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Niclas Luthman has been an entrepreneur his entire professional life and often needed a quick meal or snack on the go.
“I was constantly going from one meeting to the next, always on the go, so I was eating a lot of energy bars. I thought I was pretty healthy and did a lot of exercise until my doctor told me I was prediabetic, right on the edge,” he said in an interview with Food Dive.
That was in 2014 when the Swedish entrepreneur began to take his health more seriously.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Luthman used his scientific background to launch a comprehensive research mission to find a dietary treatment for his disease.
“I read everything I could and, in addition to controlling my diabetes with an anti–“The anti-inflammatory diet helped me get rid of my knee and back pain,” he said. “I am living proof that this diet works.”
Luthman then developed Nick’s, a healthier snack brand that produces ice cream, chocolate bars, nut bars and protein bars.
The company’s lighter ice cream Features The fat-replacing ingredient EPG from Epogee Foodsa rapeseed oil-based fat substitute that can reduce fat calories by 92% because the oil cannot be absorbed by the body.
Instead of traditional sugar, the pints are sweetened with natural substitutes including stevia, monk fruit, erythritol and xylitol. This means Nick’s products contain far fewer calories and sugar than traditional ice cream.
Permission granted by Nick’s
Outstanding through taste and intelligent partnerships
As consumers increasingly value health and wellbeing in food and beverage, there is a flood of start-up brands and novel products in this space.
Even consumer goods manufacturers known for chocolate bars and chocolate have recognized this consumer trend. Nestlé, for example vowed last year, Increase sales of healthier products by up to $27.3 billion by the end of this decade.
And Unreal Snacks wants to make a name for itself in this area with whole, clean ingredients for making sweets and confectionery Products.
Luthman said Nick’s wants to stand out from the crowd in two key ways: taste and smart, relevant partnerships.
The company was officially founded in the USA in 2020 and is now located in 13,000 stores nationwide, including ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Harris Teeter, Acme and others.
“For example, if you compare our ice cream to Halo Top’s, there’s no doubt that ours is better, it’s creamier and has the feel of real ice cream,” said Brittany O’Brien, senior brand manager at Nick’s, in an interview with Food Dive.
The key to Nick’s marketing strategy as a brand was not to overwhelm the consumer with health information.
“We have to make this brand attractive to everyone and make sure it stays sexy and tastes good. And all the other benefits just come with it.”
Luthman said he knows that a low-carb, anti-inflammatory diet has many health benefits, but that shouldn’t be the main reason people reach for his product at the store.
“A lot of people don’t have the time I have to read scientific articles and really understand all of these things. We have to communicate it to them in the form of a very understandable brand,” Luthman said.
Although diets like keto, paleo, plant-based, etc. have had their 15 minutes of fame, Luthman said the company needs to stay the course if it ignores the changing popularity of these fads.
“We try to always be on the cutting edge of science. And there are always fads, some stick around, some don’t, but we don’t conform to those fads. We conform to what is the best science out there.”
Luthman and the Nick’s marketing team have also focused on key brand partnerships that they believe can help them continue to expand into the U.S.
The company recently partnered with the Kardashians after sending them products that they responded positively to.
“We were excited to partner with the Kardashians because we want to make (the brand) not just suitable for diabetics, but we want to give everyone the opportunity to eat candy the way they want without anyone being judged. And both versions of our products taste delicious.”
“If we want to increase our visibility in the US, who better to do it than the Kardashians? And it fits their lifestyle because they like to eat better and look for different products.”
Nick’s carries a line of light ice cream and ice cream novelties with varying calorie and sugar content.
Luthman said the company has a lot of “surprising” things planned for 2024, but for now the brand is focused on making an impression on U.S. consumers and maintaining the integrity of its brand.
