Cybele's Free-to-Eat

What Cybele's Free-to-Eat does

Cybele's Free-to-Eat (legal entity Free To Eat Inc., Delaware-incorporated) manufactures and sells allergy-friendly snack foods under two core product lines: Soft-Baked Cookies and Mini Crunchy Cookies, and Ancient Grain Pops, a popcorn alternative. All products are free from the Top 9 Allergens (dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame), certified gluten-free, vegan, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Kosher, with no artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. The company's underlying technical differentiator is a proprietary plant-based egg replacer — a formulation of potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening, cellulose gum, and carbohydrate gum — that enables cookie texture and taste parity with conventional baked goods, produced at a dedicated allergen-free bakery in Loveland, Colorado operating under SQF Level 2 Certification.

The business is omnichannel and small-scale. Pricing is premium-unit: cookies sell at $34.99 per 6-pack and pops at $25.99 per 6-pack, with a subscription tier via Recharge Payments offering 10% recurring discount and free shipping above $50. Go-to-market combines a Shopify DTC storefront (freetoeatfoods.com), an Amazon storefront, and brick-and-mortar retail distribution through Whole Foods Market (nationwide exclusive for new Mini Crunchy flavors) and Walmart. The brand is founder-led: Cybele Pascal started the company in 2002 after her son's severe food allergy diagnosis, growing from home kitchens to a dedicated allergen-free facility, and serves primarily the food-allergy community, secondarily health-conscious and specialty-diet consumers.

Capital structure reflects founder-led scale: roughly $2,000,000 raised across two SEC-registered securities offerings in January 2023 ($1,298,478 sold) and June 2024 ($700,000), with 1-10 employees and operations confined to the lower 48 US states. The company has earned earned-media coverage in Food Network, Forbes, Prevention, Reader's Digest, QVC, and HuffPost, and received a 2018 Clean Choice Award from Clean Eating Magazine.

Name

Cybele's Free-to-Eat

Legal name

Free To Eat Inc.

Website

https://cybelesfreetoeat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cybele's Free-to-Eat is a US-based CPG company that manufactures Top 9 Allergen Free, gluten-free, and vegan cookies and ancient-grain snack pops for the food allergy community and health-conscious consumers, sold via Shopify DTC, Amazon, Whole Foods, and Walmart.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Allergen-free snacks

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gluten-Free & Specialty Grain-Based Foods Manufacturing (GF pasta/cereals, ancient grains) (AFAKABAK)

Keywords

• Allergen-free snacks
• Gluten-free cookies
• Ancient grain pops
• Vegan baked goods
• Plant-based snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through Shopify storefront and Amazon store. One-time purchases and subscription/recurring orders with 10% subscriber discount.
2. Retail/Distribution Sales: Sales through physical retail stores including Whole Foods Market (nationwide exclusive for new flavors) and Walmart.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cybele's Free-to-Eat manufactures and sells Top 9 Allergen Free snack foods — primarily Soft-Baked Cookies, Mini Crunchy Cookies, and Ancient Grain Pops (a corn-free popcorn alternative). All products are certified gluten-free, vegan, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Kosher, and are produced in a dedicated allergen-free bakery facility in Loveland, Colorado. The company sells direct-to-consumer through its Shopify storefront and Amazon, and through physical retail partners including Whole Foods Market and Walmart.

Product overview

Cybele's Free-to-Eat is an allergy-friendly snack food company offering two core product lines: Ancient Grain Pops (a popcorn alternative made from ancient grains) and Cookies (both Soft-Baked and Mini Crunchy varieties). All products are free from the Top 9 Allergens (dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame), certified gluten-free, vegan, and Non-GMO Project Verified. The portfolio includes single-flavor products across Pops (Butter, Cheddar, Kettle, Spicy Pickle) and Cookies (Chocolate Chip, Confetti, Oatmeal Raisin, Snickerdoodle, Red Velvet for soft-baked; Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, Caramel Chocolate Chip, Confetti for mini crunchy), as well as Variety Packs combining multiple flavors. The company also offers subscription options for recurring deliveries. Products are available for purchase directly online and at retailers including Whole Foods and Walmart.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ancient Grain Pops Allergen-friendly popcorn alternative made from ancient grains, free from corn, kernels, hulls, and the Top 9 Allergens, certified gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and non-GMO. For individuals and families with food allergies, celiac disease, or those seeking clean-label snacks.
• Soft-Baked Cookies Top 9 Allergen Free soft-baked cookies made with a proprietary plant-based egg replacer, certified gluten-free, vegan, and Non-GMO Project Verified, with taste comparable to traditional cookies. For the food allergy community, vegan/gluten-free consumers, and health-conscious households.
• Mini Crunchy Cookies Allergen-friendly mini crunchy cookies in bite-sized pieces, Top 9 Allergen Free, gluten-free, plant-based, and Non-GMO Project Verified. For consumers seeking smaller-portion crunchy cookie textures safe for Top 9 allergens; Caramel Chocolate Chip and Confetti varieties are Whole Foods Market nationwide exclusives.
• Pops Variety Pack (4 Pack) Variety pack of Ancient Grain Pops containing one 4oz bag each of Cheddar, Butter, Kettle, and Spicy Pickle flavors. For consumers wanting to sample multiple Pops flavors in a single Top 9 Allergen Free bundle.
• Soft Baked Cookie Variety Pack (6 Pack) Variety pack of Soft-Baked Cookies containing 2 Chocolate Chip, 2 Confetti, 1 Oatmeal Raisin, and 1 Snickerdoodle boxes. For consumers wanting to sample multiple Soft-Baked Cookie flavors in a Top 9 Allergen Free bundle.
• Crunchy Mini Cookies Variety Pack (6 Pack) Variety pack of Mini Crunchy Cookies containing 3 pouches each of Mini Chocolate Chip and Mini Salted Caramel. For consumers wanting to sample two Mini Crunchy Cookie flavors in a Top 9 Allergen Free bundle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded in 2002, 21+ years serving the food allergy community

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Hail Merry: Hail Merry produces allergen-aware (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan) desserts and snacks sold at natural and grocery retail. It overlaps with Cybele's on the dairy-free, gluten-free dessert positioning and competes for similar natural-channel shelf and consumer.

Direct peers

• Partake Foods: Partake Foods manufactures allergen-free (Top 9 Allergen Free) cookies, baking mixes, and snacks sold DTC and at mass retail. It is the most direct comparable to Cybele's Free-to-Eat — same allergen-free claim, similar cookie-led product set, similar retail-and-DTC omnichannel strategy.
• Enjoy Life Foods: Enjoy Life is the established category leader in allergen-free snacks (cookies, bars, chocolate chips), now owned by Mondelez. It competes directly with Cybele's for the same Top 9 Allergen Free consumer at grocery, club, and natural channels and serves as the obvious large-cap benchmark for Cybele's positioning.
• Vermont Nut Free Chocolates: Vermont Nut Free Chocolates specializes in nut-allergy-friendly candies and confections. It serves the same allergy-community end consumer as Cybele's and competes for share of allergy-family household snack and treat budgets.
• Made Good: Made Good produces allergen-free granola bars, cookies, and crackers marketed to schools and families. It overlaps directly with Cybele's on allergen-free cookies and shares the same school-snack, mom-driven distribution channels.
• Rule Breaker Snacks: Rule Breaker Snacks makes allergen-friendly baked squares and brownies marketed to school, sports, and allergy communities. It competes in the same allergen-aware baked-snack category and shares similar school-channel and family positioning as Cybele's cookies and ancient grain pops.
• Baked by Melissa: Baked by Melissa pioneered bite-size/mini cookie and cupcake assortments sold in multi-pack boxes at premium price points. Cybele's Mini Crunchy Cookies 6-pack format mirrors that bite-size, giftable mini-cookie assortment structure and serves the same gifting and variety-pack use case.
• FreeYumm Foods: FreeYumm is a Canadian allergen-free baked-goods company producing cookies, snack bars, and baking mixes free from the top allergens. It is the most direct international peer to Cybele's — same allergen-free claim, similar cookie product mix — and illustrates geographic expansion Cybele's has not yet pursued.

Broad incumbents

• Simple Mills: Simple Mills sells better-for-you crackers, cookies, and baking mixes positioned around clean ingredients (gluten-free, vegan-friendly). It is comparable as a broader better-for-you baked-snack brand competing for the same shelf space and shopper, though its portfolio extends well beyond allergen-free cookies.
• Bobo's: Bobo's makes oat-based, allergen-aware bars and baked snacks sold nationally at grocery, club, and natural channels. It overlaps with Cybele's on the allergen-aware, better-for-you snack positioning though its core product (oat bars) differs from cookies and grain pops.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CybelesFTE

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

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 Cybele's Free-to-Eat