Graze ships a new snack food packaging craze

Anyone who has stood in a grocery checkout line during the store’s busiest hours has thought to themselves, there has to be a better way. The same goes for anyone who has been both late (or always on the go) and hungry at the same time. The latter has spurred the growth of the grab and go snack food packaging market. The former is finally seeing that better way in the form of mail-order grocery.

Graze.com is serving both the former and the latter and growing because of it. The online retailer sells healthier, portion-controlled snacks, but it’s how they sell them that’s generating buzz. The company offers a subscription to their snack service. Like many of the subscription services out there shipping everything from beauty products to quirky socks, Graze offers a wide range of snacks, which mailed to subscribers anywhere from weekly to monthly.

A few things set Graze apart. The snacks are all portion controlled in single serve packages. Subscribers can rate their snacks to tailor future boxes to their needs and tastes. The boxes are slim enough to fit in the normal mail so they don’t require a signature or special delivery. Four snacks come in each box for $6 shipped making the single-serve treats reasonably priced compared to similar options from both online and brick and mortar stores.

 The UK company has doubled its U.S. subscriber base in a matter of months following its official U.S. launch in December 2013. I’ve been subscribing since January of 2014 and have continually been impressed by the selection shipping to my house and the ease of updating my preferences online. I didn’t care for one of my snacks, and I was able to “trash” it so I’ll never receive it again. Another snack has me wishing Graze sold their products in bulk, so I’ve marked it “love” in the rating system. I’m already seeing it and similar products show up more in my boxes. The mix of convenience, portion-control, customization and surprise (if you don’t peek at coming shipments online) makes Graze a fun and easy way to snack. It’s no mystery why this packaged good is spreading so quickly.