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Amara Organic Foods is betting that changing how kids snacks are made can help it carve out more space in a crowded category. 

The nine-year-old company is expanding beyond its roots in baby food and toddler snacks to build a broader kids snacking platform. With distribution up 72% following new placements at Target and Walmart, Amara is pairing retail expansion with an intentionally selective approach to innovation. 

The Food-Tech Difference: Amara’s technology platform focuses on ingredient-specific processing, studying how different methods can preserve nutrients and improve digestibility. The approach, according to founder and CEO Jess Sturzenegger, is designed to deliver on taste and texture without relying on highly processed ingredients or added lab-derived nutrients. 

Fewer, Bigger Bets: Rather than churning out dozens of new SKUs each year, Sturzenegger says each launch must bring something meaningfully different to the category.

• Its latest line, Superfood Smoothie Melts, includes Protein, Brain, Immunity and Gut Health varieties and has expanded from an exclusive Target launch into other retailers, including Whole Foods Market.

What They Said: “So many kids’ snacks are highly processed. We’re trying to build something that’s incremental, not just for parents, but for retailers too,” said Sturzenegger. 

The Lunchbox Problem: New consumer research commissioned by Amara and conducted by parenting media network Macaroni Kid is helping the brand frame its proposition around a familiar challenge: parents may pack fruits and vegetables, but kids don’t always eat them. The brand sees an opportunity to turn healthier ingredients into snacks children actually want to consume. 

What’s Next? Amara plans to continue expanding across natural, mass and club while adding a select number of new SKUs – keeping its focus on fewer products that can pull their weight at retail. 

Read the full story with added context on Nosh

Rip open that tin-- it's time to try new protein bar brand Jacked Granny. Read the full product review on Nosh.

BevNET CPG Media announced today that Bryce McDonald has returned as vice president of sales. He will lead the sales organization and work with partners to develop programs across the company's media, events, insights and professional resources. Read the story.

Here’s a taste of the products moving around the industry to start off your week. 

🍝 Wasted is making a break for U.S. retail with a premium “bread waste” pasta now available at Whole Foods stores and on Misfits Market. Get all the details

🛒 Loisa has grown from about 500 doors to roughly 5,500 in two years, expanding beyond natural retailers like Whole Foods Market and Sprouts into a growing roster of conventional grocers including Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, H-E-B and Harris Teeter. Read the full story

☁️ Khloud’s latest innovation, Khloud Plus, is debuting exclusively at Walmart stores with a line of tortilla chips formulated with collagen. Learn more

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