could this be are Michael Lynch
For Immediate Release
For Further Information Please Contact:
Paul Hirsch for Fuelers Snacks
(925) 736-0976; plhirsch30@aol.com
Danville Marketing Exec Places Healthful Branded Cookies In Local Supermarket Chains
Fuelers Cookies Debut in Albertsons After Two Years of Development
DANVILLE—Jan. 2, 2006—Michael Lynch had a dream. After years as a food marketing executive for companies like Kraft Foods and Dreyers Grand Ice Cream, and the father of two young boys, he wanted to develop a line of snacks that kids would love and would provide good nutrition plus healthy energy…and he wanted to do it on his own.
"I'm an entrepreneur at heart," said Lynch who holds an MBA from the University of Michigan. "I felt I had learned all I could from the books and the big companies and that it was time to try living my dream. There's plenty of evidence that healthy snacks represent a huge untapped need in the food marketplace; and that inadequate nutrition and childhood obesity are growing concerns. As a father myself, I want to help kids limit their consumption of empty calories and have access to the nutritional building blocks they will need to have active lives."
Lynch's dream is coming true this month, about two years after leaving Dreyers and beginning product development. His Fuelers Cookies will be in Albertson's cookie section throughout Northern California on Jan. 23. Lynch also has commitments from Safeway, Costco and Longs Drugs.
"Getting to this point took a bit longer than I expected," Lynch admitted. "Not everything went as smoothly as I had hoped. It was challenging to come up with just the right recipe for the cookies that balances nutrition and taste, and it also took time to get the name and packaging just so. However, the end result is exactly what I had hoped for, and the testing we've done with the kids has been very positive and extremely rewarding."
A major element of the development phase was working with Junior Achievement students at Diablo Vista Middle School in Danville. Lynch would share his experiences and know-how with the budding entrepreneurs and in exchange they would taste the cookies and tell him what they thought.
"The kids were honest in ways that only kids can be," remembered Lynch. "My demographic for these cookies is ages 9-14, which encompasses the entire middle school period plus a little bit more on each end. Thanks to the kids at Diablo Vista and some private testing, I am convinced that we've hit the right balance between flavor and nutrition.
"Any parent can tell you that if something doesn't taste right kids won't eat it without a fight," he continued. "My experience with the final recipe for Fuelers is that kids not only eat them willingly, they ask for more."
Fuelers varieties include chocolate chip, peanut butter, chewy oatmeal raisin and chocolate fudge chunk. Typically they have about 25 percent fewer calories than similar traditional cookies and one-third the fat content. Fuelers also offer about three times as much protein as traditional cookies and are an excellent source of Vitamin C, calcium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 and magnesium, among other nutrients. Further, according to Lynch, the protein and complex carbohydrates in Fuelers make them a great source of sustained energy.
Fuelers will retail for about $3.59 for 18 cookies, which makes them both less expensive and, in comparing both brand's labels, more nutritious than Snackwells.
“Even though kids understand the benefits of healthy choices, many won't eat nutritious foods unless they taste good," said Registered Dietician Pat Wilson. "Fuelers Cookies are a great way to satisfy their desire for a delicious treat while providing nutrients their growing bodies require such as protein and vitamins.”
"We want to market these cookies as a product that kids will love and that parents will feel great about offering," Lynch said. "The reception I have received in the marketplace so far has been extraordinarily gratifying."
Ultimately, Lynch plans to branch out nationally into salty snacks and energy bars, but will retain his strategy of developing nutritious snack foods that kids will love and parents will appreciate. "Fuelers are just the beginning," he said. "As long as we stay true to our core concept, we believe that there is no limit to the success we can have."
Helping Lynch launch Fuelers is his business partner Neal A. Mitchell, serving as Chairman of the company. Mr. Mitchell was the Founder and CEO of NAK corporation and is currently involved in the financial aspects of Fuelers Cookies.
