Jack Acree, executive vice president of Saffron Road Foods, was part of the founding team behind root vegetable-based Terra Chips, the brainchild of chefs Dana Sinker and Alex Dzieduszycki. The company enjoyed much success and was purchased in 1998 by Hain Celestial Group.
SFA News Daily recently spoke to Acree about this former SFA member company that made it.
What dearth in the market were you trying to fill?
Back in 1990, there were really just several varieties of potato chips on the market, some with a little seasoning. We were mostly following up on the unintended consumer research that Dana Sinkler and Alex Dzieduszycki had done with their catering company. Eveyone at their events loved the chips and kept asking where they could buy them.
What set(s) it apart?
They were then, and mostly still to this day, exotic root vegetables with a unique look at flavor. Also we were using peanut oil that was not hydrogenated which meant they were trans-fat free well before anyone ever knew what trans fats were. Ninety-nine percent of chips at the time were cooked in hydrogenated oil.
What was your dream for the brand back in the early days?
We were all novices in the retail food business. We didn’t know what a brand block was. I do remember walking into a Fresh Fields in Maryland in 1992 and seeing a 50-case stack in the corner of the produce section. It was an electric moment. To the extent possible I could see the future and that Terra Chips were the perfect marriage of 90’s “gourmet” with the Health Food channel that was evolving into Natural Foods. Finally a “heatlh” food that tasted amazing and was even better than the mainstream category.
When did you realize the brand had made it? Was there an acquisition, were you sourced by a large chain, or was there some other event that led to your brand making it?
The two moments that stand out the most were when I saw a typical New York construction worker eating a bag, and then when I saw an empty bag as trash on the sidewalk. We had transitioned over from the Dean and Deluca’s to the mainstream. Another big moment was at our first Fancy Food Show and we got a 100-case order from Rice Epicurean in Texas. I actually had to talk them into ordering less!
Related: SFA Members Who've Made It: Back to the Roots; SFA Members Who've Made It: Stonewall Kitchen.
from Industry Operations https://ift.tt/9zJpd2K
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