Graham Manson, the creator of keto and gluten-free snack company QB Snacks, is about to impact New World shelves across the South Island.
In 2022, QB Snacks was selected as a winner in the Foodstuffs Emerge competition start-up category, formerly Foodstuffs FoodStarter, a Foodstuffs co-ops initiative offering grocery entrepreneurs a fast-tracked journey to help scale up their business.
After further refining his product and fine-tuning his operations, Manson is ready to take the next giant leap forward.
QB Snacks' inception can be traced back to the 2020 lockdown when an effort to stick to a keto diet led Manson to begin his search for a tasty, guilt-free snack option.
"I started looking through my fridge for something to eat, and I noticed some stale cheese that had begun to puff up, and that's when the idea struck me," said Manson.
Months of experimentation and refinement followed, culminating in the breakthrough formulation that would be packaged as QB Crunchy Cheese Snacks. The overwhelming demand from family and friends urged Manson to transform his passion into a fully-fledged business endeavour.
"And that's when the hard mahi began."
Graham Manson
Manson and his team moved their base of operations out of his parent's cottage in Nelson and into the Food Factory, an affordable food-grade workspace generously provided by Pic's Peanut Butter founder to help develop and grow their company.
From the outset, Manson was committed to being a sustainable business, incorporating home compostable packaging across all his products.
Foodstuffs New Zealand Managing Director Chris Quin said that as a 100 percent locally owned and operated cooperative, supporting businesses aligned to the organisation's values and customers' desires is a win-win.
"QB Snacks' dedication to nutritious ingredients, exceptional taste, and sustainable packaging solutions excited us. We could see the potential to significantly impact the FMCG market and capture the attention of health-conscious consumers," said Quin.
As QB Snacks launches across South Island New World stores, Manson's product is set to become the go-to choice for customers looking for a delectable snack that aligns with their dietary preferences and values.
