Snac World -- State of the Industry 2019 - 6

SNAC LETTER

POWERING A DURABLE
GROWTH STORY
Earlier this ye
year, I was asked to characterize the overthe snack industry for an article in an inall state of th
magazine. I said, "Snacks are a durable
dustry trade m
story." For years, the category has grown at a
growth story.
rate substantially higher than the larger food industry
- in some years, by as much as 400%. Fueled by
on-the-go millennials and Generation Z, the number
of snacking occasions has been on a steady rise,
with a majority saying they snack three or more times
a day. And, as this Snac World State of the Industry
report unveils, the types of snacks consumers are
choosing evolves as they seek snacks with nutrition, convenience, protein, whole grains, clean
labels and other attributes being rewarded in the
marketplace. The industry has not missed a beat in
meeting these needs.
To serve this industry, SNAC International has been
on a related growth journey. In the past three years,
we rebranded the organization, established the "free
for members" leadership development and technical
education program, made substantial investments in
our advocacy programs, and emphasized bringing
world-class educational content to our major meetings
- SNAXPO and the Executive Leadership Forum.
In 2019, we took it up another notch with the immensely successful introduction of "SNAC Tank" and
the Women in Snacks (WinS) Engagement Program at
SNAXPO19 in Orlando. Just as SNAC member companies are meeting the changing needs of consumers,
these programs were designed to meet the changing
needs of the industry.
SNAC Tank, modeled after the uber-popular Shark
Tank television series, was a pitch competition designed to attract and reward the most innovative and
delicious snack product with the highest likelihood of
success. Thirty companies applied, with the top five
finalists invited to pitch their products in front of a pan-

el of expert judges (including Shark Tank-star investor
Barbara Corcoran) and a packed house of SNAXPO
attendees. The $20,000 grand prize went to Chirps
Chips - a delicious tortilla chip made nutritious with
the addition of cricket powder protein. Five additional
companies were invited to sample their products at
the all new SNAC Tank Showcase. The enthusiasm to
taste these products and be inspired by the entrepreneurs that created them was palpable.
"Off the charts" is the best way to describe the positive reaction to the first-ever WinS engagement workshop held at SNAXPO. WinS is a program launched
by the SNAC board of directors late last year to promote the professional development and advancement
of female leaders in the snack industry. Composed of
two parts, the workshop featured a panel discussion
of successful female snack leaders including Angie
Bastian, founder of Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP;
Laura Maxwell, senior vice-president of supply chain,
Frito-Lay; and Jolie Weber, CEO, Wise Foods and
SNAC's second-ever board chairwoman. Participants
were also delighted to welcome back our organization's first female chairwoman, Robbi Rice Dietrich.
The second half of the program featured tabletop
discussions with 135 attendees reflecting on behaviors identified in the book How Women Rise by Sally
Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, that might be limiting their career progression and steps they can take to
address them.
Taken together, SNAC Tank and the WinS workshop represent another step change in SNAC's journey to meet the needs of the growing snack industry.
SNAC Tank creates a pathway for entrepreneurs to
become a part of the larger industry and benefit from
all that SNAC has to offer, and WinS recognizes and
empowers female leaders that are and will be driving
industry growth into the future.
Elizabeth Avery
President & CEO
SNAC International

SNAC WORLD 2019

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Snac World -- State of the Industry 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snac World -- State of the Industry 2019