CSNC Exclusive: Shaking up salty snacks
Sweet or salty? The competition between the two snack categories is fierce, especially in the c-store space. According to recent data, generation Z is keen for sweets, while millennials reach for the salty stuff—potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, nacho chips and new twists on old favourites. But overall, salty snacks outsell other types by a wide margin, with over $2.5 billion in sales in Canada, according to Statista. Savvy c-store owners may be wise to amplify sales by leaning into the salty snack trends. CSNC caught up with salty snack experts to discover what’s new.
“We’re seeing a gravitation towards spicy snacks, which has picked up tons of popularity over the past couple of years,” says Giuseppe Franzé, brand manager, protein snacks, Conagra Brands. “According to research, the number one snacking motivation is to ‘satisfy a craving’ with ‘wanting something spicy’ driving the category.”
To satisfy those snackers, the company launched Angie’s Boomchickapop Sweet Chili Puffs in fall 2023 and will introduce Angie’s Boomchickapop Pumpkin Spice Flavoured Drizzled Kettle Corn, made with cane sugar and non-GMO popcorn, for fall 2024. “Each bite is a lot like pouncing on a pile of crunchy autumn leaves while a pumpkin pie cools on a nearby windowsill,” he says.
Filling the gap with snacks
The average Canadian is consuming a snack (food or beverage) 11 times per day, as per Ipsos Reid Study, Canada Chats 2023. Mini meals are where it’s at.
As Franzé points out: “With more consumers trading in their meals for snacks, we know snacks with nutritional value are becoming more important for the average consumer, which we take into consideration when developing new products. Snacks offering high protein, fibre and other nutritional needs will remain king.”
C-store sales shine in the salty snack category, with options that span popcorn to in-shell seeds and more.
To drive sales, Franzé underscores the importance of working together on standard retailer-specific tactics, like endcaps, in-store blades and in-app offers, alongside keyword-targeted ads. “We have also been working closely to identify the optimal shelf set and placement within stores,” he adds. “Having the right offerings that shoppers can easily locate is critical to continued growth of this category and delivering on consumer needs.”
Offering flavour variety
Pringles is a top favourite among salt-loving c-store consumers. “Convenience stores are extremely important to Pringles as they allow multiple points of distribution, not only for new innovation, but for the core flavours,” says Nicole Gawen, vice-president marketing and wellbeing, Kellanova Canada.
She also notes that c-stores help gain trial, especially important for new products.
“Consumers and retail partners crave exciting taste experiences. They seek snacks with unique and bold flavours that tantalize their taste buds. Whether it’s spicy, tangy or umami, flavour innovation is key.”
In 2024, Pringles launched three new flavours in Canada—All Dressed, Chili Cheese Fries and Scorchin’ Buffalo, the spiciest flavour in the brand’s portfolio. And, in keeping with the demand for snacks on the go, a new Snack Stacks variety pack with three flavours inside—Original, Sour Cream and Onion and Cheddar Cheese—hit the shelves in May.
To support sales of Pringles, Gawen suggests c-stores run in-store promotions, offering secondary displays, listing innovations and ensuring the brand’s core flavours are present in planograms and/or primary locations throughout the store.
Tapping into BFY cravings
It’s clear that 2024 is shaping up to be a banner year for bigger flavours. February saw the launch of two new tortilla chip entries under the Garden Veggie Snacks Flavour Burst label—Zesty Ranch and Nacho Cheese. Certified gluten-free and made with five kinds of vegetables, the products fulfill consumer desire for healthier indulgences.
“The better-for-you salty snacking space has been growing more quickly than conventional snacks for years,” explains Ed Kaiser, senior director of marketing, Hain Celestial, which also makes Terra Real Vegetable Chips, Parm Crisps and Garden of Eatin’ Tortilla Chips. “It’s still an emerging category with only 10% of salty snacks fitting into that space. Consumers really want a product without compromises that they feel good about everyone in their family eating. It’s just as important that it tastes good.”
Those were the core insights that sparked the creation of Garden Veggie Snacks’ Flavour Bursts. The challenge was to bring a conventional or seasoned tortilla chip into the better-for-you space with no artificial ingredients. Products like this have great potential for the convenience channel since they are currently underrepresented. Kaiser predicts sales will accelerate over the coming years, especially in c-stores. That’s worth noting when allocating c-store shelf space.
On the popcorn front, French Cancan is shaking things up with a variety of fun flavours—Spicy Jalapeño, as well as Cheddar and Green Onion, Movie Style and Sweet & Salty—that tout BFY benefits, such as being a source of fibre without trans fats or cholesterol.
Things get spicy
Bold flavours have been missing in the better-for-you space—a gap Hain Celestial recognized and satisfied with new products created to meet the needs of today’s consumers who have built “palate sophistication,” notes Kaiser. “Spice overall is growing—faster than some of the other flavours. Now, you’re seeing additional sophistication with certain tweaks and special ingredients being the leading drivers.”
Takis Canada, a Grupo Bimbo brand that has been in market here for seven years, is all about bringing the heat, with a lineup of intense flavours that appeal to salty snack aficionados, including gen Z (target audience is ages 14 to 49). The brand has developed a cult-like following on social media and beyond among fans of its thick spicy rolled tortilla chips, which come in a variety of unique flavours, including the OG bright red, fiery Takis Fuego and a sweet heat option, Dragon Sweet Chili, which won Product of the Year Canada in 2022.
New-to-Canada is Blue Heat, which launched on May 16th, and is already the most highly requested flavour, says Cristina Slovacek, Takis brand manager, Barcel Global Marketing, who says that when it comes to snacks, Takis does things differently.
“We don’t shy away in the face of intensity, we double down and take it to 10. We don’t back down from flavour, we sprint full-force towards taste combinations so supercharged they send your taste buds rocketing into unexplored supernovas of flavour…. We challenge our fans to embrace intensity in their life—to express themselves authentically and to the fullest—and we make it a point to have fun along the way.”
The company recently launched Takis Buckin’ Ranch in the U.S. and this non-spicy flavour is expected to launch in Canada in Q1 2025.
Other salty snack makers are also going for the bold. PepsiCo Foods Canada launched the spicy Havoc line in February with three SKUs—Fiery Lime Flavoured Rolled Tortilla Chips, Smoky Nacho Twisted Corn Chips, Bulgogi Blaze Flavoured Potato Chips—that tap into the sweet-and-spicy movement. Canada’s Hardbite Potato Chips offers Sweet Ghost Pepper and Wasabi Ranch. Meanwhile, Twigz, the Calgary-based craft pretzel maker, is hot stuff with a Fire-Roasted Jalapeño option.
It’s going to be a sizzling season for salty snack lovers.
Originally published in the July/August issue of Convenience Store News Canada
