When you look at Gusto’s small snack packets, you probably don’t realise the big impact that they are making on food waste. The fun packaging might also distract you from their serious objective of creating healthy and impactful snacking to improve consumer habits and the environment. Gusto Snacks is making waves and getting noticed for all the right reasons. Today, the brand is valued at £1.2m, and its products are available at major outlets around the UK, such as Selfridges and WHSmith.
Most recently they are also available in Germany through Amazon.com.
Gusto Snacks is an ethically focused company that rescues wonky fruit that would otherwise be rejected because of its imperfections. These “bad” apples are transformed into healthy air-dried fruit crisps with natural fruit juice flavouring. The brand is reducing food waste and creating a sustainable and more profitable environment for farmers at the same time. Their manufacturing processes use 100% of the fruit including skin, cores and pips, wasting nothing.
Apart from ticking all these sustainability boxes, Gusto’s products are vegan, gluten-free, high in fibre, low in calories and have no added sugar. Consumers can enjoy these snacks worry-free as they come in controlled portions of 20g and contain less than 80 calories per bag.
Founded by friends Guiseppe Baidoo and Claudio Owusu, Gusto has progressed since its 2018 inception. They secured initial funding through university grants. After years of product research, competition wins, networking, and raising venture capital, Gusto officially launched in 2020. Currently, there are 5 flavours: dark chocolate and salted caramel, chilli, mango, passionfruit, and coconut. Baidoo announced new products planned for launch by the end of the year 2025.
The brand’s knack for gutsy and clever guerrilla marketing has undoubtedly helped push them towards success. Their collaboration with Selfridges in 2021 boosted not only their brand credibility but also impressive sales. It was also the first time we got a taste of the brand’s clever storytelling tactics. The founders conducted street campaigns with handmade cardboard signs bearing slogans like “Our marketing budget is as low as our calories – buy our snacks so we can do better.” These innovative efforts resonated on social media, significantly increasing the brand’s visibility when they went viral.
