant-based dairy products made with almond, soya or oat bases.

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