Little Duck Organics

Last updated
Little Duck Organics
Type Private
Industry Organic food
Founded2009
FounderZak Normandin
Headquarters New York, NY,
Area served
Worldwide
Website littleduckorganics.com

Little Duck Organics is a US based privately held company, that produces certified baby and toddler organic food, sold in 10,000 groceries and retail stores. [1] [2] Founded in 2009 by Zak Normandin, [3] Little Duck Organics has manufacturing location facilities in the United States and sales in more than 30 countries. [4] The company is focused on speciality baby food and won the Most Innovative Award from Natural Products Expo West 2013. [1]

Contents

History

Little Duck Organics was started by Zak Normandin in 2009, who was inspired to start his food company due to lack of wholesome, nutritious products available in the local market for his children. [5] [3] It raised angel funding of $890,000 from equity based crowdfunding platform CircleUp.com and 24 angel investors. [6] Tom First, founder of Nantucket Nectars, was one of the first investors who helped them in raising Series A funding round of $400,000 in 2011. [7] The company launched its products for toddlers and kids that were bite-sized, sugar-free snacks made from pure organic fruit aged 6 months or more. [8] Within 3 months of launch, the products became popular and appealed to parents who were concerned about chemicals and sugar in baby food. The products were soon sold in all major supermarkets including Whole Foods Market, Buy Buy Baby, Stop & Shop Supermarket Co, Toys “R” Us Inc. & Babies “R” Us and others. [1] Later company introduced eco-friendly Plantable Packaging in their new product range of Mighty Oats instant cereals, made from ancient grains. Little Duck Organics is a member of 1% for Humanity. [9]

On December 5, 2013 Little Duck Organics raised Series B funding of $4 million backed by Burch Creative Capital to expand its line of healthy snacks for kids. [10]

Products

Little Duck Organics Product line consists of seven SKUs including snacks, fruits and oats for babies older than six months. [11] All of its products are non-gmo verified, USDA certified, 100% organic, kosher and gluten-free. [12] [13] [14] In 2014, Little Ducks Organics partnered with UFP Technologies for implementing the eco-friendly Plantable Packaging [15] which is 100% recycled and 100% recyclable in their new product line, Mighty Oats instant cereals. [16]

Awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

A health claim on a food label and in food marketing is a claim by a manufacturer of food products that their food will reduce the risk of developing a disease or condition. For example, it is claimed by the manufacturers of oat cereals that oat bran can reduce cholesterol, which will lower the chances of developing serious heart conditions. Vague health claims include that the food inside is "healthy," "organic," "low fat," "non-GMO," "no sugar added," or "natural".

Whole Foods Market American natural and organic foods supermarket chain

Whole Foods Market IP, Inc. is an American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A USDA Certified Organic grocer in the United States, the chain is popularly known for its organic selections. Whole Foods has 500 stores in North America and seven in the United Kingdom as of March 4, 2019.

Granola Breakfast, lunch and snack food

Granola is a breakfast and snack food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp, toasted and golden brown. The mixture is stirred while baking to avoid burning and to maintain a loose breakfast cereal consistency. Dried fruit, such as raisins and dates, and confections such as chocolate are sometimes added. Granola is often eaten in combination with yogurt, honey, fresh fruit, milk or other forms of cereal. It also serves as a topping for various pastries, desserts or ice cream. Muesli is similar to granola, except that it is traditionally neither sweetened nor baked.

Cheerios Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand; in Australia and New Zealand, Cheerios is sold as an Uncle Tobys product. It was first manufactured in 1941 as CheeriOats.

Post Consumer Brands is an American breakfast cereal manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota.

PepsiCo American multinational food and beverage corporation

PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of its products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company and Frito-Lay, Inc. PepsiCo has since expanded from its namesake product Pepsi Cola to an immensely diversified range of food and beverage brands. The largest and most recent acquisition was Pioneer Foods in 2020 for $1.7bn and before that it was the Quaker Oats Company in 2001, which added the Gatorade brand to the Pepsi portfolio and Tropicana Products in 1998.

Uncle Tobys Australian food manufacturing company

Uncle Tobys is an Australian food manufacturing company which specialises in breakfast oat products. Since its foundation in 1861, the company has expanded its product range across the cereal and ready-to-eat snack market. Uncle Tobys is currently operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Nestlé, after being acquired in 2006. Uncle Tobys’ main factory is situated in the town of Wahgunyah, Victoria.

Snack Brands Australia (SBA) is one of the largest suppliers of snack foods in Australia and acts as the main competitor to the long established The Smith's Snackfood Company.

Wild Oats Markets

Wild Oats Marketplace is a producer of natural and organic food distributed through partnerships in the United States.

Hain Celestial Group

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. is an American food company whose main focus is natural foods and botanically-based personal care products. Its products range from herbal teas, sold by its Celestial Seasonings brand to snacks offered through its Terra brand as well as soaps, lotions, hair care, and body wash offered through their Jason, Alba, Live Clean, and Avalon Organic Brands. In May 2000, Hain Food Group merged with Celestial Seasonings, Inc. creating the current company.

Alter Eco

Alter Eco refers to two alternative trading organizations, founded in 1998 by Tristan Lecomte in France, and followed by Mathieu Senard and Eduoard Rollet in the United States, and Ilse Keijzer in Australia.

Beneful Brand of dog food products

Beneful is a brand of dog food products by Nestlé Purina PetCare global that includes wet dog food, dry dog food and dog treats. As of 2012, it was the fourth most popular dog food brand, generating more than $1.5 billion in annual revenues. According to a SWOT analysis by Marketline, Beneful is one of Nestle Purina's more significant brands by revenue.

Penton was an information services and marketing company. The company's three largest revenue streams came from events, digital and marketing services. Although Penton had a long history as a trade publisher, in 2015 it reported that 35 percent of its EBITDA derived from digital products, 54 percent from events, and 11 percent from print. The main industry segments served by Penton include agriculture, transportation, natural products/food, infrastructure, and design and manufacturing.

Want Want China Food and beverage company

Want Want China Holdings Ltd. is a subsidiary of Want Want Holdings Limited. It is one of the largest rice cracker and flavored drink manufacturer in the world. It engages in the manufacturing, distribution and sale of snacks, beverages and other products. In addition to working alongside 9,000 distributors, it has more than 400 sales office and employs more than 50,000 people.

Utz Brands U.S. food company

Utz Brands, Inc., more commonly known as Utz, is a large American snack food company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The company produces a wide variety of potato chips, pretzels, and other snacks, with most of its products primarily sold under their family of brands. Utz is also a leading snack supplier to Warehouse Clubs and Mass Merchandisers nationwide.

Ella's Kitchen is a company that makes organic baby and toddler food, sold in supermarkets internationally including in the UK, China, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, Canada and the United States. Ella's Kitchen has a 30% share of the UK baby food sector and a global turnover of $121m. Ella's Kitchen was founded in the UK in 2006 and is a member of The Soil Association and The Organic Trade Board.

Quaker Oats Company American food conglomerate

The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001.

Zak Normandin is an American entrepreneur, product designer, and the Founder and CEO of Iris Nova, the parent company of NYC-based beverage brand DIRTY LEMON. He had previously founded Little Duck Organics, a privately held New York City based company focused on organic children's snacks. Normandin is best known for innovative consumer product package designs, advocacy of organic food products and development of the text-message based conversational commerce platform used by DIRTY LEMON and the portfolio of Iris Nova beverage brands.

Tiny but Mighty Popcorn

Tiny but Mighty Popcorn is an American brand of heirloom popcorn, introduced in 1981, when Iowa farmer Richard Kelty founded K&K Popcorn. Iowa farmers Gene and Lynn Mealhow later purchased the company in 1999, and subsequently renamed it.

Elmhurst 1925 Food and beverage company

Elmhurst 1925 is a plant-based food and beverage company located in Elma, New York. The company manufactures and sells non-dairy, plant-based milks made from nuts, grains, and seeds. The first four nutmilks – almond, cashew, hazelnut, and walnut – debuted at Natural Products Expo West in March 2017. A number of additional products have launched since, including their line of unsweetened plant milks made with only two to three ingredients, award winning barista editions, dairy-free creamers, and single serve ready-to-drink options.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kolodny, Lora (5 December 2013). "Fatherhood Inspires Little Duck's Healthy Snacks for Kids". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  2. "Little Ducks Organics Baby Food". Babble.com . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 Hendrickson, Dyke (March 22, 2012). "'Little Duck' a strong swimmer". Daily News of Newburyport . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  4. "Little Duck Organics is Moving Forward with Organic Baby Foods". Under30ceo.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  5. Blum, Brian (April 28, 2013). "Abe's Market: natural, organic, and founded in Israel". Israel21c. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  6. Jane Wakefield, Kylie (4 June 2014). "Little Duck Organics' Natural Road to Success". Greenpoint Gazette. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  7. "Little Duck Organics Founder On Being A Dad And An Entrepreneur – with Zak Normandin". Mixergy. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  8. Kuchler, Hannah (14 May 2014). "Tech start-ups to look out for". Financial Times . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  9. Goldberg, Max (April 26, 2012). "Little Duck Organics is a Real Winner for Kids…. and Parents". Greenpoint Gazette. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  10. "If you want big rewards, you have to take risks". Think Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  11. Cortese, Amy (5 January 2013). "The Crowdfunding Crowd Is Anxious". New York Times . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  12. "10 Healthy Snacks Under 150 Calories (That Don't Taste Like Cardboard)" . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  13. Wimberly, Rachel (September 27, 2011). "Natural Products Expo East Grows After Return to Baltimore". Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  14. Elstein, Aaron (5 December 2013). "If it walks like a Little Duck". Crain's New York Business . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  15. Caldbeck, Ryan. "The Question Investors Must Ask Before Crowdfunding". Forbes . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  16. "Find Out the Benefits of Little Duck Organics". Extra Tv. January 31, 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  17. "Moving On". September 17, 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  18. Spinner, Jenni (October 20, 2011). "Little Duck Organics wins best packaging honors at Expo East" . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  19. "THE BEST NEW PRODUCTS OF 2013" . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  20. "The National Parenting Publications Awards" . Retrieved 22 February 2015.