Imagine horseradish mingling with matcha and red miso; fava beans pairing with fire-roasted peppers and carrots; or beets and Lapsang Souchong joining forces with cremini mushrooms – these are the daring combinations that Wanderlands is banking on to redefine the snacking game.
The next instalment in our Quick Bites series takes us into the world of the New Mexico-based startup, which is blending neuroscience, bold flavours and a touch of adventure to reimagine snacking. We caught up with cofounders Sofia Rovirosa, a winemaker, and Ko, a neuroscientist, to explore how they’re redefining the snacking landscape.
Wanderlands promises to turn snacking into a ‘captivating adventure’. How did the idea come to life?
Rovirosa: During my time in working wine production, I became captivated by the concept of terroir, or ‘somewhereness’, which is the idea that a place’s soil, climate and geography shape the character of a wine. I wanted to capture that feeling literally - of a place, a season, an experience - and do so with food. I grew up in New Mexico and wanted to capture the smells of my home state. Most people don’t know how ecologically diverse it is. It has alpine climates, canyonlands and high desert. It wasn’t until I began working with Jane that this idea became the vision that is now Wandlerlands.
Ko: After I started working with Sofia, she invited me on a roadtrip through the wilds of New Mexico that she loved. I immediately fell in love with the varied and vast landscapes, so much so that I wanted to help her realize this vision of having people experience New Mexico in a totally new way through a snack mix.
Tell us how you developed your launched flavours...
Ko: There’s nothing that elicits a memory of a past event or place better than aroma and that’s because the olfactory pathway is so closely connected to the hippocampus and amygdala – two brain structures highly tied to memory and emotion. So in the design of our food, we focused a lot on the multi-dimensional aromatic profiles of the places that we wanted to transport people to. We chose ingredients that shared the same aromatic compounds as the earth, the flora and the atmosphere found in that particular place in time. Even if you haven’t been to these places, you will have a memory that can be cued and retrieved through one of the elemental aromas in our food. In doing so, we hoped our snacks would give people a little mindful escape from the everyday grind.
Why pecans? And what makes yours so special?
Rovirosa: The pecans are all grown on the estate that my family has owned and operated since 1931. Today, it’s run by my mother and older brother. It’s vertically integrated, meaning that we control every step of the process from farming to shelling to packing. The attention to detail and care in how we farm and shell is apparent in their golden colour and texture.
You both come from very different backgrounds to the snacking industry. How have these experiences shaped Wanderlands?
Rovirosa: Working in wine changed the way I perceive the world. I’m more attuned and aware of aromas now. No matter what field of the industry you work in, you have to train and develop that sense. Wine not only helped me build an aroma library in my mind, but also was crucial in informing how I think about translating aromas of places into food in an integrated manner.
Ko: From a neuroscience standpoint, the olfactory sensory pathway - unlike the other sensory pathways - has always been really interesting in that it connects directly to areas of the brain responsible for memory and emotion. In fact, research shows an aroma cue can elicit a much more emotional and transportive memories than a visual or verbal cue. We also know that much of the flavours we perceive when we eat or drink something is actually driven by aroma and retronasal olfaction, not what we taste on our tongue. When you bring these three things together, you start to see how powerful flavours can be. That drove us to ask the question, ‘How can we leverage flavour in more creative and imaginative ways?’
With so many snack options on the market, how does Wanderlands stand out?
Rovirosa: Our flavour and texture combinations. From the beginning we have been bold in using ingredients that are not commonly blending together, by naming our flavours to reflect places and seasons and by using imagery that isn’t conventional.
Ko: When we look at the nut mix or trail mix category, we see a lot of sameness in terms of flavour profiles - you either throw a bunch of salt or sugar on it and more recently spicy seasonings have been trending. Sure, it might be delicious, but we also think it drives mindless snacking behaviours that we’re fundamentally opposed to. We believe that snacking should not only be delicious but mindful and intentional as well. What better way to do that than to leverage the power of flavour and aroma?
What lessons have you learned as an entrepreneur in the food industry, and what advice would you give to other aspiring food entrepreneurs?
Rovirosa: This is my first rodeo, so I’m still learning. The best advice I’ve gotten is to ‘stick to the vision’.
Ko: Many founders focus solely on the product, but there’s nothing more powerful than the brand you build. Getting the brand positioning and strategy right from day one is so important as it will drive clarity and help you make really strategic decisions about what you will and will not do. This isn’t to say the product isn’t important. But when you see the product as the ultimate expression of your brand strategy, you can create something that is really distinctive and powerful.
What’s next for Wanderlands?
Rovirosa: That’s all still in the works, but I can say that we are interested in exploring beyond New Mexico.
Ko: Continuing to use neuroscience principles to reimagine aroma and flavour in other categories.
What’s been your biggest work mistake and what did it teach you?
Ko: Walking into a meeting with senior leadership at a major CPG company and presenting packaging design work that wasn’t aligned with the brand. It was a hard lesson, but it taught me that brand strategy must drive every decision. That mistake also reinforced my belief that investing in design without a strong brand strategy in place is the ultimate waste of money.
On a personal note, what’s your poison?
Rovirosa: Negronis: strong, bitter and perfectly balanced.
Your Achilles' heel?
Rovirosa: Picking up new outdoor sports – I can’t resist the challenge, even when it’s not the best use of my time.
Ko: I struggle with asking for help. Those moments have led to mistakes or things slipping through the cracks.
Is ‘somewhereness’ the secret to snack success?
Launching with three exotic blends - Mineral Creek Wilds, Mesa After Rain and Into Snowy Woods - Wanderlands is betting on the unusual concept of ‘somewhereness’ to differentiate it in a crowded market. Using pecans from Rovirosa’s family’s estate as the hero ingredient, each proprietary blend (seeds, vegetables and legumes) evokes the places that inspire the founders most - an autumn canyon creek, a pine-filled mountain hike - and echo that setting’s unique atmosphere, flora and earth.
Could this innovative approach be the key to redefining mindful snacking?
