Unboxed: 23 natural products convenience store shoppers will love
As consumers increasingly look to eat healthier foods, convenience stores should consider stocking these grab-and-go NEXTY Awards finalists.
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Caesar Salad To Go Consumers can take their salads on the go with these nutrient-dense, shelf-stable salad-inspired snacks! This innovative product is fully certified: USDA Organic, Certified Gluten Free, Certified Vegan and Non-GMO Project Verified. The brand’s mission is to revolutionize snacking with nutrient-dense, plant-based snacks. This full salad in a bag contains an array of crispy and crunchy vegetables, fruits, seeds and seasonings, all sourced through Brad’s direct relationships with sustainable farmers and suppliers. Additionally, the brand’s air-dried manufacturing process preserves vital phytonutrients and enzymes, making it an ideal nutrient-dense snack.
Plant-Based Choc Ganache This pack of indulgent, plant-based chocolate ganache cups offers a dive into heavenly bliss with delectable, creamy textures. The brand’s chocolate ganache has a vegan coconut base and is Certified Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, lactose free and Non-GMO Project Verified. The company is committed to creating plant-based alternative products and giving back to communities. It has planted more than 20,000 trees and mangroves through the PUR Project to support Southeast Asia’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
Original Dark Chocolate Almond and Lentil Butter The NEXTY judges were taken by the taste and convenience of this on-the-go spread, which provides 6 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and nine essential amino acids—filling the gaps in nutritional needs for consumers looking for healthy plant-based snacks. This whole-food ingredient nut butter is also sweetened with coconut sugar and is USDA Organic and contains iron and folate for a convenient snack with benefits!
Sparkling Yerba Mate Orange Ginger Getting caffeinated and staying healthy just got a lot easier with Clean Cause’s new Orange Ginger flavor of its Sparkling Yerba Mate beverage. USDA Certified Organic and with zero sugar, people now have a delicious, flavorful way to spike their day. Clean Cause goes one step further though, donating a whopping 50% of the brand’s net profits toward recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Plant-Based Birthday Cake Crunch Chocolate Candy Bites Dream Pops created the sweet snack of everybody’s dreams with its organic, 100% plant-based Birthday Cake Crunch Bites. For this product, the company worked with a three-star Michelin chef to reimagine classic malted milk balls and chocolate bars, turning them into a yummy plant-based candy that is made using minimal ingredients and low-glycemic organic coconut sugar thanks to a proprietary dehydrating process. Did we mention that they’re yummy?
Dark Chocolate and Quinoa Chocolate and Protein Bites These dark chocolate protein bites are an easy way for consumers to tap into the functional indulgence trend, thanks to their blend of clean, plant-based protein that comes from organic sunflower and pumpkin seed proteins. Organic puffed quinoa rounds out the recipe and provides the perfect crunch, and the clean-ingredient product is made using Rain Forest Alliance Certified cacao and organic coconut sugar.
Bean Salsa Verde Walking Tamales Fillo’s Walking Tamales feature a take on a classic Latin American staple in the form of a shelf-stable, ready-to-eat corn bar, perfect for consuming on the go. While combining tradition and convenience, this innovative snack boasts 6 grams of protein per bar and can be heated up and ready to eat in just 25 seconds. These clean-label tamales are also easy to store, with a two-year shelf life, and are Non-GMO Project Verified. In addition, the Walking Tamales have a lower carbon footprint and volume shipping weights than canned bean products, so consumers can feel good about supporting a product seeking to reduce environmental impacts.
Caramelized Onion Grain-Free Crackers Co-founded by Sujatha Duvvuri, The Greater Good Snacking Company’s mission is to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people, starting with the women in the bakery. The brand’s organic, gluten-free, grain-free almond flour crackers are standouts on their own. What the India company does behind the scenes is truly inspiring, though, starting with ensuring 72% of its workforce are Indian women. India’s female labor participation is among the lowest in the world at 19%, but Greater Goods wants to drive that number up, and is even providing its workers two meals a day, transportation to and from work, secure housing and education.
Jooliettes Blood Orange Dark Chocolate Date Nibbles This family-owned California Medjool-date company has launched a new line of chocolate-covered diced dates that serve as a modern take on the classic chocolate-covered raisins. This blood-orange-flavored variety mingles dark chocolate with the brand’s own USDA Organic dates—grown on more than 1,000 acres of sustainable farmland—and packages its products in fully recyclable paperboard made from recycled paper products that use less than 2 grams of plastic per package.
Savory Fig and Thyme Crisps These stunning crackers are delightfully crispy, which can be uncommon in a gluten-free cracker. They also burst with flavor from ingredients including buckwheat flour, diced figs, walnuts, maple sugar and hemp hearts. These crisps are also free from gums, starches, rich flours and emulsifiers that can sometimes dominate the gluten-free industry. This product was crafted via small-scale recipe testing and is Non-GMO Project Verified and Certified Gluten-Free. Additionally, the brand is committed to quality testing; thus, every product brought into their facility is recorded, tracked and tested for gluten.
Birthday Cake Blonde Truffle Bar These delicious, refrigerated sweets reimagine a classic vanilla birthday cake and frosting in the form of a Blonde Truffle Bar crafted from organic cashew kernels, organic raw honey and organic coconut. If that weren’t delicious enough, the brand then tops the whole thing with house-made, superfood-infused confetti sprinkles made of shredded coconut dyed with organic blue spirulina, beetroot powder and turmeric. The result is a nostalgic, wholefood, indulgent sweet that our judges couldn’t get enough of.
Molokaʻi Sea Salt and Caramel Macadamia Milk Frozen Dessert Mauna Loa’s creamy, non-dairy ice cream whisks consumers away with indulgent caramel swirls and a dash of sea salt sourced through solar evaporation of the area’s mineral-rich waters. This macadamia-milk ice cream is sourced from the Island of Molokaʻi. It is made from high-quality nuts grown without external irrigation and undergoes a unique roasting process. The company’s packaging is planet-friendly, made from corrugated and paperboard packaging. The product is Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Vegan and gluten free.
Nimby Expanding Towels There is more than meets the eye with these compressed towels that can be used up to five times before consumers can compost them in the backyard. Made from plants and free from chemicals, the Nimby substrate is plastic-free; a proprietary folding process compresses the towels. Made of FSC-certified eucalyptus, the towels are biodegradable, compostable and hypoallergenic, making them a more sustainable alternative to disposable wipes wrapped in plastic. Nimbus has created a sustainable hygiene product in environmentally responsible packaging (a small cardboard tube) and a shortened supply chain to reduce scope 3 emissions. The Nimby is FSC Certified, BPI certified compostable, OEKO-Standard 100 certified, Testex certified, and ASTM certified.
Creamy Peanut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies Simple Mills has reinvented the peanut butter sandwich cookie, turning it into a healthier sweet snack that has only 7 grams of sugar per serving—much less than its conventional counterparts. The cookies are packed with nutrient-dense ingredients such as cashew flour, peanut butter, organic coconut sugar and organic buckwheat flour. The brand is dedicated to the use of diverse, underrepresented crops; direct farmer contracts that include technical assistance and financial incentives to adopt regenerative principles; and regenerative agriculture training and research programs in key sourcing regions.
Party Prep Hangovers stink. This much we know. Leave it to WishGarden to find two herbs that support the liver’s healthy and efficient metabolism of alcohol “for a better morning after.” The stars of this formula are Japanese raisin seed, which aids in efficient alcohol metabolism, and prickly pear cactus fruit, which protects the liver while reducing oxidative stress on the organ. Coupled with dandelion, burdock and chicory—and when taken before bed—the day after should feel like any other. Sourced with sustainability in mind from fair trade family-owned farms and qualified suppliers that produce clean, ethical, high-quality materials.
Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Mineral sunscreen lovers rejoice: This 100% mineral, fragrance-free, non-nano zinc oxide leaves no white film behind on the skin! The reef-friendly formula provides broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection suitable for all skin types and is friendly on babies’ sensitive skin. Inspired by squalene—a super skin moisturizer that all babies are born with but depletes over time—Pipette’s stable version uses renewable sugarcane-derived squalene to help the sunscreen glide on smoothly and the white color to blend quickly, while also providing moisture. All products are created with the support of biologists, dermatologists and pediatricians and rigorously tested. This sunscreen is hypoallergenic and free of synthetic fragrances and chemicals, making it great for everyday use.
Umami Beef Jerky Jerky should be for everyone, right? Prevail thinks so, which is why the brand set out to make an umami-packed, incredibly tender jerky that is free from the top eight allergens. The brand is plastic-conscious and eagerly searching for a recyclable packaging option. But until then, the brand remains plastic-neutral, pushing forward as a responsible business.
Lemon Lavender Ice Cream Sandwich This decadent dessert is made with mindfully sourced, whole food ingredients, including rBST-free milk and cream. Fresh, local butter also tops the ingredient list that doesn’t skimp out on quality or flavor. These delicately lavender-laced, zesty lemon sandwiches are also made with local honey from the brand’s home base of Portland, Oregon, and are the perfect indulgent experience anytime, anywhere.
Bananas for Bacon Soft-Baked Dog Treats Fighting climate change isn’t just for humans; your dog can now get in on the action, too. With dog treats made of rescued bananas from farms in Ecuador and upcycled sunflower meal, Shameless Pets has crafted a tasty treat that has an impact, too. A part of the Upcycled Food Association’s beta-pilot, Shameless Pets has now gained upcycled certification across its product line and is committed to upcycling healthy and functional foods for both dogs and cats.
Original Organic Seed Flour Crackers Since Katlin Smith started Simple Mills, its mission has been straightforward and steadfast: to provide clean, nutrient-dense, allergy-friendly products that have a positive impact on people and the planet. Its mission is reaching new heights with these Organic Seed Flour Crackers, which uses sunflower seeds from four Midwestern growers who employ regenerative agriculture practices—in line with Simple Mills’ innovative approach to transforming its sourcing and the food system.
Sea Salt Potato Chips SpudLove is right, we love their spuds, and not just for the incredible crunch and perfect, salty taste. Spudlove is committed to restoring our agricultural system through organic and regenerative practices. An Oregon-based, farmer-owned company, SpudLove set aside 25% of its land to the Nature Conservancy to protect wildlife endangerment, and even gave up some its water rights to protect the Columbia River. Who doesn’t love a potato with a purpose?
Spiked Sparkling Coconut Water, Passion Fruit “A better for you that is actually better for you,” and Sunboy isn’t lying. Each 4-pack of these easy drinkers contains one and a half coconuts, three passion fruits, three and a half limes, and 0 grams of added sugar. Add the fact that they’re gluten-free and have 80% less calories than a traditional cocktail, and you have a Friday night winner.
Flash Brew Oatmilk Latte, Honey Lavender Another RTD latte? You bet—but this one takes the cake. A sweet and floral delight, this on-the-go pick-me-up has outstanding flavor. The honey is sourced from coffee blossom flowers in Mexico, and Verve donates a portion of sales to Save the Bees, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of bees' role in the foody system.
Flash Brew Oatmilk Latte, Honey Lavender Another RTD latte? You bet—but this one takes the cake. A sweet and floral delight, this on-the-go pick-me-up has outstanding flavor. The honey is sourced from coffee blossom flowers in Mexico, and Verve donates a portion of sales to Save the Bees, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of bees' role in the foody system.
Twice a year, New Hope Network editors comb through hundreds of natural products that have been nominated for NEXTY Awards. Recently, those same editors looked through the finalists to find products that will appeal to convenience store shoppers who want to make healthy choices.
Easy to grab and perfect for on the go, these products—already notable for their high quality and innovation—will excite every consumer who needs to make a quick decision.
Across the board, more consumers are consciously trying to eat more healthy foods. NEXT Data & Insight’s 2021 Changing Consumer Survey found that 70% of natural channel shoppers are looking for ways to be healthier, and 60% of non-natural channel shoppers think about their health daily. So, whether they are stretching their legs during a long road trip or grabbing a quick snack before they hit the road again, a wide range of consumers will be glad to see more natural, better-for-you options.
Convenience stores attract these on-the-go customers with a variety of single-serve products that make it easy for consumers to take a risk and try something new. Of consumers who are 18 years or older, 71% say they discover new brands and products in convenience stores, according to a new survey from NCSolutions (NCS).
From the same survey, NCS reported that 67% of respondents "feed their sweet tooth" with candy purchased at convenience stores. These NEXTY finalists will satisfy any sweet tooth with less sugar than conventional competitors and easily recognized ingredients.
Cases of ice-cold beverages lining convenience store walls appeal to consumers looking to quench their thirst quickly. NCS found that a variety of beverages is popular with convenience store shoppers:
57% said they purchase on-the-go drinks, such as coffee, tea or fountain beverages.
40% buy milk, juice or other staples.
32% pick up packaged beverages.
23% buy beer.
Click through this gallery to see some exciting NEXTY Awards finalists and winners that will inspire curious consumers to return and discover more.
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