Smoked chips, natural sweeteners, salty snacks: multimedia highlights

The latest broadcasts feature companies like Kellanova, Second Nature Brands, and more.

Low and Slow Snacks small-batch smoked chips

Made by burning real hickory wood, Low and Slow reportedly is the first-ever line of authentically smoked chips.

Each month, the editorial team behind Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery (and its microsite, the confectionery-centric Candy Industry) covers a broad range of topics relevant to producers and their partners. The latest video posts and podcast episodes are no exception. To learn more, check out the latest videos and podcasts listed below.

Videos

Jared Drinkwater, Low & Slow Snacks

Consumers are well familiar with the savory sensation of biting into barbecue-flavored chips. The innovative team behind this Texas-based snack brand takes the flavor to a new level by imparting their products with smoke flavor by actually smoking the product, via a proprietary process. CEO and co-founder Drinkwater tells us all about the creative, crunchy concoctions.

David Beck, Kellanova

Salty snacks are not just Beck’s area of expertise, as marketing directing for Kellanovas's salty snacking portfolio. They’re also his passion, as listeners to this extensive and fascinating conversation about the company’s recent innovations and category trends can tell.

Vic Mehren, Second Nature Brands

Second Nature Brands holds a number of innovative, fascinating brands known to fans of candy and snacks. One of those well-known names is Sanders, a Michigan-based producer of sea salt caramels, bumpy cakes, and other sweet treats. Mehren sat down with Candy Industry senior editor Liz Parker to tell us all about it.

Podcasts

Thom King, Icon Foods

Sugar reduction is a trend consumers across various food categories are increasingly interested in. King chatted with Candy Industry to talk about the growing trend, challenges producers in confectionery and other categories face, and ways to use stevia to sweeten products naturally.

Andrew Hunter, Kikkoman

Soy sauce is so much more than a condiment to sprinkle on your favorite Asian dishes. Hunter spoke with Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery about the versatility of the ingredient, how it can be incorporated into snack and bakery formulations, and how the company’s time-honored brewing process elevates the flavors.

Megan and Scott Reamer, Jackson’s

The story behind the clean-label snack brand is as interesting as the innovative products it offers. The founders of the company talk about how it got its start, the challenges faced in the early days, their Shark Tank experience, and the care that goes into their all-natural sweet potato chips cooked in avocado and coconut oils.

Jenni Spinner is the chief editor of Snack Food and Wholesale with more than 25 years of experience in business-to-business communications. She has written extensively about food production, safety and packaging; pharmaceutical drug development; concrete and masonry construction; and more. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Illinois. Jenni can be reached at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com.

This webinar will examine variables factoring into nutritionally improved candy sales, including ingredients, label claims, and alternative sugars. Better-for-you options remain top of mind for consumers who are searching for indulgences, but in a healthier format.