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Kind LLC
Kind Healthy Snacks
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySnack Foods
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004)
FounderDaniel Lubetzky
FateAcquired by Mars in 2020
Headquarters
New York City
,
U.S.
ProductsSnack Bars, Granola Bars, Granola
RevenueUS$5.0 billion
ParentMars, Incorporated
Websitewww.kindsnacks.com

Kind LLC (doing business as Kind Healthy Snacks), stylized as KIND, is an American snack food company based in New York City. It was founded in 2004 by Daniel Lubetzky.[1] Since 2020, it has been a subsidiary of Mars Inc.

History

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Daniel Lubetzky founded Kind in 2004.[2][3] The company earned about $1 million dollars in revenue their first year.

In 2008, private equity firm VMG Partners invested in Kind.[4] The investment enabled the company to scale its sampling efforts to get more people to try Kind bars. When VMG got involved, Kind bars were only sold in 20,000 locations and Lubetzky's sampling budget was $800.[5] By 2009, that budget was $800,000 and offering free samples became a large part of the Kind marketing plan.[4] In 2014, Lubetzky bought all of VMG's shares.[6]

Today, Kind Bars are sold at more than 150,000 stores in the US.[7] In 2014, they sold over 458 million bars and granola pouches, almost doubling 2013's sales.[8] The company now has about five hundred employees.[1]

Kind acquired North Carolina–based Creative Snacks in October 2019.[9]

In February 2020, Kind launched an expansion into frozen bars, refrigerated nut-butter bars, and chocolate clusters.[9] In December 2020, Kind acquired snack bar company Nature's Bakery.[10]

Kind movement

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Through the KIND Movement, Kind aims to create a thriving community of people who choose kindness and make kindness a state of mind. In the spirit of this movement, in 2009, Kind launched Do the Kind Thing, an evolving platform that empowers people to turn KIND acts into support for causes.[11] The Kind Movement includes Kind acts, #kindawesome cards, and Kind Causes. To date, Kind has performed, facilitated and celebrated over 1 million Kind acts and has been recognized by Time magazine as a "New Way to Make a Difference".[12]

Mars ownership

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In 2017, Mars purchased a minority stake in Kind. The deal valued the company at over $4 billion. That same year, sales reached $718.9 million.[13]

In November 2020, Mars announced that it would increase its minority position to full ownership, in a deal worth $5 billion.[14][15][16]

Products

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A Strong & Kind hickory smoked almond protein bar

Kind currently offers eight lines: Kind Fruit & Nut, Kind Plus, Kind Nuts & Spices, Kind Healthy Grains Bars, Kind Healthy Grains Clusters, Strong & Kind, Kind Breakfast, Pressed by Kind, and Kind Frozen.[citation needed]

In 2008, they launched Kind Plus, a line of whole nut and fruit bars with fiber and antioxidants.[citation needed]

In 2010, they launched smaller portioned, 100 calorie-range Kind minis.[citation needed] In 2011, they launched a line of Kind Healthy Grains Clusters granola, made from a blend of five grains.[citation needed] In 2012, Kind brought in Kind Nuts & Spices, made with whole nuts flavored with spices that contain 5g of sugar or less per bar.[citation needed] In 2013, Kind launched a line of Kind Healthy Grains granola bars.[17] In 2014, Kind launched its first savory snack line, Strong & Kind, which has 10 grams of soy-and-whey free protein.[18] Kind Breakfast was launched in 2016.[citation needed]

In 2016, Kind announced an extension to their nuts and spices and fruit and nut lines, to now include Dark Chocolate Almond & Mint.[19]

In non-English speaking countries, the brand is marketed as BE-KIND.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ready, Lauren. "The amazing story behind that KIND bar you're eating". USA Today. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Way I Work: Daniel Lubetzky of KIND". Inc. Magazine. January 12, 2010.
  3. ^ "Holding fast to a mission, even now". Crain's New York Business. December 15, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Fairchild, Caroline. "Why Kind bars are suddenly everywhere". Fortune. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  5. ^ Bond, Shannon. "An appetite for the greater good". Financial Times. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Best, Dean. "How Kind aims to continue growth". Just Food. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  7. ^ Kind Healthy Snacks Goes From Small to Big." Bloomberg Business. 2013-02-21.
  8. ^ Friedman, Gabe. "How a Holocaust legacy helped launch the Kind bar brand". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Dua, Tanya. "$4 billion snack maker Kind says it will spend 'tens of millions of dollars more' to market its new frozen and refrigerated products, and hit $1.6 billion in sales in 2020". Business Insider. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Kind acquires Nature's Bakery". Food Dive. December 2, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "Depending on the KIND-ness of Strangers". The New York Times. June 12, 2010.
  12. ^ Caplan, Jeremy (September 10, 2009). "New Ways to Make a Difference". Time. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009.
  13. ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Merced, Michael J. de la (November 29, 2017). "Snickers Owner to Invest in Kind, Third-Biggest Maker of Snack Bars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "KIND and Mars Announce Next Step in Partnership to Build a Kinder World and Bring Healthy Snacks to People Worldwide Mars to acquire KIND North America; Partnership will build on growth across geographies and categories". Press Release. Mars, Incorporated. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Hirsch, Lauren (November 17, 2020). "Kind bars will be acquired by Mars, the maker of Snickers". Article. New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  16. ^ Au-Yeung, Angel. "Billionaires United: Candy Maker Mars To Acquire Kind Bars In $5 Billion Deal". Forbes. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "KIND Healthy Snacks Launches Healthy Grains Bars Line". Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. October 9, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "KIND Introduces STRONG & KIND Savory Snacks". Natural Products Insider. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  19. ^ "Nutrition Bar Update". Nutritionaloutlook.com. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  20. ^ "FAQ - BE-KIND Snacks". Retrieved June 5, 2022.
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