Bare snacks: "We slice the apples, bake them at a low temperature, and put them in bags. That's it."
Another firm that attracted a lot of interest at the show was San Francisco-based Bare Snacks, which sells ultra-simple baked fruit snacks that tap into a growing trend for snacks to be simpler as well as 'better for you'.
The business has been growing steadily, starting in the natural channel and gradually rolling out to mass market chains including Target and Safeway as buyers seek to offer more wholesome snacks, especially for kids, said VP marketing Paula Connelly.
Consumers, she said, want convenience and simplicity in snacks: "The first thing they do is turn over the pack and see how many ingredients are in there."
And in the case of the company's core apple product, there's only one ingredient: apple: "We slice the apples, bake them at a low temperature, and put them in bags. That's it."
The new crunchy coconut chips are just as simple: "We chop up the coconut meat, add seasonings, heat them together with water so the coconut absorbs the flavor, and then bake them."
One factor that has contributed to their success is the crunch, added Connelly: "They have a very different texture to freeze-dried fruit, which can taste a bit like space food; and they are not chewy like dried fruit."