Shifting Snacking
Whilst on a hike in British Columbia, Betty Lu reflected on the fact that she had not yet found the ideal snack to take with her on her travels. She found protein bars bland, and potato chips were simply empty calories. That’s when her inspiration struck to shift the snacking industry; fast forward to now and she’s the founder and CEO of Singapore-based startup Confetti Fine Foods. In this episode we chat with Betty about her decision to focus on snacks, and Confetti’s unique approach to product development using ‘ugly’ vegetables. We also discuss the importance of branding, as well as the issue of food waste and Confetti’s mission statement.
Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes
We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email hello@veganstartuppod.com or @veganstartuppod on Instagram or Facebook
The snack industry is currently dominated by an ocean of yellow with potato chips and crisps dominating the supermarket aisles and retail stores. This was exactly what spurred Betty to create her own snack business, in the hopes that manufacturing colourful vegetables would encourage people to eat more variety.
Confetti’s snacks are also infused with exotic flavours inspired from around the world.
Betty: “I was travelling around the world at the time, and I saw that in a lot of countries food was used as a bonding tool… it brings people together. Snacks are what people consume on a daily basis, so we really wanted to create a company that brings different cultures together and celebrates diversity.”
The company then spent 18 months in an R&D stage, working with a flavour house and manufacturer to ensure that this diversity would be directly translated into their retail products.
Betty: “We have a teriyaki BBQ flavour, we have summer truffle which celebrates the Eurasian culture and we have Green Curry which celebrates Thailand.”
But what was it that specifically inspired Betty to pivot and start on the path of entrepreneurship?
Betty: “I was travelling around the world with my mum, in a slow way. She had just finished a career in philanthropy and charity work so it was one of her last wishes to travel the world and see different cultures.”
Betty: “I saw a lot of beauty in this world but also a lot of challenges.”
It was when Betty found herself hiking a mountain in British Columbia that the inspiration struck. There were no snacks that she enjoyed; protein bars were bland, and potato chips just didn’t cut it.
Betty: “I was really struggling to find an ideal snack to bring on hiking trips, so I started making my own. I visited a lot of farmer’s markets, I started slicing up veggies in my own kitchen and exploring different flavours from Singapore, dehydrating veggies and sharing them with my neighbours and friends in Canada. To my surprise everybody loved it, and began asking me where they could find it.”
That inspired Betty to come back to Singapore to start the company, but one thing was still missing. As a social entrepreneur, Betty still wanted to have a positive impact. This is when the idea of tackling food waste using ‘ugly’ or surplus vegetables came.
The next stage was scaling.
Betty: “From a home kitchen setting to an industrial setting where you’re producing 5 million bags per month is a completely ball game. Working with the right flavour houses and right manufacturers who can scale the process whilst still respecting the integrity of each vegetable and wanting to create something in a gentle way… is something that’s a hard challenge.”
Betty: “We had to talk to many to get what we want, with hundreds of rounds of testing.”
In time they landed on a manufacturer operating in Malaysia. So logistically, how does using ‘ugly’ vegetables work?
Betty: “We source from them (our manufacturer). In our contract we specify that most of our produce needs to be produce which is ‘ugly’, which is something very close to our heart.”
Betty: “According to the food loss and waste protocol, 8% of human-caused greenhouse gases come from food loss and waste.”
Betty: “28% of agricultural land goes to food that isn’t eaten, 40% of produce is thrown away because they don’t meet the cosmetic standards set by supermarkets and retailers.”
Betty: “What we want to do as a company is elevate these imperfect or crop surplus foods which are nutrient dense, to its highest and best use.”
Betty then went on to talk about how the more that they can scale, the more opportunity there is to utilise ‘ugly’ vegetables from around the world.
Betty: “We want to make sure that the market succeeds and brings delight to the local consumers first and foremost. We are exploring a hyper-localised strategy in Singapore where we manufacture around half an hour from Singapore to keep the carbon footprint down.”
Betty: “In the long run as we scale and we have more volumes, we’re already in talks with manufacturers in New York, where they can source from the US, manufacture in the US, and supply to that market.”
Betty: “It not only makes things more smooth from a supply chain perspective, but we are also cutting down our carbon emissions and are getting the goods fresh to the retailers, consumers and supermarkets in a more efficient manner.”
We also touched on the branding of the product.
Betty: “Branding is the number one asset for any company. It took us a lot of time, effort, sweat, blood and tears to get where we are today to create a strong band that resonates and connects with the end consumer.”
Betty: “Every time a consumer walks past the supermarket aisle, we have nanoseconds to grab their attention, to capture their interest and curiosity, with snacks being very much an impulse purchase.”
For Confetti this looks like having packaging that stands out with bright colours. It’s packaging reflects the brand that celebrates colour and cultures, and emanates a message of happiness.
Image: Confetti Fine Foods’ packaging. Sourced from their website.
Confetti Fine Foods is also partnered with larger organisations such as the United Nations World Food Program. In Singapore they are accredited as a social business by Business For Good and are partners with 1% For the Planet and Centre for a Responsible Future.
To learn more you can head to their website or follow them on social media.