What Nicole Dawes, co-founder of Late July Organic Snacks, saw was an underdeveloped product sector within the exploding organic food market. "Natural and organic foods have been a way of life for me since my mother and aunt opened their first natural food store in 1975, but it wasn't until I was pregnant with my first child that I realized how few great tasting, organic snacks there are," explained Nicole. It was under this pretense that Steve and Nicole chose the snack category and, in particular, crackers as their first product introduction.
The initial product launch from Late July Organic Snacks are the first USDA certified organic Saltine, Rich and Cheddar Cheese crackers on the market. All Late July products are made with organic ingredients, contain no hydrogenated oils and are trans fat free.
Late July brought its products to market this fall and has already topped its second year sales goals. "I've had two other start-up companies before and I've never seen such a reception from retailers," explained Steve. "And when your largest distributor says you're their fastest growing new product in the last six months, it's further proof of how special this really is." In less than three months, Late July's crackers have become available across the country in a variety of outlets including Whole Foods and Wild Oats and almost every retailer in their home turf in New England including Big Y, Crosby's Market, Dave's Market, Demoulas Market Basket, Giant, Roche Brothers, Shaws, Stop & Shop, Victory and most independent natural food stores and supermarkets.
Of course, getting where they are today didn't happen overnight. Launching the company started two years ago when Nicole tracked down several out-of-print books and an Old Farmer's Almanac. Then, she turned her house into a test kitchen and spent months expanding her knowledge of crackers. "Crackers are very temperamental. They are difficult to bake and conventional crackers are reliant on hydrogenated shortening for their taste and texture. My challenge was taking those great tasting, old recipes and converting them over to organic without the hydrogenated shortening." She then recruited her father and together they searched for over a year for the right manufacturing partner.
The next step was creating a brand name and image that captured the true essence of the idea. "Our name represents that carefree time in the middle of summer, when school is the furthest thing from children's minds and vacation is in full bloom," explained Nicole. The box illustrates this with an old-fashioned interpretation of Nicole's son and dog playing on the beach during a late July picnic.
Now that the product is on the shelves, Steve and Nicole couldn't be happier with the outcome. "Not only do they look and taste great," explains Steve. "But more importantly, it's a product that I truly believe in and can feel good about feeding to my grandson." With such a wonderful reception from retailers, a flood of positive emails from consumers, the success of two other food companies under their belt and several unique new products on the horizon, this father and daughter team seems poised for plenty of sunny days ahead.