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Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Food |
Founded | 2004 |
Founder | Michael A. Sands |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | North America |
Key people | Charles Coristine, CEO |
Products | Snack foods, organic foods |
Revenue | approaching $100M in 2023 [1] |
Number of employees | 250 [1] |
Website | www |
LesserEvil is an American snack company located in Danbury, Connecticut founded in 2004. The company makes a variety of packaged snack products including prepopped popcorn and extruded snacks.
The company promotes its products as a healthy alternative; in 2023 it was sued by a consumer for misrepresentation.
LesserEvil was founded in 2004 by Michael A. Sands, [2] Gene Hackman, and Jim Cramer in Tuckahoe, New York. [3]
Their initial product offering was a kettlecorn [3] and expanded into multiple varieties. [4] In 2006 they introduced a second line, Krinkle Sticks, [5] and later lines of extruded curls and puffs intended to compete in the cheese puff category. [6] [7] [8] [1]
In 2011 Charles Coristine, a former bond trader [9] acquired LesserEvil [1] and opened its Danbury factory the following year. [10] At this point, the company's headquarters was still located in Wilton, Connecticut, but operations moved to Commerce Park in Danbury by 2013. [11] The factory is certified organic. [12]
LesserEvil underwent a rebrand in 2019, which emphasized "mindful" snacking, reiterated by the guru mascots featured on the packaging. [13]
In April of 2022, the company acquired energy bar maker R.E.D.D. Bar. [14] [1] The following year, LesserEvil sold a “significant minority” stake of the business to Aria Growth Partners, with the intention to further develop manufacturing and retail distribution. [15]
According to the Hartford Business Journal , the company was expected to have close to $100M in revenues in 2023 and was one of the largest producers of organic snacks in the US. [1]
Carla Lalli Music, writing for Bon Appetit, dietician Wan Na Chun, speaking with Eat This, Not That, and dietician Mascha Davis speaking with Prevention noted the short list of ingredients for multiple popcorn products as a positive. [16] [17] [18]
In 2022 Prevention named their Sun Popper Sour Cream and Onion product as their Best Protein Puff [19] and Good Housekeeping named them their Best Vegan Puffs. [20] In 2023, Self name the company's organic popcorn the best bagged popcorn. [21] In 2024, the company's Homer’s Blend Organic Popcorn won the best popcorn award in Good Housekeeping’s Best Snack Awards. [22]
In 2023, LesserEvil was sued for misrepresenting its snacks as "healthier" than others. [23]
Popcorn is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.
Cheetos is a crunchy corn puff snack brand made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the United States. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. In 1965 Frito-Lay became a subsidiary of The Pepsi-Cola Company, forming PepsiCo, the current owner of the Cheetos brand.
The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food brand owned by the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo. It is best known for its brand of potato crisps. The company was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom in 1920 as Smiths Potato Crisps Ltd, originally packaging a twist of salt with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags which were sold around London. The dominant brand in the UK until the 1960s when Golden Wonder took over with Cheese & Onion, Smith's countered by creating Salt & Vinegar flavour which was launched nationally in 1967.
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The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. is an international food and personal-care company based in the United States. Its products include natural foods and organic personal-care items. Founded in 1993 as Hain Food Group, it changed its name to Hain Celestial Group after merging with Celestial Seasonings in 2000. It is publicly traded on the NASDAQ with brands that include Ella's Kitchen, Frank Cooper's, and Linda McCartney Foods.
Cape Cod Potato Chips is an American snack food company best known for their brand of kettle-cooked potato chips. The company is headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Cape Cod Potato Chips is a brand owned by Campbell Soup Company since 2018.
A popcorn maker is a machine used to pop popcorn. Since ancient times, popcorn has been a popular snack food, produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (maize). Commercial large-scale popcorn machines were invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century. Many types of small-scale home methods for popping corn also exist.
Red Hot Riplets is a kind of spicy potato chips sold in St. Louis, Missouri. Red Hot Riplets are ridge-cut chips covered with hot chili pepper and sweet barbecue powdered seasoning. The label describes the flavoring as "St. Louis Style Hot Sauce".
Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirates Booty, is an American entrepreneur and an ex-commodities trader. Ehrlich founded Robert's American Gourmet Food, a manufacturer of organic snack foods which includes Pirate's Booty.
Koh-Kae is a Thai brand of nut snacks manufacturing by Mae-Ruay Snack Food Factory Co., Ltd. And was first sold in 1976. In its early day Koh-Kae only came in their original flavor, which is coconut cream coated peanuts, but they developed others flavor such as tom-yum and chicken flavor later on. By 2000, Mae-Ruay Snack Food Factory Co., Ltd. was awarded ISO 9001 certification by BVQI Institute, followed by the GMP and HACCP system certification by BVQI in 2002. In year 2019 Koh-Kae holds 50% of Thailand nut snacks market share.
Shearer's Foods, LLC is a U.S. manufacturer and distributor of snack foods. Founded in 1974 as Shearer's Snacks, it is headquartered in Brewster, Ohio.
Utz Brands, Inc., more commonly known as Utz, is an American snack food company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The company produces a variety of potato chips, pretzels, and other snacks, with most products sold under their family of brands. Utz is also a snack supplier to warehouse clubs and merchandisers.
Snak King is a privately owned snack food manufacturer founded in 1978, headquartered in Industry, California. Snak King manufactures potato chips, tortilla chips, nuts, popcorn and other snacks under private label as well its own proprietary brand names . The company is one of the largest manufacturers of snack foods in the United States, employing about 950 people and operating more than 600,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space.
Puffcorn or corn puffs are puffed or extruded corn snacks made with corn meal, which can be baked or fried.
GoodPop is an American Certified B Corporation and a producer of all natural and organic ice pops, frozen desserts and sparkling juices, headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in 2009 by then University of Texas student Daniel Goetz.
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Ann E. "Annie" Withey is an American farmer and entrepreneur. Withey developed Smartfood in 1984 and Annie's Homegrown in 1989, both with her husband at the time, Andrew Martin.