Healthy snack box trend catches on in Hong Kong
A third snack box subscription service has launched in Hong Kong, mirroring a growing trend in the US and Britain for healthier treats
Like many Hong Kong professionals, Elizabeth Li worked long hours and made a couple of trips a day to the office vending machine or neighbourhood convenience store to satisfy her snack cravings. But after a few too many cookies, pretzels and potato chips, she realised all this junk food slowed, rather than spurred, her on at work.
A self-professed snacking addict, 25-year-old Li knew there are nibbles that are more nourishing for the body and mind. The problem in her office, as her colleagues lamented, was access to healthier snacks.
So Li left her economist job and started Greenberry, a snack box subscription service that delivers a package of carefully chosen munchies each month to customers' homes or offices. Earlier this month, Li began taking her first orders.
Snacks in the Greenberry box, Li says, must fulfill three or more of these criteria: organic or all-natural, no trans fat, no preservatives or additives, no hydrogenated oil, no high fructose corn syrup or refined sugar, no genetically modified ingredients, raw, gluten-free and vegetarian. Each box has at least eight snacks, a mix of crispy, crunchy, chewy, sweet and savoury, such as chia seeds, coconut water, quinoa chips, chocolate and fruit strips.
"One member of our team has a certificate in nutrition and she ensures that the snacks meet the nutrition standards," says Li, who sources the snacks mainly from Britain.
Greenberry is the latest to join the snack box delivery trend in Hong Kong that started last year. There are two other companies with a similar business concept and healthy snacking philosophy, Snacking Bird and MunchBox.
