Mamma Chia CEO: ‘Consumers are looking to get more nutritional bang for their buck’
“Their interest in healthy, nutritious food has risen significantly as well. The energy beverage market continues to be dominated by chemical and sugar-laden drinks. There is tremendous opportunity for natural alternatives that can deliver more than just energy to their consumers,” Hoffman told BeverageDaily.
Founded in 2009, Mamma Chia makes a line of chia beverages and other products like its Chia Squeezes, which has made consuming the tiny seeds more convenient and appealing to many consumers from preschoolers and pregnant women to body builders and business professionals, according to Hoffman.
“Chia is an incredibly versatile ingredient. There are endless opportunities to make consuming it easy and delicious, and we seek to create more,” she said.
The company recently made a play into the energy drink segment with the launch of two “clean energy beverages” combining chia seeds with caffeine sourced from organic yerba mate and organic green coffee beans providing 2,500mg of Omega-3 and 90mg of caffeine per serving.
Its chia seeds also add fiber, healthy fat, and protein to the beverages.
Mamma Chia products, including its clean energy drinks in raspberry and blackberry flavors, can be found in conventional and natural grocery stores in the US and a growing number of international markets, according to the company.
It was important for founder and CEO of Mamma Chia, Janie Hoffman, to make a positive impact with her company. As a Certified B Corporation, founding member of Slow Money, and member of 1% For the Planet, Mamma Chia donates 1% of all its gross sales to support farmers, community groups and organizations that are building healthy and local food systems.
What does ‘clean energy’ really mean?
The words “clean” and “clean label” tend to be tossed around in the food and beverage industry and are becoming an expectation for a number of consumers. In fact, GoCleanLabel is a growing consumer-driven movement in the US demanding a return to ‘real food’ and transparency in the CPG market. The trademarked term stands for food products that contain natural, familiar, simple ingredients and no artificial ingredients or synthetic chemicals.
According to Hoffman, for a product to call itself “clean” and in Mamma Chia’s case, “clean energy”, it must at the very least be organic, contain caffeine content from familiar sources, and have health benefits beyond caffeine.
“Consumers are also looking to get more nutritional bang for their buck, and our beverages pack a lot of nutrition into every bottle,” she said.
Mamma Chia clean energy beverages uses an organic yerba mate and organic green coffee bean that provides benefits outside just a jolt of caffeine including naturally-occurring antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, says Hoffman.
“Like chia, yerba mate also has an ancient pedigree and has been used by indigenous people for centuries as a medicinal beverage,” she said.
“Our beverages also provide natural energy from chia itself, which has been revered for thousands of years for the amazing energy and natural healing power it provides.”