Dive Brief:
- Love good fats, the Canadian keto snack bar brand, willlaunchin 450 Whole Foods stores下个月,根据食物导航器。这个品牌expects to expand to additional U.S. stores in the months following.
- 这个品牌’s parent company, The Good Fat Co. Ltd, closed a $5 million common share funding round for the keto-friendly bars. The new funds bring the total equity raised to $9.4 million. Investors include individuals and more than 40 CPG executives.
- The bars were quick to win over customers in Canada. During the course of a year, the company expanded from 200 to 2,500 stores.
Dive Insight:
The keto diet has been on the rise for thepast several yearsas high fat, low-carb diets have made a comeback. Keto made Google’s list ofmost-searched diets in 2018.
Many projections place keto-friendly snack foods among the top trends for 2019. Though the demand remains specific and small, more consumers want on-the-go options that meet the high protein, low carb restrictions of a the diet. In part, that’s because people want food options that fit the same health profile as their workouts.
Thatpresents an opportunityfor brands like Love good fats, which provide an easy way to stick to a keto diet. Entrepreneurs have been quick to catch on, though few established brands have edged into the keto space.Dang Foods launchedasugar-free plant-based bar earlier this year.Ample Kstarted selling its keto-friendly shake earlier this year.脂肪的快餐makes a low-carb, sugar-free cookie, andother companiesare developing protein shake powders, meal replacement drinks and more.
Love good fats' recent fundraising round appears geared to support the U.S. launch with afull-fledged sales and marketingprogram. The company has already begun to expand its team and partnered with a Florida-based sales and marketing company. Until now, the company has relied on word of mouth, social media and in-store tastings to build its customer base, founder and CEO Suzie Yorke said in a company statement.
Enthusiasm and energy aside, some take issue withthe health claimsof a keto diet. Earlier this year, researchers found that despite encouraging immediate weight loss, low-carb diets like the keto plan canincrease rates of mortality. Elsewhere, researchers identified links between both high-protein diets and higher risks ofheart failure, particularly for men, andType 2 diabetes.
Whether the growing demand will take into account the potential health risks of a keto diet has yet to be seen. The market shows few signs of slowing down for now. Analysts predict that by 2023 the market for keto products could reach aCAGR of 4.2% globally, though North America will continue to hold the largest share of the market.
