What Quinn Snacks does

Quinn Snacks (legal entity Quinn Foods LLC) is a Boulder, Colorado-based natural food company founded in 2010 by Kristy Lewis, specializing in better-for-you pretzel snacks including filled pretzel nuggets, filled pretzel sticks, pretzel twists, and pretzel sticks. The company pioneered whole-grain gluten-free pretzels using sorghum flour (2016) and was first to market with gluten-free filled pretzel nuggets (2020). Its technology platform combines patented packaging (the Pure Pop Bag for microwave popcorn, made of compostable paper without chemical coatings or susceptors) with proprietary ingredient sourcing, including a Farm-to-Bag transparency initiative that documents grower-level provenance and a Soil Carbon Initiative partnership to scale regenerative agriculture with suppliers such as Ralston Family Farms and Nebraska sorghum grower Steve Tucker.

Quinn sells predominantly through retail grocery and natural food channels, with products available in nearly 22,000 stores across the United States including Walmart, Whole Foods Market (where it ranks #2 in pretzels), Kroger, and Wegmans. Wholesale distribution runs through major natural food distributors UNFI, KeHE, and Dot, while e-commerce revenue comes from the company's own Shopify-powered storefront and partners such as Thrive Market, HungryRoot, and Imperfect Foods. All products carry Non-GMO Project Verification, GFCO gluten-free certification, and are largely vegan, dairy-free, and soy-free; the company achieved B Corp certification in November 2023.

The business has raised at least $13 million in disclosed equity funding across rounds in 2016, 2018, 2020 (Hershey strategic), and 2021 ($10 million round led by NewRoad Capital Partners with BFG Partners, Echo Capital, and Boulder Food Group). The leadership team combines founder vision (Kristy Lewis as Founder and Chief Visionary Officer) with CPG operating veterans including CEO Al Matulis (ex-Kellogg), COO Brett Atkinson (ex-Boston Beer), Chief Sales Officer Heather Cooper, and independent board director Hunt Killough (ex-Justin's, One Brands), supported by a former General Mills executive added to the board in 2021.

Name

Quinn Snacks

Legal name

Quinn Foods LLC

Website

https://quinnsnacks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Better-for-you pretzel snacks

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Pretzels & Salted Snacks (CRADABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified) (CRADABAM), Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE)

Keywords

• Gluten-free snacks
• Pretzel products
• Better-for-you snacks
• Clean-label foods
• Microwave popcorn

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Quinn generates revenue through the sale of pretzel snacks and filled pretzel products to consumers via retail stores nationwide. Products are sold through major grocery chains, natural food stores, and online marketplaces.
2. E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through the company's website and premium retail partners including Thrive Market, HungryRoot, and Imperfect Foods.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Products sold wholesale to retailers through distributors UNFI, KeHE, and Dot, as well as direct ordering through Quinn's sales team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quinn Snacks manufactures and sells better-for-you pretzel snacks (filled pretzel nuggets, pretzel sticks, pretzel twists) and microwave popcorn using clean-label, gluten-free, Non-GMO, and regeneratively sourced ingredients. The company's product line includes the first and only gluten-free filled pretzel nuggets and the first microwave popcorn sold in a patented compostable Pure Pop Bag. Products are sold through national retail grocery chains, natural food stores, online marketplaces, and the company's direct-to-consumer website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets Gluten-free pretzel nuggets filled with peanut butter inside a crunchy pretzel shell; targeted at gluten-free consumers and better-for-you snack shoppers.
• PB&J Berry Filled Pretzel Nuggets Gluten-free pretzel nuggets filled with peanut butter and berry filling; targeted at consumers seeking allergen-friendly flavored snacks.
• Pizzeria Cheezy Filled Pretzel Nuggets Plant-based, gluten-free pretzel nuggets with a pizzeria/cheesy flavor profile; targeted at vegan and dairy-free consumers.
• Maple Almond Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets Gluten-free pretzel nuggets filled with maple almond butter; targeted at consumers seeking better-for-you flavored snacks.
• Sea Salt Pretzel Sticks Gluten-free, whole-grain pretzel sticks made with sorghum flour and sea salt; targeted at gluten-free and better-for-you snack consumers.
• Sea Salt Pretzel Twists Classic-style gluten-free, whole-grain pretzel twists with sea salt; targeted at gluten-free snack consumers seeking traditional pretzel formats.
• Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Sticks Gluten-free pretzel sticks filled with peanut butter; targeted at consumers wanting filled snacks in a stick format.
• Peanut Butter & Honey Filled Pretzel Sticks Gluten-free pretzel sticks filled with peanut butter and honey; targeted at consumers seeking flavored filled snacks.
• Microwave Popcorn in Pure Pop Bag Microwave popcorn packaged in a patented compostable Pure Pop Bag using only real ingredients and non-GMO organic kernels; targeted at consumers seeking clean-label microwave popcorn.
• Grain-Free Paleo Pretzel Chips First paleo-friendly, grain-free pretzel chips; targeted at paleo and grain-free consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% revenue growth year-over-year in 2019
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Soil Carbon Initiative / Green AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2025Quinn announced participation in the Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI), a regenerative agriculture commitment and verification program from nonprofit Green America. SCI incentivizes farmers to improve soil health, biodiversity, climate resiliency, and farm economics. The partnership allows Quinn to quantify impacts of working with farmers transitioning to regenerative practices.
• Steve Tucker (Nebraska Sorghum Grower)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Quinn works with Nebraska sorghum grower Steve Tucker as an SCI farmer partner, transitioning to regenerative practices since 2020. Sorghum is a crucial ingredient for Quinn's supply chain, being inherently drought tolerant and requiring 30% less water than other grains.
• Ralston Family FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for regeneratively grown brown rice flour used as a foundational ingredient in all Quinn snacks. Ralston Family Farms transforms broken rice grains into high-quality flour, creating a sustainable supply chain solution. Their on-site solar powers 100% of the farm and they farm using the 5 regenerative farming pillars.
• Colorado MillsminorOthersSupplier of high oleic, expeller-pressed sunflower oil. Colorado Mills pulls from 100 family-owned farms in an ideal growing region for maximizing oil content and fatty acid profiles.
• Sustainable Vanilla InitiativeminorOthersSource of vanilla for Quinn's PB&J Berry Filled Pretzel Nuggets, ensuring sustainable sourcing practices.
• VermilioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSelected as Quinn's Agency of Record (AOR) after a competitive review process in March 2025. Fellow B Corp providing marketing services.
• UNFIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor natural and specialty food distributor for Quinn products.
• KeHEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor natural and specialty food distributor for Quinn products.
• DotcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor natural and specialty food distributor for Quinn products.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Snyder's of Hanover: Iconic US pretzel brand now owned by Utz, producing pretzels across multiple formats (sticks, rods, twists, filled). Direct competitor in the salty-baked-snack aisle where Quinn competes for shelf space and consumer spend.
• Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps: Brand of flat, flavored pretzel crackers now owned by Hershey (which also took a strategic stake in Quinn in 2020). Direct competitor in the flavored/better-for-you pretzel segment with similar retail-channel distribution.
• Skinny Pop: Better-for-you microwave popcorn brand owned by Amplify Snack Brands / Hershey. Comparable to Quinn's Pure Pop Bag microwave popcorn positioning, with overlapping natural-channel and mass-retail distribution.
• Angie's Boomchickapop: Better-for-you popcorn brand acquired by Conagra. Overlaps with Quinn's popcorn line in natural and mainstream grocery, sharing a clean-label, ingredient-transparency value proposition.
• Pipcorn: Premium better-for-you snack brand built on heirloom corn and clean-label positioning, sold in Whole Foods and natural channels. Closely aligned with Quinn on mission-driven branding, premium ingredients, and target retailer mix.
• Lesser Evil: Better-for-you snack brand spanning popcorn, puffs, and chips with strong organic and natural-channel presence. Comparable to Quinn on ingredient quality (organic, non-GMO), B Corp-style branding, and Whole Foods-led distribution.
• Simple Mills: Better-for-you cracker, cookie, and baking brand with strong Whole Foods and natural channel presence. Overlaps with Quinn on clean-label ingredient positioning and gluten-free product lines.
• Bare Snacks: Baked fruit and vegetable snack brand owned by PepsiCo, distributed in mainstream and natural channels. Comparable better-for-you CPG brand with similar ingredient-transparency narrative and overlapping retail accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Rold Gold (Frito-Lay / PepsiCo): Mass-market pretzel brand owned by PepsiCo's Frito-Lay, the dominant conventional pretzel brand. Direct category competitor with vastly larger distribution, marketing, and DSD capabilities — the primary shelf-space competitor for Quinn.
• Utz Brands: Large salty-snack conglomerate owning Snyder's, Zapp's, and other brands. A broad incumbent that competes across pretzel, chip, and better-for-you categories with scaled DSD and retail relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/QuinnSnacks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quinn-snacks
• Instagraminstagram.com/quinnsnacks
• Xx.com/quinnsnacks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quinn Snacks