Talking Carbsense

Maker of reduced-carbohydrate products Carbsense Foods has launched two new brands, Aramana and MiniCarb, one aimed at healthy eaters, the other at strict Atkin's dieters.

Carbsense Foods, the manufacturer of natural, reduced-carbohydrate foods, has launched two new brands targeting mainstream health and natural foods consumers and dieters and diabetics respectively.

"We recognize that consumers who purchase reduced-carbohydrate products fall into two distinct groups," said Carbsense marketing vice president Kevin Dalrymple. "In response, we've created two unique brands, designed to best meet the specific needs of each group."

The Aramana brand is targeted toward healthy eaters who are seeking natural food alternatives and also want to reduce their consumption of refined carbohydrates, such as starches and sugars. Carbsense says its Aramana products are made with natural ingredients, and are both low-carb and rich in protein and fiber.

Foods low in carboydrates are increasingly popular as consumers convinced of the weight-loss benefits of the Atkin's diet, which pushes high protein foods over high carbohydrates, look for easy ways of following their diets.

Low-carb products being introduced under the Aramana brand include Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch Soy Energy Bars, Soy Pretzels, and a line of convenient Pasta Meal Mixes such as Creamy Chicken Alfredo, Mild Mexican Chicken and Cheddar Cheeseburger.

Meanwhile the MiniCarb brand is designed for consumers who are managing their weight by maintaining a strict low-carb diet, or diabetics, but are not as concerned with whether or not the products consist of natural ingredients, says Carbsense.

The MiniCarb products, which contain the zero-calorie sweetener sucralose, include Soy Granola, Snickerdoodle and Lemon Burst Cookie Mixes, Apple Cinnamon and Sweet Corn Muffin Mixes, Chocolate Brownie Mix, Milk Chocolate Hot Cereal, Biscuit Mix and Pie Crust Mix.

Carbsense is hoping that the two-brand approach will help sales by making the consumer's decision-making process much easier at the point of sale. Consumers who go for natural foods and want fewer sugars and starches can easily identify the Aramana products while avid low-carb consumers will choose the MiniCarb products.

Jim Haun, president of Carbsense Foods, said that replacing refined carbohydrates, typically the least expensive portions of many foods, with purified proteins, such as soy, often drives the manufacturer's ingredient costs up by as much as 10-fold but that the firm's manufacturing efficiencies had allowed them to provide affordable low-carb alternatives.

Carbsense distributes its products through natural foods and grocery stores including Kroger, Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, Whole Foods Market and King Kullen.

For more information, contact Kevin Dalrymple