PECKISH egg snacks hit California specialty store shelves ahead of national launch

06-Dec-2018 - Last updated on 10-Dec-2018 at 15:00 GMT

PECKISH, a brand created by California-based Sonoma Brands, has entered an exclusive distribution agreement with specialty natural foods retailer, Erewhon, hitting shelves at its four store locations in the Los Angeles area.

PECKISH Peck Packs include two individually-wrapped organic free-range hard-boiled eggs paired with five crispy/crunchy ‘flavor-forward’ dips: salt & pepitas, ‘everything’, maple waffles, fried rice, and rancheros.

“An exclusive partnership with Erewhon is the ideal way to position PECKISH among the most sought-after and exclusive brands their community of discerning consumers looks for. As we prepare for a national launch of our latest incubated concept, we feel strongly that this opportunity will yield the proof of concept for what we feel is an innovation with immense potential," said PECKISH co-founder and chief brand officer at Sonoma Brands, Chelsea Bialla.

Erewhon has gained a reputation as a proving ground for many small, young, disruptive brands including Bulletproof Coffee and Oatly.

On its website, the independent retailer states: “As an independent grocer, we are able to give smaller brands a chance. As an independent grocer, we can be nimble and bring exciting products to our shelves.”

PECKISH Peck Pack will begin rolling out to store nationwide in January 2019.

As far as where consumers can find PECKISH Peck Packs, Bialla previously told FoodNavigator-USA that the portable egg snack packs can be placed alongside shelled eggs, in the chiller between meat and eggs, in the refrigerated grab & go sections.

Sonoma Brands founder Jon Sebastiani believes the ready-to-eat hard-boiled egg category is in need of some innovation similar to where the jerky category was before launching KRAVE [a clean label jerky brand created by Sonoma Brands and later sold to the Hershey Company for $220m].

Eggs as snacks and mini meals

Bialla believes PECKISH can reimagine and create some excitement around the egg eating experience, specifically for hard-boiled eggs.

“Hard cooked eggs often have an unappetizing hard chalky crumbly yolk with rubbery whites, which is in part because the harder you cook them, the easier they are to peel. But the way I love to eat eggs at home is very different. They’re not cooked for quite as long, but we’ve found the [sweet] spot to achieve total food safety with a kill step but we’re not over boiling,” Bialla told FoodNavigator-USA in September.

According to the brand, since the eggs are not over-boiled, the product has softer, less crumbly yolk center.

Consumer interest in high protein, on-the-go snacks with culinary flavors is growing, according to Innova Market Insights.

Virginia Lee, customer engagement officer at Innova Market Insights, shared with us that consumers are snacking more throughout the day replacing traditional meals with a few different food items.

This has led to consumers rethinking what qualifies as a snack going beyond typical snacking staples, to other products that offer protein and satiety.

“We all want to eat more fruits and vegetables, but we’re kind of using excuses not to eat them. Consumers’ idea of snacks has expanded beyond your snack bars, chips, fruit, and yogurt to cheese and meat snacks, eggs, guacamole, and nut butters.”

Some other product features working in PECKISH’s favor are its portable, single-serve packaging and its organic, free-range description on the front of the pack.