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Company type | Private |
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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 prepegged 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 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]
In 2025, Edward Coristine, the son of LesserEvil CEO Charles Coristine, began working with Tesla CEO Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). [24]
Cheetos is a crunchy corn-cheese 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.
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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 Smith's 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.
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Cheez Doodles are a cheese puff produced by Wise Foods. Originally developed and manufactured in 1964 by King Kone Corp. of the Bronx, New York, it became the prevalent cheese puff snack on the East Coast.
Red Hot Riplets are 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".
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 Massillon, Ohio.
Old London Foods, a subsidiary of B&G Foods, is a company best known for its Melba toast products. Originally based in the Bronx and called the King Kone Corporation, the company changed its name to Old London Foods in May 1960 to match their best-known brand of food products, Old London, which had been in use for nearly 25 years.
Frito-Lay, Inc. is an American food company that manufactures, markets, and sells snack foods. It began in the early 1930s as two companies, The Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company, which merged in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay itself merged with the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1965 to form PepsiCo. Since the merger, Frito-Lay operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips, Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Rold Gold pretzels, and Walkers potato crisps. Each brand generated annual worldwide sales over $1 billion in 2009. Through Frito-Lay, PepsiCo is the largest globally distributed snack food company, with sales of its products in 2009 comprising 40 percent of all "savory snacks" sold in the United States, and 30 percent of the non-U.S. market. In 2018, Frito-Lay North America accounted for at least 25 percent of PepsiCo's annual sales.
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Wyandot Snacks is a privately held and family owned American contract manufacturer of snacks and other packaged foods, headquartered in Marion, Ohio, a part of the Columbus, Ohio Combined statistical area. primarily as a contract manufacturer for domestic and international branded snack businesses, but also for foodservice customers. The company's main product lines are extruded snacks, corn & tortilla chips, and ready to eat (RTE) popcorn. Wyandot's focuses on the creation of plant-based snack products made from ancient grains such as sorghum and quinoa, pulses such as chickpeas, and flaxseed, among others.
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