Behave Candy

What Behave Candy does

Behave Foods, Inc., doing business as Behave Candy, is a New York-domiciled, privately held consumer packaged goods company founded in 2019 by Mayssa after growing up in a household that avoided sweets due to her diabetic father. The company manufactures and sells a low-sugar gummy candy portfolio — Sweet Stars, Sweet Bears, Sour Stars, and Sour Bears — formulated with natural sweeteners (monk fruit, allulose, chicory root fiber, soluble tapioca fiber) and high fiber content (18-20g per pouch) to deliver 1-3g of sugar and 3-5g of net carbs per bag without using sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners, positioning the products as blood-sugar-friendly for diabetic, PCOS, and keto consumers while remaining appealing to health-conscious families and general candy buyers. The formulation was developed over a 5-year period in collaboration with James Beard Award-nominated chef Elizabeth Falkner (Head of Candy) and a PhD confectionary scientist.

The business operates a dual-channel go-to-market model. The primary channel is direct-to-consumer ecommerce at eatbehave.com, offering one-time purchases and a subscription with a 10% recurring discount, shipping to all 50 US states. The secondary channel is wholesale distribution to physical retail, including 40+ Target locations across Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, and Wyoming, Harmons Grocery in Utah, Tillys and Urban Outfitters in Utah and Nevada, It's Sugar in Las Vegas, and boutique and specialty retailers. Product boxes retail at $21 for 6 pouches, with variety packs (The Sampler, The Sour Sampler, The Everything Pack) layered on top for higher AOV. Free shipping kicks in above $50 orders. The company is 100% female-owned and led, with 100% of leadership and R&D teams comprised of women, and allocates 1% of online sales to rotating charitable partners.

Operationally the company remains a small, founder-led organization with 1-10 employees, bootstrapped through founder initiative with a 2019 seed round (Blue Slide Ventures, Everywhere Ventures, Pareto Holdings) and a 2022 Reshape-affiliated round. The legal entity is incorporated in New York with headquarters at 1 King St, Unit 6, New York, NY 10012, and ecommerce operations run on Shopify infrastructure. No patents, trademarks, regulatory actions, or public revenue disclosures are present in the available data, and the product portfolio remains concentrated in a single format (gummies) across two shapes and sweet/sour variants.

Name

Behave Candy

Legal name

Behave Foods, Inc.

Website

https://eatbehave.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Behave Candy is a New York-based, 100% female-owned CPG company founded in 2019 that produces low-sugar, blood-sugar-friendly gummy candies using natural sweeteners and high fiber, sold direct-to-consumer via eatbehave.com and wholesale through Target, Harmons Grocery, Tillys, Urban Outfitters, and It's Sugar across the western United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Low-Sugar Gummy Candy

NAICS

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing (311340), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Sugar Confectionery (Gummies, Hard Candy, Chews) (CRADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Functional Foods & Supplement Formats (Gummies, Chews, Powders, Shots) (CRADAGAI)

Keywords

• Low sugar gummy candy
• Blood sugar friendly candy
• Clean label confectionery
• Keto friendly candy
• Diabetic friendly sweets

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: One-time and subscription-based online sales through eatbehave.com. Products include individual boxes (6 pouches each), variety packs, and sampler packs shipped directly to consumers across all 50 US states. Subscription model offers 10% recurring discount.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Products sold in bulk to retail partners including Target, Harmons Grocery, specialty retailers, and boutique stores. Revenue generated through wholesale orders to physical retail locations across multiple US states.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Behave Candy manufactures and sells low-sugar, clean-label gummy candy in two shapes (Stars and Bears) and two flavor profiles (Sweet and Sour), formulated with natural sweeteners (monk fruit, allulose) and high fiber (18–20g per pouch) to deliver traditional candy taste without spiking blood sugar. The products contain 1–3g sugar and 3–5g net carbs per bag, are non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, dye-free, and Kosher/Halal certified, and are sold as individual boxes (6 pouches) or variety packs via DTC e-commerce and retail/wholesale distribution across the US.

Product overview

Behave Candy is a low-sugar, clean-label candy company that produces gummy products which do not spike blood sugar. The product portfolio consists of two main gummy shapes (Stars and Bears) available in Sweet and Sour variants, sold as individual boxes (6 pouches each) and in variety packs. The core products include Gummy Stars, Gummy Bears (Sweet Bears), Sour Stars, and Sour Bears. Variety packs include The Sampler (one pouch each of all varieties), The Sour Sampler (6 sour pouches), and The Everything Pack (24 bags of all varieties). All products use natural sweeteners (monk fruit, allulose) and high fiber content to maintain stable blood sugar while delivering traditional candy taste.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gummy Bears (Sweet Bears) Sweet, juicy gummy bears in Raspberry, Apple, Pineapple, Mango, Watermelon, and Lychee flavors, sold as a box of 6 pouches; a low-sugar, clean-label gummy candy that does not spike blood sugar.
• Gummy Stars (Sweet Stars) Sweet, juicy gummy stars in Raspberry, Apple, and Pineapple flavors, sold as a box of 6 pouches; contains 1g sugar, 70 calories, and 20g fiber per bag; a low-sugar, clean-label gummy candy that does not spike blood sugar.
• Sour Stars Mouth-watering, tangy gummy stars in Raspberry, Apple, and Pineapple flavors, sold as a box of 6 pouches; low-sugar, high-fiber gummy candy with 3g sugar or less, 5g net carbs, and 80 calories per bag.
• Sour Bears Mouth-watering, tangy gummy bears in Watermelon, Mango, and Lychee flavors, sold as a box of 6 pouches; blood-sugar-friendly candy with less than 3g sugar, 5g net carbs, and 80 calories per bag.
• The Sampler (Sweet Sampler) A sampler pack containing one pouch each of Gummy Stars, Sour Stars, and Sour Bears; provides a taste of all gummy varieties with less than 3g sugar, 4g net carbs, and 80 calories per bag.
• The Sour Sampler (Sour Lovers Pack) A sampler pack containing 3 pouches of Sour Stars and 3 pouches of Sour Bears (6 total pouches of sour gummy varieties) priced at $21; suitable for diabetic, keto, and PCOS-friendly diets.
• The Everything Pack A comprehensive bundle containing 1 box each of Sweet Bears, Sour Bears, Sweet Stars, and Sour Stars, totaling 24 bags of gummy candy; designed for candy lovers who want to try all product varieties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1-3g sugar per bag (vs. 19-23g in competing low-sugar candies)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Elizabeth Falkner (Chef)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Beard Award-nominated chef serving as Head of Candy. Brings culinary and flavor expertise to product development. Collaborated on 5-year formulation process to achieve traditional candy taste with clean label ingredients.
• PhD Confectionary ScientistcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood science expert with PhD in confectionary science. Partnered with chef Elizabeth Falkner to develop the blood-sugar-friendly formulation using natural sweeteners and high fiber content.
• The Loveland FoundationminorOthersCharitable organization receiving 1% of online sales. Community-selected partner based on causes the Behave community cares about.
• Heart of DinnerminorOthersCharitable organization receiving 1% of online sales. Part of rotating charity partner program selected by community feedback.
• Equal Justice InitiativeminorOthersNonprofit organization receiving 1% of online sales. Selected through community rotation program.
• Vote.orgminorOthersNonprofit organization receiving 1% of online sales. Past partner selected based on timely issues and community input.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the online store. Provides the technical infrastructure for online sales, payment processing, and order management.
• Google AnalyticssupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics service used to understand customer behavior, track marketing campaign success, and optimize the website experience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HighKey Snacks: HighKey produces low-carb, keto-friendly snacks including mini cookies and crackers positioned at health-conscious consumers. It shares the better-for-you snack positioning, D2C + mass-retail model, and target diabetic/keto consumer with Behave.
• SmartSweets: SmartSweets is a direct competitor offering low-sugar gummy candy (1-3g sugar per bag) using stevia and allulose. Both brands target the same diabetic/keto/better-for-you consumer via D2C + mass retail (Target, Walmart) and compete head-to-head on sugar/carb reduction claims.
• Unreal Snacks: Unreal Snacks makes better-for-you chocolate and snack products with reduced sugar. Comparable to Behave in targeting mainstream consumers who want healthier confectionery without sacrificing indulgence, with national mass-retail distribution.
• Lily's Sweets: Lily's produces stevia-sweetened chocolate and confectionery (currently owned by The Hershey Company) targeting low-sugar and keto consumers. Comparable to Behave in the better-for-you confectionery category with broad retail presence and clean-label positioning.
• ChocZero: ChocZero is a keto and diabetic-friendly confectionery brand offering sugar-free chocolate, syrups, and candy using monk fruit. Directly comparable to Behave in targeting diabetic/keto consumers with low-net-carb confections, primarily through D2C channels.
• YumEarth: YumEarth produces organic, allergen-free, and non-GMO candy (gummy bears, hard candy, lollipops) targeting health-conscious parents. Shares Behave's clean-label positioning, multi-format gummy candies, and mainstream family consumer base.
• Zollipops: Zollipops makes sugar-free lollipops and gummy candy positioned for kids and diabetic-friendly indulgence. Overlaps with Behave in serving parents and diabetic children seeking clean-label low-sugar confectionery options.
• SkinnyDipped: SkinnyDipped offers low-sugar chocolate-dipped snacks and confections. Comparable to Behave in the better-for-you indulgence segment, with D2C and retail distribution and a similar premium-clean-label pricing strategy.

Broad incumbents

• The Hershey Company: Hershey is the largest US confectionery company and owns Lily's Sweets plus other reduced-sugar SKUs. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Behave via the Lily's brand and emerging low-sugar innovation pipelines, with vastly superior R&D, distribution, and slotting resources.
• Mars, Incorporated: Mars is a global confectionery giant (Skittles, Starburst, KIND, etc.) with growing better-for-you confectionery offerings. As a broad incumbent, Mars competes indirectly through portfolio diversity, R&D scale, and global retail relationships that could rapidly erode Behave's niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 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 Behave Candy