{"id":3597,"date":"2018-05-30T11:41:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T18:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/?p=3597"},"modified":"2020-09-19T13:53:29","modified_gmt":"2020-09-19T20:53:29","slug":"snacktops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/snacktops\/","title":{"rendered":"How Snacktops Is Making It Easier To Consume Our Favorite Food And Beverages On The Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this series, I feature the ideas of the world’s most innovative entrepreneurs<\/a>. Today, I caught up with retail guru and path to consumption evangelist, Jeff Engel, CEO of Snacktops<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1) What is your backstory?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Jeff Engel, CEO Snacktops<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve been fortunate to gain a broad range of professional skills since entering the private sector after serving as a Navy SEAL. Since leaving the military, I have worked at IBM, two prior start-ups, a consulting firm, and, most recently, I spent ten years working at a marketing company specializing in enhanced consumer engagement experiences.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

I joined Snacktops in 2015 at the time of its incorporation, because based on my experience working with retailers, I immediately saw how Snacktops\u2019 customizable technology could allow it to address a unique need for a broad range of potential customers in the foodservice industry. After I joined, we began a series of operational tests that soon proved the real-world potential of Snacktops\u2019 technology and business model. <\/span><\/p>\n

Snacktops was built around a suite of solutions and ideas of making it easier to carry your food and beverage in one hand with a focus on the 91% of people that snack daily<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0Our portfolio\u2019s breadth allows us to deliver something unique for 11 different channels.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Based on a customer\u2019s objectives, we may provide a different type of package for a Quick Serve restaurant vs a Convenience Store chain vs a National Coffee Shop chain.\u00a0As an example, Snacktops\u2019 solution for Auntie Anne\u2019s Candy Lemonade Mixer (lemonade with either Swedish Fish or Sour Patch Kids on top) is completely different than our hot drink solutions for coffee shops (think coffee with a muffin snapped on top with a ribbon straw).<\/span><\/p>\n

2) What problems will your idea solve and how will it improve our lives?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

People have changed from eating three main meals a day to now snacking throughout the day.\u00a0The food service industry now looks at eating periods by what is called \u201cday-parts,\u201d and there are five to seven snacking \u201cday-parts.\u201d\u00a0The industry knows that 91%<\/i><\/b> of people will snack<\/i><\/b> at least once during one of those day-parts every day<\/i><\/b>. The industry has been good about pairing items together such as yogurt and granola in a flip cup or cheese and salami paired together, but ultimately consumers were not buying more but rather switching from one food item to the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We learned through consumer testing that if we paired a snack with a beverage with Snacktops packaging, both beverage and snack\/food sales increased. The consumer stopped switching products and just added an item to what they were purchasing.\u00a0We also learned that Snacktops could be used as a category-accelerator or category-creator. An executive during a recent conversation said gleefully to me, \u201cYou are adding revenue to a significant number of (our) customer transactions.\u00a0I knew the idea was going to be good.\u00a0I did not realize this good<\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n