Nalini Mehta seasons every batch of her Yoga Pops by hand — a personal touch but a labor-intensive process that she'll soon be forced to hand over, given her good fortune.
After five years of building demand for the popped water lily seed snacks, Mehta is hiring a manufacturer to expand into snack aisles nationwide.
"Move over, popcorn," she said.
Yoga Pops sit at the nexus of two trends: "better-for-you" snacking and a growing appetite among Western consumers for Ayurvedic-inspired products.
The flavors of Yoga Pops are meant to match consumers' temperaments, while the texture is similar to puffcorn. It speaks to the demand for all things "wellness" and builds on the ancient natural medicine system of Ayurveda that originated in India.
"Food is medicine, but it doesn't have to taste like it," Mehta said.
At $5.99 per bag, Yoga Pops are priced at a premium compared to popcorn. But even in the face of inflation, 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for food and drink that bring wellness benefits, according to a recent national survey from the Hartman Group.
"But they are more selective in the specific attributes they are willing to pay more for," Melissa Abbott, Hartman Group vice president of syndicated studies, said in a presentation last month.