Mission MightyMe offers four organic nut puff snacks — available in Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Strawberry, Peanut Butter Banana and Mixed Nut Butter — that easily dissolve and are appropriate for toddlers and babies starting solid foods. The snack is now available in almost 200 Target stores for $4.79 per pouch.
Founded in 2018, Mission MightyMe started as an ecommerce business, and through that channel, the company learned that many of its consumers were frequent Target shoppers, brand Co-founder and Co-CEO J. J. Jaxon told FoodNavigator-USA in a recent Startup Spotlight episode.
“Initially, four years ago, we probably would have said that we would be starting out in the natural space, maybe that premium grocery space. But now knowing what we know about our customers and knowing where they shop, Target was just a perfect fit, and so we are really excited about it. They have been a great partner so far. In fact, we are [a couple of] days into our launch, and we have already [received] feedback that some of the stores are sold out. And so, we are working with them on getting new inventory to the shelves,” he added.
‘A market shift’ in how many parents know about LEAP study
Mission MightyMe was founded in 2018 by Catherine and J. J. Jaxon (husband and wife) and researcher Gideon Lack to address the increasing prevalence of food allergies in US children. Nearly a tenth (8%) of US children had a food allergy, according to a 2018 survey published in the scientific journal Pediatrics.
In 2015, Lack released his highly regarded research into peanut allergies, the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) Study, which found that "children who had peanut in their diet early and often were almost 90% less likely to develop a peanut allergy,” J. J. Jaxon explained.
Children's health and nutrition "guidelines actually started changing really quickly, starting in 2017," to recommend that caregivers introduce peanuts and other nuts to children as early four to six months, J. J. Jaxon explained.
Though these guidelines were quickly implemented, many caregivers still operate under old information that feeding nuts to infants and toddlers is potentially harmful, J. J. Jaxon said. By growing its business, Mission MightyMe is educating parents on the current science of nut allergies and why it is important to introduce children to the possible allergen early, he added.
“We have really seen a market shift in the number of parents [who] know about the research [who] were told by their pediatrician that they need to do this, and so we have seen just tremendous progress in public awareness that this is what we are supposed to be doing for our kids,” J. J. Jaxon said. “We really firmly believe ... [that] we are going to drastically reduce the rate of nut allergies in the United States.”
Funding a CPG brand: “It is tough on capital when you are growing”
Earlier in the year, Mission MightyMe closed its first round of capital funding with $2.3 million dollars, which will fuel growth, expand the team and increase marketing.
“This industry, ... it is tough on capital when you are growing, which to some people is counterintuitive. You think if you are growing then money is flying in and all over the place. But that is actually just not the case because of the way margins work. Being very simple, if you have a 50% gross margin, but you are doubling in size every year, you are actually getting zero cash,” J. J. Jaxon said.