Tiny Richland company makes big move into grocery stores nationwide, including Fred Meyer
A tiny Richland company working to popularize hemp-related foods hit the big time this fall.
Cincinatti-based Kroger Corp. began selling Hummingbars, a hemp based nutrition bar, at about 1,200 of its grocery stores nationwide, including Fred Meyer and QFC locations in the Northwest.
Humming Hemp, a four-person company led by Hilary Kelsay, got its first big break in 2018 when Albertsons/Safeway began selling its raw hemp hearts in the granola/cereal section of its Northwest stores.
It got a foot in the door with Kroger when Fred Meyer stocked the hemp hearts in some stores.
Kelsay launched Humming Hemp in Richland’s Fuse co-working space and business accelerator to commercialize hemp as a superfood offering plant-based protein that’s high in healthy omega acids but not the substance that gives cannabis its kick.
Hemp has been commercially cultivated since it was included in the 2014 Farm Bill.
The Food and Drug Administration treats hemp hearts —shelled seeds — as a legal food product. Hemp by law contains 0.3 percent or less of THC — tetrahydrocannabinoil — the active ingredient in marijuana.
Snack bar industry
As the hemp hearts business took off, Kelsay pivoted to a new challenge — cracking the $7 billion snack bar industry with a hemp-based version. She experimented with recipes in her kitchen, feeding the results to her husband and three young children.
She eventually found BumbleBar, a Spokane nutrition bar manufacturer that specializes in recipe development. Together they developed five flavors of the Hummingbar, a minimally processed hump bar.
The first bars were produced in January and tested with consumer focus groups across the country.
By March, she was ready to debut Hummingbar at the Natural Products Expo West in Annaheim. The annual trade expo is a massive meetup where would-be vendors pitch their products to grocers and other prospective customers.
Kelsay was giving out samples when she decided to approach a representative from Kroger. She stepped away from her booth and made her move.
The gambit paid off. Kelsay landed a deal to sell three versions of the Hummingbar in Kroger stores across the nation.
The deal was finalized in April, with an initial roll out near Halloween. that gave Kelsay just a few months to raise the money to support a production run to fill what is now a recurring order.
Humming Hemp raised the capital it needed from Washington investors, with about two-thirds coming from the Tri-Cities. The company has taken on no debt, she added.
BumbleBar produced the initial run. with hemp sourced from Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota.
Contracting with experts is the model Kelsay is using to build the business. She also contracts with Action Mary, Seattle branding firm and with marketing firm to represent HummingHemp products to retailers and other buyers.
The Hummingbars have been featured in sports nutrition publications and will be stocked at Huckleberry stores in the Spokane area this fall.
As the bar business takes off, Kelsay is making plans for her original hemp hearts. New flavors and packaging that echoes the Hummingbar aesthetic are in the works.
This story was originally published November 17, 2019 at 12:56 PM.