LesserEvil is an American snack company located in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

founded in 2004. The company makes a variety of packaged snack products including prepopped

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of p ...

and

extruded Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...

snacks. The company promotes its products as a healthy alternative; in 2023 it was sued by a consumer for misrepresentation.

History

LesserEvil was founded in 2004 by Michael A. Sands,

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – ) was an American actor. Hackman made his credited film debut in the drama ''Lilith (film), Lilith'' (1964). He later won two Academy Awards, his first for Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor for ...

, and

Jim Cramer James Joseph Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality, author, entertainer, and former hedge fund manager. He is the host of ''Mad Money'' on CNBC, and an anchor on ''Squawk on the Street''. After graduating from Ha ...

in Tuckahoe,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Their initial product offering was a kettlecorn and expanded into multiple varieties. In 2006 they introduced a second line, Krinkle Sticks, and later lines of extruded curls and puffs intended to compete in the

cheese puff Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During production ...

category. In 2011 Charles Coristine, a former bond trader, acquired LesserEvil and opened its Danbury factory the following year. At this point, the company's headquarters was still located in

Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Wester ...

, but operations moved to Commerce Park in Danbury by 2013. The factory is certified organic. LesserEvil underwent a rebrand in 2019, which emphasized "mindful" snacking, reiterated by the

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

mascots featured on the packaging. In April 2022, the company acquired

energy bar Energy bars are supplemental bars containing cereals, micronutrients, and flavor ingredients intended to supply quick food energy. Because most energy bars contain added protein (nutrient), protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and other nutri ...

maker R.E.D.D. Bar. The following year, LesserEvil sold a “significant minority” stake of the business to Aria Growth Partners, with the intention to further develop manufacturing and retail distribution. According to the '' Hartford Business Journal'', the company was expected to have close to $100M in revenues in 2023 and was one of the largest producers of organic snacks in the US. In April 2025,

Hershey Hershey may refer to: People * Hershey (name), a list of people with the surname, given name or nickname Places * Hershey, Nebraska, a village * Hershey, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community, home to the chocolate company * Hershey, Cuba ...

signed an agreement to acquire LesserEvil.

Ingredients

Carla Lalli Music, writing for ''Bon Appetit'', dietician Wan Na Chun, speaking with ''

Eat This, Not That ''Eat This, Not That!'' is a media franchise owned and operated by co-author David Zinczenko. It bills itself as "The leading authority on food, nutrition, and health." No independent authority has verified that claim. The original book series ...

'', and dietician Mascha Davis speaking with ''Prevention'' noted the short list of ingredients for multiple popcorn products as a positive.

Recognition

In 2022 ''Prevention'' named their Sun Popper Sour Cream and Onion product as their Best Protein Puff and ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

'' named them their Best Vegan Puffs. In 2023, ''Self'' name the company's organic popcorn the best bagged popcorn. In 2024, the company's Homer’s Blend Organic Popcorn won the best popcorn award in ''Good Housekeeping''’s Best Snack Awards.

Controversies

In 2023, LesserEvil was sued for misrepresenting its snacks as "healthier" than others. In 2025, Edward Coristine, the son of LesserEvil CEO Charles Coristine (and grandson of executed

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

officer Valery Martynov), began working with Tesla CEO

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

Department of Government Efficiency The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration within the federal government of the United States. Its stated objective is to modernize information technology, maximize productivity, and cut ...

(DOGE). LesserEvil has distanced themselves from Edward Coristine following controversy over his activities at DOGE and in the private sector.

References

{{Reflist Food and drink companies based in Connecticut Companies based in Connecticut Food manufacturers of the United States Food and drink companies established in 2004 Companies based in Danbury, Connecticut Companies based in Fairfield County, Connecticut Privately held companies based in Connecticut Organic food retail organizations