UrthBox shopping spree continues consolidation in subscription snack segment

The acquisition of food subscription services Bestowed, ConsiousBox and KlutchClub “will reaffirm our service as the leading healthy snack box subscription and expand our distribution reach to many more thousands of customers nationwide,​” company spokeswoman Kathy Chang told FoodNavigator-USA.

Specifically, she said, the acquisitions, which were announced July 26, give UrthBox “access to more of the kinds of customers UrthBox is all about,”​ including “health-conscious consumers focused on organic, GMO-free and all natural products.”​

As a result, she added, “healthy brands who traditionally have a harder time gaining visibility and [getting] in the hands of consumers, will be able to access a much wider audience size with their products.”​

According to its website, UrthBox prides itself on providing subscribers full-sized natural, organic snacks that first undergo stringent ingredient, source, calorie, nutrition and manufacturing reviews. They are then organized according to different consumer needs into four boxes: The Classic, The Gluten-Free, The Vegan and The Diet, which places a strong emphasis on low-calorie, -carb and -fat values.

Past participating brands include PopChips, Twinings tea, Coco Libre, Dang, Mama Chia and others that play in the natural channel.

While the full details of the acquisitions were not disclosed, the deals only included the customer bases and assets of the companies and not the staff or former owners.

At the 10,000 foot-level the arrangement reinforces the idea that the crowded subscription snack box space is undergoing consolidation, which has also been apparent in the multiple previous acquisitions​ by snack box company Love With Food, which caters to many of the same consumers as UrthBox. 

Love With Food’s CEO and founder previously told FoodNavigator-USA that ultimately only two or three online subscription snack services could ultimately survive, and today’s acquisitions by UrthBox could bring the category closer to that reality.