When launching a CPG food brand, you want to make an immediate connection with your ideal customer by very clearly communicating 2 things:

1. What you are
2. Why your customer should buy your product

Nemi Holisticks is a vegan snack brand that boasts a lineup of deliciously savory cactus sticks and a compelling brand story, which is why I wish they were a little more clear about what their product is and who they are.

The 1st half of this review might sound like a website critique, and that’s because the website is my very first introduction to the brand. Upon landing on Nemi’s website, I was greeted by beautiful product photography with a color block of soft colors behind each flavor. The first thing I thought is the same as what any new customer would think: “Ooh, what are these?”

Caption: This is what you see when landing on Nemi’s site. 

Thanks to the 2nd rotating homepage image, I saw that these were clearly sticks of… something. And then I saw it, right in their logo: “Nemi Holisticks.” Hmm. But I wasn’t sure if the name of the brand is “Nemi” and the Statement of Identity (what the product is) is “holisticks…”

-OR-

…if the name of the brand is “Nemi Holisticks.”

Caption: 2nd rotating homepage image on Nemi’s site shows the product out of the bag. Intriguing!

From the formatting of the logo, I saw visual cues that told me that “Nemi” is the brand name (since it is large), and “Holisticks” is the Statement of Identity (since this is smaller, directly below the logo, and in a different font).

But here’s the problem: I don’t know what holisticks are.

Also, I wasn’t sure about the pronunciation. Do you say, “holly sticks” or “holy sticks”?

Upon close viewing of the packaging on the rotating homepage images, I saw the callout at the top left corner of one of the bags: “The original, all-natural, crunchy cactus snack, made for the holistic snacker.”

Aha! It’s made of cactus! Also, ohhhh, I get it now…! I then realized “holisticks” is a portmanteau composed of “holistic” and “stick.” Clever! But I still wasn’t sure how to pronounce it.

All this guess work could be saved if the “Nemi Holisticks” name was in one, consistent size and in one font, with the Statement of Identity of “cactus sticks” directly below the logo.

-OR-

Even better, if the logo itself could be the following: “vegan cactus snacks” and then stacked directly below that: “Nemi Holisticks.” The brand hippeas, organic chickpea snacks, takes a similar approach. This would solve the problem of letting customers know what this is AND how to pronounce “holisticks.” (Although, honestly, I keep thinking it’s “holy sticks.”)

Okay, now with this mystery solved, let’s get into the brand’s mission statement.

I see with a swift scroll on the homepage, the “our mission” section directly below the rotating images, which states Nemi makes “crunchy sticks from nopal (cactus) and amaranth seeds,” which, upon a Google search, I found out are “a gluten-free New World grain that was a staple of the Inca and Aztec diets.”¹

Nemi’s mission.

“Whoa, what’s a New World grain?” Another search led me to discover that New World crops refers to those “native to the New World (mostly the Americas) before 1492 CE and not found anywhere else at the time.”² Whew, I’m going to school, here!

Back to Nemi’s mission statement: Since the mission is in first person voice, (“I grew up in Mexico…”) I wish there was a name or signature below the statement, so we know who is speaking to us. We can assume it’s the founder of the brand, but I’d love to see their name. The mission also has a call to action to, “Learn more about our values!” But there’s no link or button to give me the opportunity to learn more.

Let’s press on. Below the mission are Nemi’s Why statements: “Delicioso, Sustainability, and Transparency.” Nice! As a person who looooves me some delicious snacks, cares about sustainability (I’m an environmental enhancement commissioner and insufferable eco-nerd), and transparency (I’m one of those hippy dippy consumers who actually cares about where their food comes from), I already see I’m Nemi’s ideal customer.

Another quick scroll on the homepage leads us to playful food photography with flavor cues like limes, jalapeno slices, chili, and cinnamon sticks surrounding the packaging. These photographs are fun and make me smile. Lovely!

Below this, we see a definition of “Nopales,” which is, “One of the oldest Mexican plants packed with fiber and antioxidants. We partner with Francisco, who has a certified organic nopales farm and continues using traditional farming techniques.” Very cool, but this then leads me to wonder, is Nemi organic as well? If so, this would be a great callout. In fact, it would be great to see callout icons of the brand’s attributes at the very top of the site.

About nopales on Nemi’s site. As part of the effort to educate the consumer, I’d love to see a pronunciation key here.

Let’s continue.

At the very bottom of the homepage, I see impressive mentions: “As seen on: Food & Wine” and “Chicago Tribune.” Very nice! These mentions would probably be more effectively placed more near the top of the page, directly below the rotating homepage images.

The homepage would also do well with a few buttons like, “Snack now” or “Shop now” embedded into the food photography.

Okay, I’ve picked apart the homepage long enough. Maybe we’ll get more info on the About Us page. Here, we are greeted with a friendly, smiling woman who is holding a stash of Nemi bags and some body copy underneath:

“¡Hola! I started Nemi Holisticks with the idea of combining my 3 passions: health, transparency and LOVE for chips.”

Ah, this must be the founder! A quick glance below the paragraphs leads me to a signature that says, “Regina.” There’s the signature I was looking for on the homepage! Reading the rest of her story, we learn that Regina started her career as a human rights attorney and then transitioned to health and wellness, which led her to launch Nemi. This is already such a compelling story, and then she goes further to explain what “Nemi” means, which is, “to live” in the Aztec language of Náhuatl.

Furthermore, Regina cares about the sustainability of the plants used to make her products AND the people who are farming and harvesting them. Wonderful! Another statement that just gets me to fall in love with the Nemi brand even further: “We work with womxn who hold positions usually reserved for men.” Bravo! And lastly, one more statement that gets me on Team Nemi: They are “currently on a quest to getting sustainable packaging too!” Yeeeessssss…! More founders need to be leading the charge on sustainable packaging. You can read more about my passion for sustainable packaging here.

Caption: I’m a fan of founders putting their faces out there to help connect with the customer. Bravo to Regina for greeting us with her smile!

At this point, I’m pretty excited to try some Nemi. Let’s get to the Shop page.

I found out more about the product through the shop page, because it’s here that I was able to take a close-up look at the packaging. If you read my brand review on Corsa, you’ll know I’m a fan of variety packs. It’s the best way for a customer to sample all of your SKUs. So I was delighted to see Nemi offered a variety pack, with a branded name for it: “Fiesta Pack,” which further communicates the brand’s Latinx roots. (Well done!)

However, I wondered why this Variety Pack only offers 3 flavors, since I know from the homepage there are 4 different flavors. To add to my confusion, I then saw a customer review on the Variety Pack page that mentions there are *6* different flavors. Wait, am I missing out on 2 other flavors? So I go back to the main Shop Page to make sure I didn’t miss anything, but nope, there are only 4 flavors listed. Hmm. More mysteries.

Nevertheless, I fully intended on purchasing, so I’m happy to report that the purchasing experience was excellent! I love ShopPay, and I was very excited to see it was an available payment option. In two quick clicks, I was done. I also love that the friendly tone continues at the order confirmation page: “Thank you Aireen! Thank you for your support, amigx! Nemi Holisticks are on their way and hope you enjoy them.” Lovely! Now I was properly hyped to receive my new snacks in the mail.

The advantage of Nemi being a Chicago-based brand meant that I received my Variety Pack pretty quickly. I’m currently quarantining packages for 3 days, so after that was up, it was time to taste these cactus sticks!

Upon opening the box, I saw that there was a signed, handwritten note on the packing slip, which was a lovely touch and totally on-brand. Nemi’s strength is the friendly, authentic tone that was evident in every touchpoint so far.

Nice, simple branding on the box exterior.

There’s something so exciting about seeing a box full of treats to dive into.

Points always for handwritten notes. And look! It’s from Regina herself! I also love the call-to-action to, “Let us know how you ‘Nemi.’”

As eager as I was to taste what promised to be savory snacks, like a good unboxer, I had a duty to exercise patience and examine the packaging, first. Overall, I could feel the charming nature of the brand in the design. As for the packaging itself: I noticed it was a clear bag with a sticker on the front and a sticker on the back. I had never seen this before. I imagine it was some kind of cost-savings tactic, which was fine and didn’t bother me at all, but it was just something I noticed. Admittedly, I’m not as familiar with food packaging as I am with beverage packaging, but I imagine this approach is akin to how beverage companies who use cans have to hit certain minimums in order to transition from shrink-wrapped cans to direct-print cans.

The pattern on the Front of Package (FoP) is bright and illustrative, with charming and vibrant flavor cues. And the clear window is essential to letting us see what the product looks like, so props there.

Nemi’s lineup looks like a cohesive family of products with distinctly different flavor cues, which isn’t easy to do. 

As for the design elements, all the right pieces are there: Logo, Statement of Identity, flavor cues, and RTBs (Reasons to Believe)… but the hierarchy of information could be better organized.

For example, I’m not sure we need two different identifying statements: We currently have one at the top left-hand corner (“The original, all-natural, crunchy cactus snack, made for the holistic snacker”) and then another directly below the flavor name (“plant-powered crunch snack made from cactus and amaranth”). This latter statement should be directly below the logo so that the customer immediately knows what the product is. And any statement directly below the flavor name needs to be a further description of the flavor itself.

The packaging could also benefit from using icons to communicate the attributes of protein, fiber, and no added sugar, all of which are currently written out along the bottom edge of the bag.

Caption: Nemi Holisticks FOP (Front of Package)

Let’s look at the logo, which is comprised of 2 parts: The brandmark (the graphic element) and the brand name (the actual name of the brand). As for the logo’s brandmark, I love it! The stylized line drawing of cactus is clean, interesting iconography with balanced lines that flow beautifully. More of this, please! As for the brand name, as I mentioned earlier, what throws me off here is the use of two different typefaces (aka fonts) between “Nemi” and “Holisticks.” By using one font for “Nemi” and a different font for “Holisticks,” it looks like “Holisticks” is the Statement of Identity. We need to immediately know what this product is, within 2 seconds of seeing this bag, and currently, I have a feeling the average consumer is left to do a lot of investigative work here.

Let’s check out the Back of Package (BoP).

Content-wise, there’s a lot of great information about the brand here. I could really feel the passion, authenticity, and home-grown feel of the brand. Design-wise, it could use more segmenting to more easily differentiate between sections like the ingredient list, the “about,” and calls-to-action.

Caption: Nemi Holisticks BOP (Back of Package)

Time to experience the sabor and crunch that the website promised us!

As one who prefers a savory profile when snacking, my hopes were high. I started with the flavor I was most excited about: Smoky Chipotle. Right off, when opening the bag, I found it a little cumbersome, as I was trying to be careful not to completely bust it open and have sticks spray everywhere. I ended up taking a pair of scissors and cutting the top straight across. Ahh, so satisfying.

Upon peeking into the bag, I was delighted by the cluster of sticks that promised so much good flavor. The thin profile of the sticks promised easy snacking, the prospect of which was exciting, because a lot of savory snacks seem to be, by default, messy with a baggage of crumbs and wayward salt.

Caption: Hello, Holisticks! Pleased to meet (and eat) you!

Yes, my expectations were quite high! Which is why I am SO happy to report that there were loads of umami at that first bite. Wow! Delicioso indeed!

I found myself polishing off an entire bag within 10 minutes. The chipotle flavor was punchy, but not overwhelming. And the heat builds beautifully, so if you like some spice in your snacks, the Smoky Chipotle flavor is for you.

I was also a fan of the clean feel while snacking, with very little to no oil or residue on my fingers.

The other 2 flavors in the Variety Pack – Chili+Turmeric and Spirulina+Lime – were just as delicious. The heat was more subtle in the Chili+Turmeric flavor, with the latter ingredient taking center stage. For a mellower experience, Spirulina+Lime is your best bet, with just a hint of lime firing up the taste buds.

As for texture, Nemi promised lots of crunch, and they delivered! Every bite is satisfying, with an assertive “crunch crunch crunch” when chewing.

I am indeed a fan of this brand and product, which is why I’d love to see them succeed. I love the brand name. It’s easy to pronounce and spell, and its Aztec meaning, “to live,” gives the brand lots of potential for great messaging and campaigns.

The most exciting aspect about Nemi is that they are evidently leaders in a new category: cactus! From what I could find, there isn’t much viable competition brand-wise, which makes them poised to really become dominant leaders in this promising category. When I googled “cactus snacks,” Nemi’s website was the 1st result.

The 2nd result is a product called Nopal Bros, which isn’t nearly as beautifully branded and wasn’t even available at the time of writing. The 3rd result is a product called, “Nopal Cactus Jerky,” which does look to be a direct competitor of Nemi. Also, if “nopal” is the same thing as “cactus,” isn’t “nopal cactus” redundant? I confess, there may be all kinds of ignorance on my part here, which perhaps is an opportunity for Nemi to educate the consumer – which they DO, to some degree.

Educating the consumer is a tough prospect, especially when you’re introducing a new category like cactus snacks. It’s totally possible to educate the customer, but it takes 2 things:

1. Consistency
2. Simplicity

My recommendation for anyone trying to lead this category is to go with one terminology to identify this product: Either “cactus” or “nopales.” I recommend going with cactus, because more often than not, the average customer will know what that is, and then you’ve overcome one hurdle: Answering the consumer’s question of, “What is it?”

Now, after that, there is the intrigue that edible cactus elicits, which begs the question, “Whoa, you can EAT cactus?” And then the onus is on the brand to reassure the customer that, “Yes, you definitely can! And we make it delicious.”

Nemi is really my ideal snack. I’ve been eating it non-stop, and find myself consciously having to pace myself so I don’t eradicate my Variety Pack too quickly. I even went ahead and ordered the last flavor I have yet to try: “churro” – date & cinnamon, which I anticipate will taste just like a churro. (Mmmm. Many of my omnivore friends ask if I miss anything as a vegan. With the plethora of delicious substitutes available in the market today, I want for nothing… except for churros. I’m hoping the Nemi churro flavor will be a decent substitute churro-shaped hole in my plant-based heart.)

If you’re a fan of savory flavors, crunch, and vegan snacking, Nemi Holisticks is for you. And if you’re a champion for BIPOC-and-women founded brands who care about the quality of the product AND the quality of life of the people bringing the product to you, Nemi Holisticks is for you. I applaud founder Regina Trillo for her efforts in bringing Nemi to life. No matter who you are – one woman with a dream or a conglomerate with a big budget – it’s not easy taking an idea for a product and translating that to a commercially viable brand. I’m hoping Nemi can garner a massive following that will have hoards of holistic snackers that will be sharing with us how they live – or, how they Nemi.

Author:

Aireen Arellano is a creative director, CEO, and founder of Brim Branding with more than 15 years of experience branding and designing for food and beverage brands ranging from startups to Fortune 500s. Her work has been featured on AdWeek.com, AdAge.com, and Forbes.com. She illustrated and designed the 1st Facebook game for a major spirits brand. When she is not creating strategy and content for her clients, you can find her practicing vinyasa yoga with her infant daughter and two dogs nearby, playing tennis, and advocating for the environment, animals, and BIPOC and female founders.

Resources:

¹ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0W30qWktnE

² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_crops