NPEW 2025: Rivalz Snacks achieves low-glycemic status for high-protein, high-fiber snacks
02 Apr 2025 | Rivalz Snacks
Peter Barrick, the CEO of Rivalz Snacks, told us the company’s vegan stuffed snacks, rich in protein and fiber, were recently certified as low glycemic index snacks, meaning that they offer a source of sustained energy without blood sugar spikes and crashes. Rivalz also achieved US Department of Agriculture Smart Snack compliance, an evidence-based nutrition standard for school snacks and beverages. At Natural Products Expo West (NPEW), Rivalz Snacks launched a new flavor of its health-focused snacks, Weekend Tailgate BBQ
This is Yolande van Gal from Nutrition Insight.
I'm here at Natural Products Expo West with Peter Barrick, who's the CEO of Rice Bows Snacks.
Thank you for joining us, and I understand that Rifle Snacks were recently certified as a low glycemic index snack, and I'd love to hear more about what that means and why it's important.
Absolutely, when we were starting the company, we, we founded on three principles taste, nutrition, and affordability.
And as you look at the salty snack category, the snack aisle.
Filled with snacks that are high in carbohydrates, high glycemic products, and when we were designing the product, we wanted to design it around metabolic health, high protein, high fiber, low glycemic snack, and we were able to achieve that and we passed our clinical trials and we're officially low glycemic.
Awesome, great to hear.
And I also understand that you achieved the USDA Smart snack compliance last year.
What challenges did you face in meeting those?
Nuts.
Absolutely one of the most difficult problem sets that we needed to solve for was sodium.
250 200 mg sodium content for a one ounce snack at school districts is super important.
And so in our R&D team, brilliant R&D team, we're able to figure out how to reduce sodium level by bringing out more of the flavor as part of our IP and Tracy secrets.
And just to quantify it, we're 34% less sodium than Doritos, 60% less sodium than dual texture snacks.
Wow, very impressive.
And since you started the company, you're now also expanding your retail presence in the US, in major outlets, retailers.
What strategies do you think have been important to achieve nationwide expansion?
And how do you plan to maintain product accessibility?
We're growing rapidly.
We're averaging 800 stores a quarter expansion, which is pretty impressive.
We xed our retail growth year over year in 2024, and our strategy is about regional activation.
Program and so what we're doing is, is we're focusing on certain regions in the country, so California, NorCal, SoCal, Arizona, New England, and then also the Midwest, and we're supporting that with a multi-tiered marketing plan, from demos to sports activations, etc.
And you already mentioned nutrition is an important part of rice.
So I'm curious, I understand that you've enlisted a scientific advisory board with experts in nutrition, AI and all that.
How does that influence innovation in the product and your commitments to health-focused snacking?
Absolutely.
So we recruited and installed one of the top scientific advisory boards in the country.
We have subject matter experts ranging from AI extrusion.
And nutrition.
And so those are the three principles of our R&D when we develop products in order to ensure the best quality, the best taste, and the best nutrition.
Yeah, out of the scientific advisory board, one, we'll be doing clinical trials on our nutritional efficacy.
We will also be doing research with UC Davis and, and food scientists there, understanding our impact in local communities.
I'll give you an example.
UC Davis is one of the most educated, counties in California, yet it's food insecure.
OK, and in the future, what can we expect from rivals?
In the future, once we close our Series A, we're raising $15 million for our Series A.
We're going to disrupt another category and we would like to reiterate our AI tech platform.
Which is the future of food innovation.
Our goal is to provide our target customers a nutritious, high protein, high fiber, low glycemic breakfast snack that can carry them out through the day and their activities.
Also, I'm looking forward to it.
