Brooklyn-based mom Noha Waibsnaider is on a mission to bring healthful, eco-friendly snacks to the modern family.
Waibsnaider started the brand Peeled Snacks in 2004, after working at a large food company. She was horrified by what she saw in our food system—processed foods, added sugar, preservatives, and chemicals. “I realized that people deserve better, and that I could make a healthier snack,” she explains.
So she did. In her tiny New York City apartment, Waisbsnaider began to create the snacks that would eventually be sold by major vendors like Whole Foods and Starbucks, as well as airports, and grocery stores nationwide. But it wasn’t without hard work; Waibsnaider went door-to-door selling her products. “It was before food was sexy or hip—before Brooklyn was the hub of small food companies,” she says.
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riginally from Israel, where she grew up eating a lot of dried fruit, Waisbnaider saw an opportunity to bring this nourishing snack to the US market, especially as a convenient, on-the-go choice. Later on, when Waibsnaider was pregnant with her first child, she learned about gestational diabetes, and began to understand the negative impact of having added sugars in her diet. This further drove her to create a snack that would be truly good for her, her children, and the environment.
“On the back of all of our bags, the thing we start by saying is that our goal is simple: To make you feel good about snacking,” Waisbsnaider says. From dried fruit to trail mix, Peeled Snacks products are organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free. They contain no added sugar, sulfites, preservatives or oils, and each bag is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A certified B-Corp company, Peeled Snacks is committed to sustainable and transparent business practices from seed to shelf. “We work across our supply chain to make sure that all of our products are sustainable and come from organic farms,” Waisbsnaider adds.
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Much-Ado-About-Mango has historically been the brand’s top-seller. But Waibsnaider says it may soon be eclipsed by their new product, Peas Please, which just launched this past May. Waibsnaider described this new snack as “a green Cheeto that’s good for you.” They’re made with 70 percent whole-grain peas, and provide protein, fiber, iron, and a whole serving of vegetables. “They’re truly good for you and very nutrient-dense. But they’re also a fun, salty, crunchy snack,” she notes.
As a mother-of-two and an advocate for family health, Waibsnaider doesn’t leave her healthy philosophies at the office. “When my kids are looking for something to eat, they run into a lot of fruits and vegetables,” she says. “I keep the junk food out of sight and far away, and hard to reach—not just for them, but also for me.”
If you’re looking to pass along healthy habits to your own children, try including them in conversations about food. “My 4-year-old knows a lot about added sugars, and that there’s a difference between eating fruit versus something with added sugar,” Waibsnaider says. By having these conversations with her children, she makes sure they “own the decision-making process” when it comes to food.
To learn more about Peeled Snacks, visit peeledsnacks.com!
