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Shakira Invests In Nut Snacks Company SkinnyDipped

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Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Shakira has invested in SkinnyDipped for undisclosed sum to help the Seattle-based nut snacks company expand its retail footprint and innovation pipeline.

SkinnyDipped was rebranded from Wild Things Snacks Skinny Dipped Almonds earlier this year after its founding mother-daughter duo, Valerie and Breezy Griffith, broadened their portfolio to include other nuts, such as cashews.

Breezy Griffith told me how her company was initially introduced to Shakira through CAVU Venture Partners, SkinnyDipped’s original VC partner that has invested in a wide range of better-for-you food and beverage brands, including Once Upon A Farm, Beyond Meat, and Bai.

“[Shakira] apparently tried our snacks and loved them so much that she started asking about the company,” Griffith wrote me via email. “I think our story — how my mom and I created the company together — in addition to making insanely delicious snacks is what drew her to the brand.” 

Entrepreneurial journey 

Griffith’s entrepreneurial journey did not start easily when a young friend of her family passed away in 2013, leading them to take a hard look at what mattered the most in their lives.

“For my mom and me, that meant two things: spending more time together, and living our belief that everyone should have access to the clean, nutritious, and delicious food that we had been fortunate enough to enjoy,” she said.

“Our family and friends have always gathered around good food. When we weren’t eating it, we were talking about it.”

After a number of trials, Griffith perfected the snack concept that is centered around protein, real ingredients, and later learned all aspects of the business by herself, including production, supply chain sourcing, and marketing. 

“We were driving our own trucks and walking into stores to sell our products,” she added. “At the outset, we focused on targeting consumers that were just like us — anyone looking for better-for-you snacks that weren’t filled with artificial ingredients, sweeteners, and an array of other questionable ingredients. 

“That evolved into a brand that’s relatable, playful, fun and welcoming, which is very much at the core of our whole team as individuals, too.”

Commenting on SkinnyDipped’s latest fundraising, Griffith noted how Shakira’s philanthropic work and her support to female entrepreneurs resonate with the company’s core value.

“I’ve always admired Shakira as a bold, strong personality, but when we started getting to know her … on a deeper level, it felt like the stars aligned as our missions are so similar,” she told me. “It’s incredible to have the support of a powerhouse like her who’s also personally committed to uplifting women and children.” 

Griffith added the team wouldn’t rule out the opportunity to hire Shakira as SkinnyDipped’s spokesperson due to their synergistic energy.

More protein, less sugar

Unlike many nut snacks on the market, SkinnyDipped makes sure each of its products is thinly coated, thus has less sugar and more protein.

“In the chocolate category, we absolutely dominate with our nutrition, [while] in the nut category, from a health aspect, a plain almond is always your best bet, but many people are bored with plained almonds,” Griffith said. “Our nutrition is also significantly better than other glazed nuts or trail mixes.” 

She stressed how the company has never intended to send a message to its consumers that being skinny is a preferred body type, instead, the brand name literally refers to the super thin layer of coating — either chocolate or yogurt — its nuts are dipped in.

“We have strong feelings about this as we have always felt that ‘skinny’ itself is pejorative,” Griffith explained. “[But] we’ve always felt that the act of skinny dipping is a good representation of who are as founders — fun, uninhibited, and liberated.”

It has been a busy year so far for SkinnyDipped: The company has launched Lemon Bliss, its first yogurt covered almond, and Super Dark and Sea Salt, its first vegan flavor, as well as its first line of cashews.

SkinnyDipped is expected to eventually become a platform on which the team can launch other products beyond coated nuts.

“The business has continued to see strong growth and distribution gains despite a challenging year with COVID-19,” Griffith stressed. “As consumer buying behavior has shifted to e-commerce, we’ve focused our efforts on making sure our digital presence is solid and seen strong strong growth there as well.”

She said: “In the coming 12 months, we’re aiming for triple-digit growth in line with the growth we’ve seen over the past three years.”

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