Everybody loves to snack, and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of healthy choices and conscious eating in a world of sugar and nasties. Ape Snacks sought to change this trend – the team caught up with founder Zack Nathan to find out how.
What is your company background, how did you start the business?
“In my family, we eat according to the paleo lifestyle. Essentially, this just means that we try to eat real, whole, foods found in nature. Nothing fancy - just foods that our bodies are meant to be eating.”
“I arrived at university and immediately knew it wasn’t for me. I was super surprised by the lack of genuinely delicious, but actually healthy, snacks. All the “natural” stuff was still souped up with loads of sugar! Snacks should be delicious and healthy. My solution? The summer before I was supposed to head off to university in America, my mum took a bunch of coconut flakes, threw them in a pan with some cinnamon and salt and toasted them to utter perfection. With a little tweaking, I thought, I could turn this into a snack! So, I went with my gut, dropped out of uni, and launched Ape!”
What is the current product range and variants and how do these products stand out in the market?
“We’ve got two product lines: our Crispy Coconut Curls and our newly launched Crunchy Coconut Bites, both of which come in three different delicious flavours! For our Curls we just shave the coconut meat and bake it with seasoning – that’s it! The Bites are made from mixing the smaller pieces of our Coconut Curls with tapioca and then are simply dried, to create a moreish snack with incredible mouth feel and a dynamic texture. This is particularly true of the Sesame and Chia flavours - the natural tones from the seeds add whole new dimension to the taste experience! All of oursnacks are high in fibre, gluten free and contain no absolutely added sugar.”
Has there been any recent company news?
“2017 has been a year of big change for Ape Snacks. We launched our Crunchy Coconut Bites in three flavours in January and have some awesome new products on the way – watch this space! We moved to a new office in Farringdon and have tripled the size of our team over the course of the past two months – it’s crazy! We’ve also got some seriously exciting new listings coming on; we launch in 350 Boots stores nationwide later this month!”
What are the plans for the business moving forward, is there any expansion on the horizon?
“We are looking to be the leading healthy snack brand! As such, we're working on new products, building out the team and really getting the brand out there!”
Where are your products currently available to buy, and are you looking at or wanting to expand your availability? If so, where would you like to see the product situated?
“Ape is constantly looking to expand its availability, both nationally and internationally! Our products are currently available in the following stores: Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic, Holland & Barrett, Co-Op, Asda, Revital, As Nature Intended. They are also available to buy online through Amazon, Ocado and our own website!”
