US snack brand Tosi’s new bar formulation features a novel sweetener – coconut blossom nectar – to deliver on consumer demand for naturally and less processed sugars, company CEO Kevin Rutherford shared at Natural Products Expo West.
Launched in 2012 by daughter-and-mother team Chelsea Hults and Stefanie Tosi, the snack brand offers crunchy snack bars that contain 6-16 grams of plant protein and nut-free puffs that are available in Cinnamon Apple, Everything and Salty Sweet.
Tosi revealed the reformulation alongside a new logo and branding that “reflects the feeling of foraging, with moodier, earthy tones” ahead of Expo West, the company shared. This marks the first major update since the brand was founded.
The sugar-conscious consumer bifurcates
Tosi’s innovation team found coconut blossom nectar when exploring ways to remove refined sugar from its products, Rutherford explained. The novel sweetener “worked out so well,” but the challenge was “finding the right supplier that not only has it but has an organic one,” he elaborated.
Tosi’s move away from refined sugar also comes as consumers are critical on certain sweeteners, Rutherford noted. Typically, natural sweeteners like honey, brown sugar and sucrose are preferred over artificial sweeteners like aspartame, maltitol and acesulfame potassium, according to the International Food Information Council.
Rutherford explained that today’s sugar-conscious consumer comes in two camps: One that wants no added sugar whatsoever and one that is okay with some sugar but wants it less processed.
Tosi caters to those who fall into the latter camp, since its bars contain 2-8 grams of added sugar per snack bar.
“The key is you need to know what is it you are trying to solve, and who are you for? So when someone comes to me and says, ‘Oh, it is not zero-sugar?’ I’m like, ‘No, it is not. It has a little bit of a low-glycemic nectar in here to hold it together.’ But that may not be for you, and honestly, that is OK,” he elaborated.
Rebrand and reformulations fuel retail expansion
Tosi is using its new product formulation and branding to aggressively expand in the natural and specialty channel, moving from its West Coast retail footprint to the Sun Belt states, Rutherford said. Additionally, Tosi will continue to drive brand awareness from its direct-to-consumer website – which has been updated with the new logo and branding – he added.
“I do not think we will go to more conventional retail, yet. There is a lot of growth for us in front of that,” Rutherford elaborated. ”And then you will see us in the club channel continue to do really well, which is where we have a lot of traction."
- Videography, production and editing by Caroline Rude
