Big Appetites for Fruit Snacks

The natural foods market has proven hungry for local fruit snack brand Solely, Inc. which said it’s now celebrating 100% YoY growth since its 2019 launch. Its products are currently sold in more than 30,000 retail locations across the country, including mega-chains like Target, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, CVS, Speedway, 7/11, Walgreens, Sprouts and Kroger.

Headquartered in La Jolla, Solely is also feeding a need beyond brick-and-mortal store sales. “Our products are available direct-to-consumer on Solely.com, Amazon and online grocery retailers like Thrive Market and Instacart. As a whole, our multi-channel e-commerce business has grown 76% in the last 12 months,” Co-founder and CEO Simón Sacal said. By 2023, consumers had bought more than $100 million worth of Soley products, the company reported.

“We take immense pride in our brand’s robust retail footprint, which has been the cornerstone of our success. As we embrace the digital age, our burgeoning e-commerce growth is a testament to our ability to adapt and thrive in the ever-evolving retail landscape,” said Solely Chief Revenue Officer Michel Algazi.

New Fruit-Based Pasta

Over the past year, Solely has worked to stock its snacks on the shelves of popular convenience chain stores and plans to continue those efforts with the innovation of single-portion, peggable single, two and three-organic ingredient snacks and new flavors. On top of that, the company is adding pasta to its lineup.

“We transformed the most nutritious dried green bananas into a traditional fusilli shape and texture that tastes just as it should – delicious and savory,” Sacal shared. “We launched exclusively in Whole Foods Market nationwide and continue adding retail partners. Additionally, we just announced expansion into 589 Target locations nationwide.”

The concept for the business dates back more than 20 years where the company recognized the gap between so-called healthy snack foods and “good-for-you” natural foods.

“First, we started by identifying the huge need for ‘good-for-you’ savory snacking, so we invented a technology to create our patented fat-free chip.  Then we recognized a major need amongst adolescents and adults in terms of daily fruit consumption,  so  we began a second patented cold-pressing process to transform whole organic produce into a single-portion jerky [which made the product] portable, while maintaining [freshness],” added Sacal.

Solely uses fruit from certified organic farms that occasionally yield what’s been called imperfect produce, where the fruit may not be aesthetically optimal but still contains the same nutrient density and flavor that doesn’t have to go to waste.

Latino & Hispanic Heritage

Sister company Fruitex manufactures Solely’s products in Costa Rica and Mexico, where Sacal’s roots run deep.

“Culturally, it’s easy to access fresh fruit in Mexico; you can find fresh produce in markets or just by walking down the streets. In the U.S., it’s more about packaged fruits and snacks, so we merged the two worlds,” he explained. “We provide a growing market opportunity for local farmers and help them maximize yields (with yield increases averaging a whopping 67% in the past year). We’ve virtually eliminated waste and improved end-product affordability, making it more likely that consumers of most income levels can afford high-quality organic produce. Each part of our vertically integrated infrastructure is efficient within the boundaries of social and environmental stewardship and responsibility.”

Soley, Inc.

FOUNDED: 2019
CEO & COFOUNDER: Simón Sacal
HEADQUARTERS: La Jolla
EMPLOYEES: 15 locally & 1,500 at Mexico-based sister company, Fruitex
BUSINESS: food manufacturing
WEBSITE: solely.com
CONTACT: info@solely.com
NOTABLE: Solely is the fastest-growing natural fruit snack brand in the U.S.