Ecommerce brand Nuts.com is expanding into retail with its Pop & Sol brand, as the company pivots to premium snacks that tap into better-for-you trends, PJ Oleksak, CEO of Nuts.com, explained.
Nuts.com – with roots stretching back to 1929 – spent the last 25 years building its ecommerce business, which sells nuts, chocolates, dried fruits, coffees, teas and other gift-giving options.
Pop & Sol is Nuts.com’s new retail-facing brand with two flavor portfolios, including:
- The savory snacks come in Jalapeño Cashews; Roasted Elote Peanuts, Sea Salt & Pepper Cashews; and Sea Salt & Vinegar Almonds and launched exclusively at Target.
- The sweet snacks come in Banana Dusted Dark Chocolate Covered Walnuts, Coconut Flaked White Chocolate Covered Cashews, Raspberry Dusted Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds and Strawberry Dusted Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts and are available at Shoprite and The Fresh Market stores.
Nuts.com created Pop & Sol flavors that complimented the existing online catalog, with a focus on flavors and trends that would resonate with retail consumers, Oleksak said. Additionally, Nuts.com can leverage its ecommerce data and history to understand the flavors and type of products consumers want, she added.
“The ecommerce business will continue to be a huge portion of our growth strategy, ... but we need to make sure we are meeting customers where they are, and what we know is that a huge portion of snack purchasing is actually happening in retail stores, and so we really view it as an additive to meet those consumers where they are naturally buying, and giving them a really fresh flavor-forward brand,” she elaborated.
Tapping into better-for-you trends
Pop & Sol is tapping into several consumer trends, including better-for-you ingredients and the demand for global and indulgent flavors, Oleksak said. Pop & Sol’s products are formulated with natural flavors and are responsibly sourced, she added.
Nearly three-fourths (74%) of consumers prioritize snacks with high-quality nutrition, and 32% of North Americans eat at least one healthy snack per day, according to Mondelez’s State of Snacking report that surveyed 3,785 global shoppers.
Additionally, Pop & Sol’s nuts tap into the ever-growing demand for protein, with its products containing 2-7 grams of protein per one-ounce serving. Nearly two-thirds of consumers (61%) said that they were increasing their protein intake in 2024, up from 48% in 2019, according to research from Cargill.
Despite perceptions, consumers generally meet or exceed the amount of protein that they need per day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Protein should account for 10-35% of a consumer’s calories or 50-175 grams of protein, depending on age and sex, the Mayo Clinic added.
