The Nut Butter Bites are now available in Oatmeal Raisin & Peanut Butter and Chocolate & Peanut Butter in addition to Chocolate Banana and Apple Cinnamon flavors. Nut Butter Bites contain four grams of plant protein per package and are formulated with five or six organic ingredients and without added sugar, artificial flavors, gums, stabilizers, or preservatives.
The new flavors are available on Amazon, Thrive Market, and Hungry Root and will expand in retail later this year, Kneller said. Additionally, Sweet Nothings has revamped the Nut Butter Bites packaging following consumer feedback, he added.
“We're really excited to have this new packaging now be out in the world, and these flavor profiles that we think really hit on flavor profiles that consumers both tell us they love, and the data suggests they love.”
Emphasizing e-commerce over DTC
As it looks to establish itself as a “healthy snacking company that can play across aisles,” Sweet Nothings is intentionally building its brand with a focus on retail and e-commerce and not focusing on a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, Kneller noted.
DTC took a "backseat" early on, as the brand “really focused on those wholesale partner relationships,” Kneller said. “We're really good operators on a traditional retail and third-party e-com business,” he added.
“We've never really emphasized DTC, and we don't intend to just because I don't think it's our team's core competency, and I don't think that's how you build a significant brand that people everywhere ... [are] trying and consuming.”
Growing beyond the frozen section
In addition to continuing its worth in the frozen smoothie space, Sweet Nothings is focusing on where Nut Butter Bites sit on the retail and how consumers can use the product, Kneller said. "We want to be right next to RxBar and GoMacro bar and some of these more functional foods as a product that tastes better, but it's not trying to pretend to be a cookie," he said.
“The frozen products have been performing so well for us, and we've been really intentional with where we launched those and when,” Kneller said. “We want to take that same thoughtful approach to the Nut Butter Bite product but really grow that retail presence in 2023 and start to establish our brand as not just a frozen brand but a healthy snacking brand across aisles."