Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Rushford. They and their team shared their story with us below:
THE OUTDOORS
As a child, Peter Rushford spent all his time playing outside in Vermont with his 8 brothers and sisters, infusing a love for the outdoors and a yearning always to be active. This deep-seated passion inspired him to pursue a 5-year odyssey as a professional skier, coach, and ski instructor. In this pursuit, he discovered several premium outdoor brands and decided he wanted to help get their products in front of other consumers, so he started a sales agency. That excursion turned into a 37-year journey of working with some of the most iconic outdoor brands in the world, selling to people who loved the outdoors as much as he did. In 2013, after a running injury, Peter got into yoga and CrossFit and started looking for healthier, more nutrient-dense foods to supplement his new wellness routine. He turned to a snack he grew up all those years playing outdoors, trail mix. Unfortunately, every version he tried was bland, unhealthy, or both. It revealed that great-tasting healthy snacks were few and far between.
THE QUEST
Thus, he began a quest to create the best-tasting trail mix possible. After 36 months and 52 iterations, he landed on 9 incredible ingredients with the right combination of flavors, textures, and proportions. He then spent the next 12 months searching for the best ingredient to ensure each was responsibly sourced from small family-owned organic farms. Ingredients are grown naturally, free of chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides. After 4 years, the recipe and the ingredients were finally ready for the ‘trial.’ He now had an organic, non-GMO, plant-based, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly snack made in small batches sourced from socially responsible artisan farmers with no preservatives, stabilizers, or sweeteners – just clean 100% organic ingredients. All are crafted together to create an orchestra of flavors and a symphony of textures to make what we proudly call an “impossibly good” snack.
THE NAME
During that time, Peter was trying to devise a name for the company. He went through 1,200 ideas, yet nothing matched the level of the product or the message he wanted to convey. Just as he was about to give up and move forward with a lackluster placeholder name, he was persuaded by a stranger not to settle. That divine nudge inspired Peter to approach the process differently. He should think about what he appreciates in life and at work. He loved sharing — the outdoors, an active lifestyle, and the stories behind the products and brands that made his sales career so rewarding. This idea perfectly complemented another of Peter’s long-held beliefs: that we all share this earth, its bounty, and the responsibility to take care of it. And so, with a little play on words and a phonetic spelling to differentiate it, the name shār was born (pronounced like ‘bear’ as in the bear with the bird in our logo).
THE TUBE
But it didn’t stop there. This idea was too important, and a bigger vision was unfolding. Now, we needed packaging that was as good for the planet as the product was for our taste buds and bodies. He started researching packaging options, presentation formats, and sampling materials while imagining ways the brand could repay Mother Nature for all the rich outdoor experiences she gifts us daily. This led to the creation of our iconic ‘shār tube’ container that was recyclable and biodegradable, and you could use it over and over to hold more trail mix or whatever valuables you wanted to protect. In doing so, shār became one of the first snack companies in the world to offer plastic-free, nature-friendly reusable packaging as part of this earth-first journey that permeates every decision we make as a business.
GIVING BACK
Working in the Outdoor Industry for most of Peter’s life was a privilege. Hoping to find a way to give back was part of the inspiration behind creating this snack company. One of the earliest commitments was Joining The Conservation Alliance with an ongoing pledge to donate 20% of net profits, joining three months before even launching the brand. Shār is also a member of 1% for the planet, a Carbon Neutral Certified company, and recently became a Certified B Corp.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Soon after, Peter worked in a health and wellness conference booth and met Lyn Graft (LG). Lyn was a ski instructor (back in the day), also loved the outdoors, led stimulus-infused active lifestyles, and had a passion for the planet, sustainability, and conservation. They loved sharing great stories, discovering unique products, and following inspiring brands. That encounter eventually turned into a partnership with LG coming on board as the Chief Story Officer to help grow the business and make Shār the planet’s most impossibly good healthy snack brand. A relationship symbolizes our desire to forge partnerships with purpose-driven people, organizations, and companies that want to support the planet and the communities we serve.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road? If not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest struggles has been to build awareness and momentum with consumers around Sustainability and Healthy snacks. Single-use plastics are choking the planet. 40% of them come from the food industry, and the entire snack industry is still choosing single-use plastics for packaging. We are on a mission to help the planet move away from this. All of our packaging is 100% plastic-free. It’s been a struggle to help consumers make better choices with snacks that have healthy ingredients. Over 85% of all snack brands use non-organic ingredients grown on conventional farms. Our 100% Organic ingredients responsibly sourced from small family farms are grown the way Nature intended, free from harmful pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers, which destroy the topsoil and pollute the groundwater. We are working hard every day to help drive more awareness and help consumers make healthier choices.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Shār Snacks?
Shār Snacks is a farm-to-table snack food company headquartered in Austin, TX. We make premium, healthy, and delicious snacks. Our approach/method is to “create extraordinary versions or ordinary snacks” (think YETI). I launched the company back in 2018 with our Original Trail Mix recipe. Five pillars set us apart: product, Premium, Packaging, Sustainability, and Giving Back.
I feel proud of many things, but the few that stand out the most are our plastic-free shār tube winning the Silver Medal for Sustainable Design in the 2021 Annual Pentawards, having the REI buying team discover our brand at the Outdoor Retail trade show in Denver, and decide to launch us in 32 Flagship locations and for sure most recently being named to the Whole Foods LEAP accelerator program for very select brands showing “strong promise anywho align with Whole Foods mission and priorities.
The thing to know about shār is our intention to be a Kindred Spirit. The way we are, our values, and honesty, Shar feels less like a product and more like a great friend, someone you trust, who’s in tune with you, someone you’re proud to be seen with and love to be around.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
It is vital to be adaptable to change.
Pricing:
- 3.7oz shār tube: $7.99
- 2.5oz shār chocolate clusters: $5.79
- 11oz shār bag: $19.99
Contact Info:
- Website: shārsnacks.com
- Instagram: @shār.snacks
- Facebook: sharsnacks
Image Credits
The founder photo holding the shār tubes – photo by Weston Carls
