• by Steve Ellwanger , May 29, 2020

If you’re going to launch new CPG products while people are hunkered down at home, cereals and snacks would be at the top of the list—given the shift in breakfast routines and the desire for comfort foods.

So it was for Mavericks Snacks cookies and crackers, HighKey protein cereals, and Goodfish salmon skins. All three debuted in March and April, when most established CPG brands were preoccupied with keeping retailers’ shelves stocked and were less focused on rolling out product innovations.

In April, Mavericks Snacks—aimed at “natural born snackers” ages four to 11—made its debut at Whole Foods nationwide. The brand’s attributes include peanut-free, non-GMO ingredients, low sugar and whole grain.

“Families now more than ever are being challenged to find new activities and wholesome food options for their kids,” says Mavericks president Christian Quie. “Routines no doubt have been turned upside down.”

In addition to Quie—who worked on the Annie’s and Nature’s Valley brands while at General Mills—Mavericks’ roster includes former executives of Caulipower and KIND Snacks.

Low-carb, keto-diet-aligned HighKey says it already had the #1-selling chocolate chip cookie on Amazon when it decided to branch out with what it claims is the lowest-calorie flavored cereal on the market. With a nod to breakfast nostalgia tastes, HighKey’s cinnamon, frosted and cocoa variations garnered more than 1.1 million online orders in the first 8 hours of launch, according to the company.

“We call our target customer a craver,” HighKey co-CEO AJ Patel tells Marketing Daily. “She’s someone who is health-conscious and wants to make better choices but hates feeling like she’s missing out.”

In recent months, HighKey’s mini cookies have gained retail distribution in Target and Whole Foods stores.

Goodfish snacks are sourced from the previously discarded skins of wild-caught salmon from fisheries in Alaska. Aimed at the “functional” snacking crowd, their nutritional selling points are fish protein, zero carbs, marine collagen and omega 3 fatty acid.

The four-SKU Goodfish line is the latest initiative from entrepreneurs Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud, who founded the Harmless Harvest brand of coconut water and dairy alternatives. Harmless Harvest sources its coconuts from organic-certified farms in Thailand.

“We have once again found a food category whose industry and sourcing could benefit from progressive practices in a radical way,” says Guilbert.