15 Healthy Snack Food Business Success Stories [2024]
Businesses with healthy snacks are becoming increasingly popular. This is because people are becoming more conscious of what they eat and the ingredients used in their food products.
Compared to a few decades ago, more people value health over anything else. A tasty snack food business can be a great way to turn your passion for snacking into profit.
The global healthy snacks market is expected to reach $152B by 2030, and there’s no sign of this slowing down. Healthy snacks can include anything from protein bars to gluten/dairy-free alternatives to chips, cookies, crackers, and more.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a healthy snack food business:
1. Neuro ($6M/year)
In October 2015, Ryan Chen and his college friend Kent Yoshimura co-founded Neuro, a functional gum and mint company. The idea for Neuro came to fruition during a scuba diving trip when they realized the need for a portable, healthy, and effective alternative to energy drinks and supplements. With over 12 million pieces sold and $500k in monthly revenue, Neuro has become a popular choice among a wide range of customers.
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 12
Neuro co-founders Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen developed their functional gum and mint products to offer a portable, healthy, and efficient alternative to energy drinks and supplements, hitting 12M pieces sold and generating ~$500k in monthly revenue with over 25% repeat customer rate and retail presence in over 6,500 locations including 5,000 CVS stores.
2. ABS Protein Pancakes ($300K/year)
Ashley Drummonds, creator of ABS Protein Pancakes, came up with the idea while working as a personal trainer and wanting to provide a healthy and convenient meal option for her clients. After crafting her own protein pancake recipe, she began sharing it with her clients, who loved it and spread the word. With a passion for breakfast food and a desire to make a bigger impact, Ashley turned her recipe into a business, starting with taking orders manually and eventually finding a manufacturer to produce her product. Through social media marketing and a big boost from appearing on Shark Tank, ABS Protein Pancakes gained nationwide exposure and experienced significant sales growth. Ashley continues to attract customers through social media strategies, collaborations, and a focus on connection, story, and quality rather than seeing competition.
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size: 1
ABS Protein Pancakes founder, Ashley Drummonds, tells the story behind the growth of her business from making her pancake recipe in her apartment kitchen to an appearance on the US TV show Shark Tank and how social media has played a crucial role in her marketing.
So... can you actually make money with a healthy snack food business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. Funky Fat Foods ($240K/year)
Louisa Mesquita Bakker, the founder of Funky Fat Foods, came up with the idea for her business while traveling in South America and learning about the health benefits of cacao. After realizing there was a demand for a high-fat, low-carb chocolate bar with simple ingredients, she decided to create her own. Despite having no expertise in chocolate making or starting a business, she took the risk and launched her company.
How much they make: $240K/year
Current team size: 1
Learn how Louisa Mesquita Bakker started an organic food company called Funky Fat Foods, which produces high-fat, low-carb chocolate bars using only high-quality ingredients and MCTs, and now generates $20,000 in monthly revenue with aspirations to enter the organic retail market in Europe.
4. CandyCan ($180K/year)
Krik, the co-founder and CEO of Protes Protein Snacks, came up with the idea for his business when he was in college and realized there was a lack of satisfying protein snacks like chips on the market. After leaving his corporate finance job and spending months perfecting the recipe, Protes Protein Snacks became the world's first protein chip and now has its products in over 10,000 retail stores nationwide.
How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
Current team size: 2
An entrepreneur started a protein snacks company which launched six years ago and now has its products in over 10,000 retailers nationwide, through getting rid of their early mistakes, and looking to e-commerce for future growth.
So... can you actually make money with a healthy snack food business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Natura Wellness ($1.8M/year)
Julien, the founder and CEO of Natura Wellness, came up with the idea for his food tech company after realizing the lack of natural and healthy drinks on the French market. After conducting extensive research on ingredients and formulating the perfect recipes, he launched Natura Wellness and quickly gained a following on Instagram. With a strong focus on customer experience and continuous improvement, Natura Wellness has experienced impressive growth, with sales reaching almost $500,000 in its second year of operation.
How much they make: $1.8M/year
Current team size: 8
French founder builds Natura Wellness, a food tech company offering a range of 12 unique and healthy Superdrinks for specific personal objectives that has experienced 1,200% growth, making nearly $500,000 in sales by the second year.
6. Ka-Pop! Snacks ($1.2M/year)
Dustin Finkel, the creator and CEO of Ka-Pop! and Awakened Foods, came up with the idea for his snack business after realizing the lack of genuinely authentic and delicious snacks in the market. As a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, Finkel wanted to create snacks that were both healthy and tasty, leading him to develop the Ka-Pop! line using 100% Ancient Grains and natural seasonings. Since its launch, the business has experienced impressive growth, with over 300% annual growth and projected annual sales of nearly $10 million by the end of 2021.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size: 50
Ka-Pop! is an Ancient Grain snack company that has grown over 300% per year, reaching nearly $10 million in annual sales by 2021, through innovation, passion, demos, social media, TV appearances, and driving relationships with retailer partners.
So... can you actually make money with a healthy snack food business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Protein Package ($1.08M/year)
At the age of 17, George Greenhill came up with the idea for Protein Package while facing the challenge of finding affordable and customizable healthy snacks. He invested all of his birthday money into stock and taught himself to code to build the website, and within a week, he had already doubled his initial investment, validating the idea for the pick and mix store of protein bars and snacks. Now, at 21 years old, Protein Package has achieved over £1 million in annual turnover and continues to experience rapid growth.
How much they make: $1.08M/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
Current team size: 4
How a 17-year-old founded a successful snacks eCommerce, with over 400% YoY growth for the past four years, reinventing the traditional 'pick and mix' for health-conscious consumers and offering an unrivaled choice of quality brands at the best prices when mixing and matching.
8. Love Good Fats ($36M/year)
Suzie Yorke, a CPG marketing executive and fitness enthusiast, came up with the idea for Love Good Fats after shifting to a high-fat, low-carb, low-sugar diet and struggling to find convenient snacks that fit her new lifestyle. Recognizing a gap in the market, she developed a line of delicious, healthy, and keto-friendly bars. Since its launch, Love Good Fats has achieved rapid growth, generating over $120 million in cumulative sales and expanding to over 10,000 stores in North America.
How much they make: $36M/year
How much did it cost to start: $400
Current team size: 20
Love Good Fats, a Canadian-based family of food products, has already exceeded $120 million in cumulative sales and is one of the fastest-growing bar brands in North America, thanks to founder Suzie Yorke's mission to bring back good fats and say goodbye to sugar.
9. FireCreek Snacks ($500K/year)
How much they make: $500K/year
Current team size: 2
FireCreek Snacks provides a healthy, all-natural snack with exceptional taste, made with pure and traditional ingredients, containing no artificial ingredients, being gluten-free, soy-free, MSG-free, and high in protein and low in sugar.
10. Truvani ($4.44M/year)
How much they make: $4.44M/year
Current team size: 28
Truvani, a health supplement, plant-based proteins, snacks, and personal care product brand founded by Vani Hari, Derek Halpern, and Devin Duncan, boasts an entirely USDA Organic, Non-GMO line of food that is free of risky chemicals and cheap additives, promoting the Truvani Standard.
11. Holmes Mouthwatering ($480K/year)
Ethan Holmes, at only 15 years old, was inspired by reading the book "Reallionaire" to create his own food product, with the goal of selling it on grocery store shelves. After a year of experimenting in his mom's kitchen, he perfected his all-natural applesauce recipe using golden delicious apples, pears, and apple cider. Today, Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce is available in 200 store locations throughout the Midwest and produces up to 4,000 units a month.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500K
Current team size: 1
Ohio entrepreneur grows natural applesauce product from his mom's kitchen to 200 Midwest store locations, selling up to 4,000 units monthly and appearing in news outlets like Black Enterprise and Fox 8, while also giving speeches and presentations to schools, universities, and summer camps.
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- 4,818 founder case studies
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- 8,628 business ideas
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
