Innovative Snacking Companies Are Finding Their Home in Santa Monica

We all love to eat. Unfortunately, most of us have grown up on sweet and salty snacks that taste great in the moment, but then we need to run to the gym to try to offset the damage done. Well, it no longer has to be that way. Some cool snack companies have found their way to Santa Monica, and they are producing healthier, more natural snacks that, while satisfying our cravings, provide more than empty calories.

Here are just a few. Look for their products in our local stores.

OM Snacks™ (www.omsnachs.com)

OM Snacks was founded by Edith Estrada and Jonathan Troen, who brainstormed ways in which they could do their part to make the world a better, more desirable place. Thus, the idea for OM Snacks was formed.  

Their mission is to bring fun, healthy snacks to the masses, especially to those who live in neighborhoods with little or no access to organic and natural food. All of their snacks are certified organic.

Their products include:

Pistachioms covered in creamy organic milk chocolate and toffee

Organic and vegetarian version of popular ommie Bears

Organic chocolate dry-roasted Cashoms

Organic chocolate covered Raisinoms. Oh good!

Barnana® the better Potassium Snack (www.barnana.com)

Founders of Barnana, Nik Ingersoll, Caue Suplicy, and Matt Clifford launched Barnana with a mission to create irresistible, banana-based snacks by eliminating food waste on organic banana farms in Latin America. Made from upcycled bananas deemed too "imperfect" for consumers, Barnana bites are partially dehydrated bananas created by a Suplicy family technique. The procedures leave just the right amount of moisture inside to create a healthy and satisfying snack.

Their products include a wide variety of Plantain Chips, Banana Brittle, and Banana Bites.

Did you say Banana? SnackNation (www.snacknation.com)

Located a stone's throw from Santa Monica, SnackNation, founded by the irrepressible Sean Kelly and launched in 2014, provides a healthy snack-delivery service for offices and homes. They made it their mission to find emerging, health-conscious snack brands and box them together for like-minded people. SnackNation joins Feeding America in their commitment to end hunger by donating 10 meals to families in need for every SnackNation box delivered.

Products include over 5,000 different snacks from 1,500 premium brands. Each SnackNation box contains 150 single-serve snacks. These custom boxes include a rotating selection from their extensive library of premium snacks. Get bars, chips, jerky, granola, trail mix, dried fruit and more. Eat up!

HIPPEAS® (www.hippeas.com)

A local Santa Monica company is HIPPEAS.® Their Organic Chickpea Puffs are made from the humble, but mighty legume, which is baked into a light and crunchy puff. The founder, now Chairman, Livio Bisterzo, created this heathy snack and began selling through various retailers in March 2016. With investments from Leonardo DiCaprio and a Chicago-based private equity firm, the company expanded their production, and their snacks are now available in almost 100,000 retail locations, including major grocery chains and specialty stores like Starbucks.

Products include a variety of chickpea puff favors from Sriracha Sunshine, Bohemian Barbecue, Nacho Vibes to Pepper Power. Chickpea power! Thrive Market (www.thrive market.com)

Another innovative e-commerce delivery service, Thrive Market, was launched in 2014. They run on a membership e-commerce platform with a mission to make the world's highest quality natural and organic products affordable for every American family. For $60/year, Thrive members get access to over 6,000 of their favorite healthy snacks, supplements, home, beauty, and baby products at 30-50% off retail value-and it's all shipped to their front door. How cool is that?

Eat well and often!