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 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

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 same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

and extruded 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 (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...

, and

Jim Cramer James Joseph Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality and author. He is the host of ''Mad Money'' on CNBC and an anchor on ''Squawk on the Street''. A former hedge fund manager, founder, and senior partner of Cramer ...

in Tuckahoe,

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

. 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 puffs, cheese curls, cheese balls, cheese ball puffs, cheesy puffs, or corn curls are a puffed corn snack, coated with a mixture of cheese or cheese-flavored powders. They are manufactured by extruding heated corn dough through a die ...

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

Ingredients

Carla Lalli Music Carla Lalli Music is an American chef, cookbook author, and YouTube personality. She was a food editor at large of '' Bon Appétit'' and was known for her appearances in videos produced for the magazine's YouTube channel, most notably as the ho ...

, writing for ''Bon Appetit'', dietician Wan Na Chun, speaking with '' Eat This, Not That'', 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'' 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.

Controversy

In 2023, LesserEvil was sued for misrepresenting its snacks as "healthier" than others.

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