When toddlers can navigate smartphones as well as their parents, maybe their snacks should be just as progressive. Going beyond pure sustenance, NurturMe, Austin, Texas, creates healthier snacks for families wanting to incorporate gentle probiotics into their children’s diets.
Known for its quinoa-based baby cereals and snacks, the company decided to add Ancient Grain Cookies to its growing portfolio.
“We wanted to expand our family of products and create a healthy cookie for toddlers and kids that combines the nutritional benefits of four ancient grains, including quinoa, amaranth, sorghum and millet, and delivers a daily dose of probiotics for overall digestive health,” said Caroline Freedman, chief executive officer and founder.
Using GanedenBC30, a GRAS-certified, non-G.M.O. probiotic, NurturMe is the first snack company to offer a line of probiotic cookies for children. Appealing to health-conscious parents, one serving of the cookies carries more nutritional benefits than 10 cups of probiotic yogurt. The baked snacks are also organic and free from common allergens such as gluten, dairy and soy.
Intent on creating a better-for-you cookie that would also appeal to the pickiest palates, NurturMe conducted several rounds of testing and focus groups among moms in its target audience to determine its three flavor varieties, which include cocoa, honey and maple + cinnamon.
“We understand first-hand the worry that comes with feeding your little ones and design all our products with taste in mind,” Ms. Freedman said.
To support the product launch, NurturMe deployed a broad-based marketing strategy that included retail promotions, product sampling and events centered around newborns and young children. The company is also active on social media, allowing it to connect with customers and consumers on a personal level and educate them about the benefits of its products.
Founded in 2010 by two moms, Ms. Freedman and the company’s chief operating officer Lauren de la Rosa, NurturMe created the first 100% pure quinoa cereal for infants as an alternative to traditional rice cereals. Today the company’s full line is sold in more than 5,000 stores nationwide and includes Organic Quinoa Cereals, Power Blend Purees, Yum-a-Roo’s and 100% Quinoa Squares. It hopes the Ancient Grain Cookies will be a stepping stone that allows the brand to offer products to children in an older age range.
Not only concerned with the children it serves in the United States, NurturMe also supports children in Peru through its NurturNinos program. After visiting the Peruvian farms it sources Fair Trade quinoa from and meeting the families who work there, the company established the program, which donates a portion of proceeds from all NurturMe quinoa products to support the health and education of children who live in farming and rural communities.
