For many of us, eating healthy during the holidays can become quite a fruitless effort, indeed.
But one Chicago-based company is working to rid local companies of stale day-old donuts and stock their shelves with healthy alternatives instead.
Meet
, a subscription-based healthy snack service headquartered in Goose Island. Their mission is to customize and scale healthier snack plans for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from 10-person tech startups to 600-strong trading firms.
“Let’s empower people to make better choices, and let’s empower companies to provide some healthier options,” SnackItToMe! founder and Chief Snacker Todd Barancik said.
Launched in October of 2013, the company has already built up a respectable customer base, bringing about 100 local companies fresh, healthy snacks though a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly plan.
Many of the products they offer might not boast the same level of brand recognition most of the major snack players provide. But Barancik likes it that way. It leads to what he dubbed an “adventure in snacking.”
“We make it a point to source all of our products from independent or emerging manufacturers,” said Barancik. “We find products that don’t have distribution or aren’t quite available in stores. We give those companies a new audience and bring customers a product they normally wouldn’t have access to."
The majority of their products, Barancik said, come in individually wrapped, calorie-conscious portions. They strive to find products that are free of additives, preservatives, GMOs, and gluten.
The SnackItToMe! team currently sits at seven, although they’re looking to add a few pairs of hands to their deck come 2016. In addition to team growth, Barancik said he’s projecting revenue in the new year to triple.
Despite a number of competitors in the grocery-delivery space, Barancik said there’s potential to expand to other markets, where they can replicate the process and — ideally — establish a local presence.
“It’s been really beneficial to have boots on the ground here in Chicago. It’s helped us drive activity here, and the clients have been very sticky.”
Photo via SnackItToMe!
