A new Australian manufacturing company, SnackHQ, has launched in Melbourne with a mission to transform the snack food landscape through in-house production of nutritious and great-tasting products.
Founded by fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) veterans, including three original founders of Gourmet Food – creators of brands OB Finest, Olina’s Bakehouse and Ocean Blue – SnackHQ is aiming to carve out a strong niche in the growing snacking category.
The company develops and manufactures its products locally, a move it says ensures quality, speed to market, and innovation, as revealed in a news release.
“We created SnackHQ because we saw the need for nutritious and genuinely great tasting lunchbox and snacking products,” said Todd Wilson, Co-Founder and Chair of SnackHQ.
“As we manufacture our own ranges, we can adapt quickly and bring new ideas to life faster, just as we did in the premium cracker categories with Gourmet Food.”
SnackHQ’s local manufacturing model supports the company’s goal of being agile and consumer-focused in an increasingly competitive food category.
The company’s initial products include three Natural Fruit Slice bars currently available at Woolworths, with the newest addition – the ReFil snack bar range – launching this month.
ReFil bars are designed for older children, offering a balance between health and indulgence. Each bar contains 9g of prebiotic fibre, 6g of protein, and less than one teaspoon of sugar.
They also contain no artificial colours or flavours and avoid sugar alcohols. The products carry a 5 Health Star Rating.
“We developed ReFil to fill the gap in the market for snacking products for upper primary school-aged kids and teens, an age when kids have more discretion when it comes to taste but still need nourishing food for their mind and body,” said Julia Clark, Head of Sales and Marketing at SnackHQ.
“We are delighted with the market tasting feedback we have received so far, and are busy developing more flavours, including a caramel flavour that will be launched later in the year.”
The ReFil range includes single 30g bars in Iced Chocolate, Dipped Strawberry and Dipped Churro flavours, with multipacks available for the first two variants.
ReFil bars are now stocked in selected IGA supermarkets, independent retailers, and through Amazon Australia. SnackHQ plans further product rollouts this year as it expands its portfolio of locally manufactured snack foods.
More information about SnackHQ and its product lines is available at www.snackhq.com.au and www.refil.com.au.
