Ancient Crunch — the parent company of the MASA and Vandy snack brands — has announced its nationwide launch at Whole Foods Market, with its products now available in approximately 400 stores across the United States. This marks a significant expansion for the better-for-you snack company.
Ancient Crunch's MASA offers a traditional tortilla chip crafted from organic, nixtamalized corn. The snack is fried exclusively in 100% grass-fed and finished beef tallow. It delivers an authentic flavour profile while eliminating seed oils from the ingredient list. Vandy, on the other hand, extends this same culinary philosophy to kettle-style potato chips, also cooked in grass-fed beef tallow and seasoned with simple, straightforward ingredients to evoke bold, nostalgic tastes without relying on industrial oils, fillers, or artificial additives. Both brands are available in four core flavours at Whole Foods, with MASA offered in Original and Lime varieties, and Vandy available in OG and French Onion.
Image Credit: Ancient Crunch
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Seed-oil-free Snacking
- Growing avoidance of industrial oils is creating shelf space for premium chips cooked in traditional fats and marketed around ingredient transparency.
- Ancestral Ingredient Revival
- Heritage processes such as nixtamalization and animal-fat frying are giving modern snack brands a way to pair authenticity with wellness-oriented positioning.
- Premium Nostalgia Flavors
- Familiar chip flavors made with simplified recipes are reshaping indulgent snacking by combining comfort cues with clean-label expectations.
Sectors Adopting This
- Natural Grocery Retail
- National distribution through values-led grocers is accelerating mainstream discovery for niche snack brands built around ingredient differentiation.
- Packaged Snack Foods
- Established chip categories are being disrupted by entrants that use organic inputs, traditional preparation methods, and additive-free seasoning systems.
- Animal Fat Supply
- Demand for grass-fed tallow in consumer packaged goods is opening new value channels for regenerative meat producers and specialty fat processors.
