This 29-year-old former investment banker wants to build a mindful snacking empire

JACKSON, Wis. — Cindy Poiesz was stuck at her desk for more than 12 hours a day in her first job as an investment banker on Wall Street. She ate nearly every meal on the job. 

Sometimes she would want a snack. But the coffee shop or vending machine nearby wouldn't have options that worked for her dairy-free, paleo diet.

She started making a nut-and-seed mix to bring to work, calling it Supernola. 

Her Supernola blended almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, among others, with flavors such as dragonfruit lemon zest and pineapple ginger. 

"I didn't want something simple," Poiesz said. "I need something to make me feel satiated. That's what's missed from a lot of simple products." 

As Poiesz shared her homemade snack, she was slowly convinced to start selling it at farmers markets.

Now, this 29-year-old is building what she hopes will become a mindful snacking empire – Evolve Brands, comprising two lines of individual snack products, Supernola and Gorilly Goods.

The goal is to take the organic, vegan and grain-free snacks mainstream and sell them anywhere someone might want to grab a snack, such as gas stations and big-box retailers, Poiesz said. 

The individual snacking category is growing, reaching $33 billion in the U.S. last year, according to market research firm Nielsen. Individual snack products that make specific health claims are driving that growth.

Established food companies have been hot on acquiring emerging brands. Chicago-founded protein bar company RXBar, which focuses on simple ingredients, was sold to Kellogg's last year for $600 million. 

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A discovery in Wisconsin

Poiesz wasn't interested in entering the food industry when she first started selling her recipe. Working as an investment banker in the energy sector was her dream job. 

Poiesz's decision to devote herself to Supernola came after her father was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). She wanted to help care for her dad, so she quit her job and moved home to Pennsylvania. She launched the company in her hometown, funding the business herself with money saved while she was an investment banker. 

The company grew, and she found a business partner, Frank Jimenez, to start Evolve Brands. Her dad passed away last year. 

The next step for the business was to find a co-manufacturer. She needed more production capacity than what she could do in a rented spot in a kitchen. It also needed to be grain- and peanut-free.

Poiesz and Jimenez found Gorilly Goods, a Wisconsin-based maker of organic, raw trail mixes and other chunky snacks. They had one of the only facilities in the country that would meet their specifications. Gorilly Goods' owners, Chris and Stephen McDiarmid, were ready to pass on the brand they founded and retire. 

'Same priorities and principles'

In March, Evolve acquired Gorilly Goods and moved to Jackson, a suburb in Washington County about 30 miles northwest of downtown Milwaukee. Jimenez already had plans to move home to Wisconsin. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands," Chris McDiarmid said. "Cindy and Evolve shared so many of the same priorities and principles that enthused us, and we felt really good about them carrying the torch."

Since the acquisition, Evolve has focused on growing the company's retail footprint, increasing its market presence 40 percent in six months to 2,200 retailers. Evolve has seven employees working out of a 6,500-square-foot space at a business park in Jackson, where it has offices and a production area. 

Poiesz said the company's mission remains on mindfulness both in the snacks and the manufacturing to make them.

The manufacturing facility and office space are powered by renewable energy. All food scraps, such as peels from bananas, are composted while other waste, such as plastic and glass, is recycled. She plans to start using compostable, biodegradable packaging next year. 

For every box of Gorilly Goods sold, 2 cents is donated to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Supernola supports Girls on the Run, a program for preteen girls. 

"We want to do something right and be good about what we’re doing," Poiesz said.

Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer.