Grab-and-Go Snacks Made Healthier
By Meline Beach
Healthy snacks are big business. As more people look for quick, nutritious options that fit their busy lives, convenience stores and retail gas stations (C&G channel) are offering better choices like protein bars, bean chips, and other wholesome snacks. This shift is positioning the C&G channel to stand out, grow sales, and keep health-focused customers coming back.
“Functional snacks are booming and evolving fast,” says Krista Anderson, CEO of ESSTAR, a natural food brokerage company. Her initiative, Krista’s Healthy on the Go, makes nutritious snack options the convenient choice. “The focus has shifted from ‘less bad’ to choosing products that deliver benefits, like gut health (pre/probiotics), brain health (adaptogens), energy (natural caffeine), and protein for satiety. Consumers care about the quality of ingredients and how they’re grown in the products they consume.”
The Healthy on the Go community is at the forefront of this change. Anderson adds, “Consumers are voting with their dollars as they want to purchase products that they believe are ethical, sustainable, and transparent.”
Three Farmers – Power-Packed Pulses
Pulses, such as beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, naturally provide a rich source of nutrition as grain legumes. They’re excellent for supporting the immune system and are a rich source of plant-based protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
Based in the Canadian Prairies, Three Farmers offers a range of healthy grain legume snacks that are high in protein (up to 15 grams per serving), rich in fibre, and low in sugar (less than 1 gram), all with a satisfying crunch and bold flavour. Popular varieties include Dill Pickle and Sweet Chili roasted fava beans, Barbecue roasted chickpeas, and chocolate-covered options. Their Snacks to Go line is available as individual flavours or variety packs, sold nationwide through both independent and chain retailers such as Relay, Shell, Flying J, and Esso. Distribution relies on a combination of major partners, including Core-Mark, Regitan, CDL, and UNFI, as well as direct-to-retailer channels.
Priced between $4.99 and $5.99, Three Farmers’ snacks cater to health-conscious consumers looking for affordable, nutritious, and convenient options without compromising taste.
“On-the-go salty snackers need fuel throughout the day,” says Elysia Vandenhurk, founder and chief brand innovation officer at Three Farmers. “Our snacks offer a healthy alternative to chips or high fat nuts.”
Vandenhurk hints at exciting innovations planned for 2025, including new flavours, new crunch, and new snack inspirations. Product development updates are shared through their social channels and website at threefarmers.ca.
In addition to driving innovation in healthy snacking, Three Farmers is also committed to supporting retail success. “Our focus is on working directly with each of our customers to curate strategies that align with their unique assortment, store size, and marketing needs,” says Vandenhurk.
POKKO – Chips Reimagined
Made exclusively from chickpeas, rice, and Asafetida – a South-Asian inspired spice with medicinal properties, POKKO delivers a satiating natural chip that supports digestive health.
Using Canadian ingredients and authentic flavouring, including Kashmiri chili peppers imported from India, this vegan product is free of trans fats and cholesterol, with a high source of fibre, protein, iron, and OMEGA-6 and OMEGA-3 polyunsaturates. Even its chili peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C.
“POKKO is based on a childhood favourite recipe,” says POKKO Founder Sasha Rajamani. “The formula and name itself are inspired by a variation of “ribbon pakoda”, a popular South Indian snack that my mother would make and refine over the years, eventually becoming today’s version of POKKO.”
Based in Toronto, Ontario, POKKO recently entered the C&G channel in Canada through key retail partners like INS Market, with 75 locations supported by their distributor Agile Logistics, and select OTG stores at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The brand also has a strong presence in independent retailers across Canada and major grocery chains, primarily in Ontario. Snack-size bags in Original, Creamy Dill, and Spicy flavours cost just over $2, and target young professionals in urban centres, travellers, and busy parents seeking healthy, flavourful snack options.
Looking ahead, Rajamani reveals he is exploring product innovation with both Canadian-inspired and global flavours, planning taste-testing soon to gauge market preferences. He leverages strong social media marketing strategies to support POKKO products in the C&G channel and welcomes new retailer partnerships through Marsham brokers, UNFI, or direct contact via pokko.ca.
Great Canadian Meat Company – Classic Carnivore Protein
Great Canadian Meat Company is a leader in the Canadian meat snacks category, offering high-quality pepperoni sticks and beef jerky made with premium Canadian ingredients. Hardwood smoked in Whitby, Ontario, their C&G portfolio includes Single Sticks (22g, 45g, 75g), top-selling Mini-Pepperoni in various flavours like Mild, Hot, Honey Garlic, and Smokey Bacon, Six Pac Sausage Sticks, and meat and cheese items.
“Protein is on trend as 67 per cent of consumers say they seek snacks with added protein or functional benefits,’” says Pete Vanslyke, CEO at Great Canadian Meat Company, citing global market research from NIQ. “Consumers want more from their snacks and Great Canadian Meat sticks delivers against core consumer needs of high protein and low sugar (0-1g sugar per serving).
Proud of its blue-collar roots, Great Canadian Meat Company built a brand that appeals to its target blue-collar customers looking for protein-packed, savoury snacks ranging in pack size and price points to fit every budget and occasion from $1.99 to $11.49.
Great Canadian Meat Company products are available nationwide across independent retailers and corporate/franchise chains, like Circle K, Couche-Tard, On The Run, MacEwen, Quickie, and Little Short Stop. For 33 years, its Direct Store Delivery (DSD) model has supported its customers with in-stock availability, merchandising, and distribution with every sales visit.
“We work closely with retail partners to maximize the performance of their meat snacks category through strategic assortment, inventory, and placement, leveraging secondary displays like prepacks, dumpbins and clip strips. Additionally, we create key points of interruption to drive impulse sales and provide basket-building opportunities for retailers with categories like beer,” says Vanslyke.
In 2025, Great Canadian Meat Company introduced FIRE X-Hot Pepperoni, packing twice the heat of its existing hot variety to meet the growing demand for bold, spicy flavours. In addition, the company also launched a 400g Mega Bag of its top-selling Mini Pepperonis in mild and hot flavours, perfect for sharing occasions.
HoneyBar – Pure Simple Energy
HoneyBar’s commitment to simple, wholesome ingredients sets it apart. The bars combine nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and honey, using honey as both a binder and a natural sweetener. All ingredients are non-GMO, and the bars are certified gluten-free and kosher. Depending on the variety, HoneyBar contains between 5-7 grams of protein, fewer than 10 ingredients, and 200 calories or less per serving.
The company’s portfolio features eight flavours: Quinoa & Cranberry, Peanut Butter & Jam, Sweet & Salty, Trail Mix, Almond Salted Caramel, Caramel Apple, Maple Nut, and Pumpkin Spice, while Sweet & Salty, Trail Mix and Almond Salted Caramel remain as top performers.
The brand appeals to a diverse range of consumers. Some groups of interest would be: informed ingredient consumers who prioritize clean ingredients and avoid allergens like gluten, dairy, and soy; athletic consumers who engage in physical activity, either recreationally or professionally and seek portable, protein-rich snacks as pre- or post-workout fuel; honey champion individuals who avoid refined sugars but embrace honey as a sweetener.
The 30-year-old Ottawa, Ontario-based company sells its products nationwide across various channels, such as discount stores, mass retailers, independents, online platforms, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales via honeybar.ca. With products already available in four Stinson stores across Ontario, HoneyBar is eager to strengthen its presence in the C&G channel by partnering with national distributors to reach a broader network of retailers.
“As a Canadian-made, premium product, we believe the C&G channel is well suited to reach these demographics and that our products would resonate with their customers,” says Miriam Farber, sales and marketing manager at HoneyBar. “There’s definitely a strong potential for success within the C&G channel.”
HoneyBar offers its products in two packaging formats: a 15-count caddy with branded bars designed for individual sale and a 5-count retail pack. While specific pricing data for the C&G channel is currently unavailable, these formats provide flexibility for C&G retailers looking to stock premium, clean-ingredient snacks.
“We are always working on perfecting innovations that continue to satisfy customers’ demand for clean ingredients, unique flavour offerings, and play into what we believe will be sustainable trends,” says Farber.
Meline Beach is a Toronto-based communications practitioner and frequent contributor to Convenience and Carwash Canada. In addition to freelance writing, Meline provides communications and public relations support to businesses across Canada. She can be reached at www.mlbcomms.ca.
