Wild Fox Foods, founded by Kevin McCray, Kelsie Costa and Dan Costa, intends to revive the category with updated processing methods and cleaner labels.
“Our overall thought process when it comes to food products and food companies is how do we empower the consumer to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor?” said McCray. “If you could make healthy food taste good, better than unhealthy food, then you can empower people to eat it all the time and then we could start to reverse some of the chronic dietary related trends we see in the country”
Reviving a stale category
Trail mix and roasted nuts are often manufactured outdated processing methods and additives, such as deep-fried seed oils, refined sugars and artificial flavorings, according to McCray. Wild Fox is betting that consumers are looking to these categories with “clean and craveable” options, he said.
“All of our inclusions fall under the same health umbrella. Even the fruits – we don’t have refined sugar added, and the chocolate has no refined sugar or dairy,” McCray explained. “Just really hyper-clean products without any sacrifice on the flavor or eating experience”
The brand’s lineup includes:
- Roasted Nuts: Almonds and cashews roasted in avocado oil, in flavors like Sea Salt, Hickory Smoked and Lightly Salted
- Trail Mixes: Avocado oil–roasted nuts paired with unsweetened dried fruits, such as Cherry Burst and Cranberry Crunch
- Protein Bars: Bars made with milk protein isolate crisps, delivering 15 grams of protein per bag in flavors like Dark Chocolate Sea Salt and Cinnamon Churro
From education to lifestyle marketing
While Kevin’s Natural Foods, which was acquired by Mars in 2023, it built its reputation around trust and education at the dinner table, yet Wild Fox is striking a different tone, according to Kacie Costa, Wild Fox Foods’ marketing manager.
“Kevin’s grew through education-driven marketing – recipe ideas, dietitian partnerships and a heavy emphasis on explaining clean ingredients and convenience,” Costa said. “Today, consumers are swarmed with nutrition education from doctors, dietitians and social media. They already know the ingredients they want and the ones they don’t. The challenge now is finding clean snacks with solid macros that also taste irresistible.”
Wild Fox’s marketing focuses on lifestyle-first storytelling. Costa described the brand’s approach as “more entertainment than education: adventure-driven campaigns, fun social and influencer partnerships in activities like running, cycling, travel, and fitness.”
Packaging was designed to pop on shelves with playful, vibrant cues, while digital content brings “the energy, fun, and flavor,” she added.
Built for modern snacking
The timing for the brand to enter into the snacking category couldn’t be more auspicious. McCray noted that “about a quarter of calories were coming from snacking” when the team first dug into consumer research.
In focus groups, “not one [consumer] was satisfied with the snacks they have. They’re always looking for more variety, more convenience, more flavor, better health attributes,” he said.
Wild Fox answers that call by avoiding shortcuts common in the category. “The majority of roasted nuts are in fact deep fried in highly-processed seed oils,” McCray said. “That’s not the process a chef would use at all. So we replicated a restaurant process in the factory” by coating the nuts in avocado oil and seasoning and roasting in the oven.
Retail and growth plans
Wild Fox’s first shipments are hitting shelves at Raley’s in California, with Save Mart, Hy-Vee, and Wakefern/ShopRite also in the pipeline.
The brand’s marketing efforts are designed to build word-of-mouth around what makes the products different: free from seed oils, refined sugars and artificial ingredients, but not flavor.
“We never want to have a product that is like a me-too product and we’re just competing on price,” McCray said. “We start with whatever makes our product hyper unique.”
Wild Fox is currently self-funded and focused on scaling thoughtfully, McCray explained. Whether the future brings acquisition or independent expansion, McCray said the goal remains clear: a clean label snack aligned with health trends.
