General Mills Rolls Out Subscription for Snacks

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- Snacking enthusiasts soon might not have to leave home to satisfy their cravings. General Mills Inc. is testing a concept that ships snacks directly to consumers via a subscription service, according to a report by the Minneapolis /St. Paul Business Journal.

The company unveiled its Nibblr service in November through its 301 Inc. business development unit, which partners with emerging companies to develop food products. Nibblr's lineup mostly includes nuts, fruits and trail mixes that are not General Mills-labeled products. Subscribers receive a regular snack shipment that costs about $6 each time and then rate the snacks they taste. Future shipments are based off the customer's tastes.

"We are pleased with the number of subscribers to date," General Mills spokeswoman Bridget Christenson told the news outlet. She declined to provide the total number of subscribers or how the snacks are distributed, but said the company is relying on digital tools such as social media to reach Nibblr's target consumer — Millennial women.

Nibblr has a direct competitor in Graze.com, another subscription-based company owned by Carlyle Group L.P. According to a Bloomberg report, United Kingdom-based Graze launched U.S. operations earlier this year. The company’s single plant and shipping center in Jersey City, N.J., already serves 55,000 customers and is adding 1,000 customers a day.