LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As at-home food consumption grows and consumer reliance on e-commerce remains high, recently Pepsico subsidiary Frito-Lay launched their new direct-to-consumer (D2C) website Snacks.com where consumers can shop over 100 of Frito-Lay’s snack foods which will be sent straight to their homes. With nearly 92,000 Cheetos® consumed per second, Frito-Lay is looking to expand their multi-billion dollar snack business by leveraging online growth.
However, young upstart PeaTos® has another idea in mind. The revolutionary snack food brand that has boldly challenged the Goliath of salty snacking responded immediately by launching BetterSnacks.com. PeaTos’ premise is deceptively simple; the brand has taken America’s favorite snacks and made them better by replacing the underlying corn base with peas and getting rid of artificial ingredients. PeaTos has been on a massive growth spurt, and last year launched the new PeaTos Rings – a better-for-you version of Funyuns®. Those items have become a top seller in key retailers like Kroger. “Now, as the world battles an unprecedented pandemic that is keeping people at home, the fight for snack share just headed online,” says Founder and CEO Nick Desai, “With the launch of BetterSnacks.com, we wanted to make sure consumers can get their favorite ‘junk style snacks made from Peas’ directly to their homes. We have seen massive growth online in a very short amount of time.”
Since its launch in 2018, PeaTos came out of the gates swinging, making a name for itself with its irreverent brand of humor and the no holds barred approach to embarking on a David vs Goliath battle with Frito-Lay. Yes, that even included a cease and desist order from a certain cheetah named Chester in 2018, although that was later dropped in 2019. “Look, if you want to be the best, you have to take on the best, and there is no one that does snacking like Frito-Lay. I mean I grew up on their brands,” says Desai.
Looking to disrupt the massive $20 billion salty snack market which has been dominated by industry goliath Frito-Lay for years, Desai saw a large opportunity in a small ingredient: the mighty pea. And Desai wasn’t alone in thinking peas are the future. In 2018, over 700 pea-based products hit the market, and according to Allied Market Research, pea protein is projected to grow to a $175 million industry by 2025. It’s also the star ingredient behind other innovative heavyweights like Beyond Meat and Ripple.
Desai assembled a team of some of the brightest snack minds in the world to develop a snack that tastes, crunches and satisfies like traditional corn-based junk food snacks, but made from nutrient dense peas. In 2018, PeaTos launched as a “junk food” snack made from peas that put taste first while containing no artificial ingredients, 2X the protein and 3X the fiber as its famous corn-based counterparts. “PeaTos is delivering those feelings of comfort food nostalgia that snacks like Cheetos and Funyuns provide, but without all the artificial ingredients and frankly the junk that comes with eating those snacks,” says Desai, “Honestly If customers don’t feel 100% satisfied, I’ll personally send them a bag of Cheetos.”
In less than two years, PeaTos has become a force in the salty snack industry and experienced massive growth in both the e-commerce space and in traditional retailers like Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, and 7-11. From 2019 to 2020, the brand experienced 50% growth making it a leader in the sector. And with the launch of their e-commerce platform the sales even impressed shipping partner UPS. “E-commerce is a big part of business now, and seeing PeaTos growing in this current state is incredible,” Fern Shaw, President, Southern California District of UPS explains. “UPS is grateful to have a partner like PeaTos. We are here to assist and help in many ways with improving online order processing so we can both grow together.”
BetterSnacks.com launches today and will feature PeaTos entire product range including bestsellers like Classic and Fiery Hot Curls, Vegan Masala Curls and new products on the block like Classic Onion and Fiery Onion Rings. BetterSnacks.com will continue to expand with different assortments, exclusive collaborations, and brand partners.
About PeaTos®:
Rapidly growing revolutionary snack brand PeaTos® is advancing its mission to create a new class of snacks that offer all the taste and crunch of America’s top selling “junk food” like Cheetos® and Funyuns® but by replacing the old-school base of corn with peas and removing the artificial stuff. Now you get all that junk food taste you crave with more benefits. PeaTos is available in over 4,700 retailers including Kroger and its banner stores like Dillons, Ralphs, Food 4 Less and Smith's. PeaTos are also available at Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons, Safeway, Fairway Market, Sprouts, and online on Peatos.com, BetterSnacks.com and Amazon. Learn more at peatos.com, and find us on Facebook.com/peatosbrand and on Twitter and Instagram @peatosbrand.
