We Are Nuts

What We Are Nuts does

We Are Nuts is a family-owned specialty food manufacturer and retailer founded in 1987 by Jim Burt and now operated by his three sons (Michael, Tommy, and Jimmy) since 2022. The company manufactures small-batch gourmet nuts, toffee-coated nut products, snack mixes, caramel corn, granola, and candy from a 35,000 square foot production facility in NE Minneapolis. Core product lines include the Famous Toffee Nuts range (Original, Maple Bourbon, Big Dill Pickle, Cinnamon Toasted, Ginger Turmeric Honey), roasted and raw nut varieties, signature snack mixes, and handcrafted Hokey Pokey and Tutti Frutti caramel corn.

The business operates four revenue streams: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via a Shopify storefront with free shipping over $100, two company-owned retail showrooms in Minneapolis and St. Paul, a Custom Business Gifting program for bulk corporate orders (20+ units) with custom branding, and wholesale distribution through 22 Lunds & Byerlys grocery locations. Products are roast-to-order and shipped via UPS/USPS, with a Nut Bucks loyalty program supporting in-store repeat purchases. The company's value proposition centers on artisanal small-batch roasting, locally-sourced and upcycled ingredients (partnerships with Bare Honey and NETZRO), and a 35+ year regional brand legacy as a Minnesota institution.

Technology and competitive positioning are anchored in proprietary roasting techniques apprenticed across generations rather than software or AI capabilities. The company's differentiated offerings include novel flavor development (fermented honey peanuts, dill pickle peanuts, maple bourbon almonds) and sustainability-aligned sourcing. The customer base spans individual consumers, enterprise corporate clients (named logos include 3M, Bremer Bank, American Red Cross, Focus Financial Partners, and Schwebel Goetz & Sieben), and regional grocery retail.

Name

We Are Nuts

Legal name

We Are Nuts

Website

https://wearenutsmn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

We Are Nuts is a family-owned specialty food manufacturer founded in 1987, producing small-batch gourmet nuts, toffee nut products, snack mixes, and caramel corn in Minneapolis. It serves individual consumers via e-commerce and two retail stores, corporate clients through a custom gifting program, and regional grocery retail via Lunds & Byerlys wholesale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Foods

NAICS

Roasted Nuts and Peanut Butter Manufacturing (311911), Confectionery and Nut Retailers (445292)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Nuts Processing & Roasting (AFAKAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Snack Foods Manufacturing (Ethnic/Regional, Gourmet, Functional) (AFAKAIAO), Nuts, Seeds & Trail Mix Snacks (CRADABAF), Specialty & Gourmet Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAI)

Keywords

• Gourmet roasted nuts
• Specialty snack mixes
• Caramel corn products
• Corporate gift tins
• Small-batch nut roasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Consumer purchases through Shopify-powered online storefront. Products shipped via UPS/USPS with free shipping on orders over $100.
2. Retail Storefront Sales: Two physical retail locations (Minneapolis and St. Paul) selling nuts, candy, snacks, and gift items directly to consumers in-store.
3. Corporate/Bulk Gifting: Custom-branded holiday and corporate gift tins ordered in volumes of 20+ units. Order fulfilled directly to business or drop-shipped to recipients. Custom insert cards with logos and personal messages available for orders of 20+ units.
4. Wholesale: Wholesale pricing offered to retailers. Products stocked in 22 Lunds & Byerlys grocery store locations. Separate wholesale portal and sign-up process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

We Are Nuts is a family-owned manufacturer of small-batch, fresh-roasted gourmet nuts, signature snack mixes, handcrafted caramel corn, granola, and chocolate- and yogurt-covered treats. The company sells its products through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, two retail storefronts, a custom corporate gifting program, and wholesale distribution to grocery retailers.

Product overview

We Are Nuts is a family-owned specialty food retailer and manufacturer offering a curated portfolio of fresh-roasted nuts, gourmet snacks, and gift products. The core offering centers on their Famous Toffee Nuts line (toffee-coated peanuts and almonds in creative flavors like Maple Bourbon and Big Dill Pickle), complemented by roasted, raw, and mixed nut varieties. The product portfolio extends to specialty snack mixes, handcrafted caramel corn (Hokey Pokey and Tutti Frutti brands), chocolate and yogurt-covered treats, and grain-free granola. Gift offerings include decorative tins in various sizes and a Custom Business Gifting program for corporate clients. The company also operates a loyalty program called Nut Bucks for repeat in-store customers. All products are roasted fresh daily in small batches from their 35,000 square foot manufacturing facility in NE Minneapolis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Famous Toffee Nuts The company's signature product — sweet, toffee-coated nuts handcrafted in small batches for gifting and personal snacking.
• Roasted & Salted Nuts Classic fresh-roasted nuts with sea salt in various flavors, sold in multiple package sizes.
• Raw Nuts Unroasted, minimally processed nuts offered to customers seeking natural ingredient formats.
• Nut Houses Multi-pack nut assortment gift format sold as a single packaged offering for retail and gifting.
• Signature Snack Mixes Proprietary blended snack mixes combining nuts, pretzels, and seasonings, sold in standard and bulk sizes.
• Hokey Pokey Caramel Corn Handcrafted gourmet caramel corn featuring a proprietary sweet-and-salty flavor profile.
• Tutti Frutti Caramel Corn Fruit-flavored gourmet caramel corn offering within the company's handcrafted caramel corn line.
• Granola Baked granola product packaged for direct retail sale and inclusion in gift tins.
• Chocolate Covered Treats Chocolate-coated nuts, fruits, and confections sold by the pound for snacking and gifting.
• Yogurt Covered Treats Yogurt-coated nuts, fruits, and confections sold by the pound for snacking and gifting.
• Specialty Candies Curated candies including licorice, gummies, and classic confections sold individually and in gift assortments.
• Dried Fruit Dried fruit products offered individually and as part of snack mix and gift tin assortments.
• Gift Tins Decorative reusable tins pre-filled with the company's gourmet nuts, snack mixes, caramel corn, and confections, sold as a single gift item.
• Holiday Gifts Seasonal gift collections featuring curated snack assortments for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays.
• Custom Business Gifting B2B corporate gifting service enabling businesses to send branded or curated gourmet snack gifts to clients, employees, and partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Available in 22 Lunds & Byerlys store locations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 3MminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a company that We Are Nuts has had the privilege to work with for corporate gifting orders.
• American Red CrossminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a company that We Are Nuts has had the privilege to work with for corporate gifting orders.
• Bremer BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a company that We Are Nuts has had the privilege to work with for corporate gifting orders.
• Lunds & ByerlyscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProducts are available in 22 Lunds & Byerlys grocery store locations. This represents a significant retail distribution channel for the brand. Products also featured in corporate gifting catalog.
• Focus Financial PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a company that We Are Nuts has had the privilege to work with for corporate gifting orders.
• Schwebel Goetz & SiebenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a company that We Are Nuts has had the privilege to work with for corporate gifting orders.
• Bare HoneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive honey supplier for the Ginger Turmeric Honey Peanuts product. Honey is harvested from Minnesota's own flowering solar fields and fermented with ginger root, turmeric root, lemon, and Thai chili peppers in individual mason jars. Local, artisanal ingredient partnership integral to a signature product.
• NETZROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to incorporate upcycled Twin Cities Brewer's Spent Grain into the Maple Bourbon Toffee Almonds product. Demonstrates commitment to sustainability and innovation in product development.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the online store, including checkout, payment processing, customer accounts, and analytics (Shopify Analytics).
• UPS/USPSminorOthersPrimary shipping carriers for e-commerce orders. UPS handles the majority of domestic shipments; USPS used for some orders based on price and delivery date requirements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kar's Nuts: Family-owned Michigan-based maker of nut snacks, trail mixes, and corporate gift tins. Direct overlap with We Are Nuts's toffee nut, snack mix, and custom corporate gifting offerings.
• Nuts.com: Direct-to-consumer nut and snack retailer/manufacturer with broad assortment of roasted nuts, candy, and gift assortments. Direct competitor on the e-commerce and gifting front.
• Sahale Snacks: Premium nut-and-fruit snack brand known for unique flavor combinations and small-batch positioning. Closely mirrors We Are Nuts's artisanal, flavor-forward positioning in the better-for-you nut snack category.
• Popcorn Indiana: Gourmet popcorn and snack brand with kettle corn, caramel corn, and gift-pack SKUs in retail and online channels. Comparable to We Are Nuts's Hokey Pokey caramel corn and gift-tin product lines.
• Hampton Farms: Family-owned Virginia peanut and snack company with in-shell peanuts, flavored nuts, and nut snacks distributed through grocery and specialty channels. Comparable multi-generational nut manufacturer with regional heritage.
• Harry & David: Premium food and gift retailer specializing in corporate gifting, holiday gift towers, and specialty food assortments. Competes with We Are Nuts's corporate/B2B gifting tin program and holiday gift category.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Diamond Growers: Large-scale almond grower cooperative producing roasted, flavored, and snack-form almonds sold nationally across grocery, club, and foodservice. Operates broadly in nuts but as a mass-market incumbent rather than small-batch specialist.
• Planters: Iconic mass-market nut brand (Kraft Heinz) with deep grocery distribution and broad snack nut, mixed nut, and trail mix portfolio. Sets the competitive baseline in shelf-staple nuts against which We Are Nuts differentiates on freshness and craft.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WeAreNutsMN
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearenutsmn
• Xx.com/wearenutsmn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/we-are-nuts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 We Are Nuts