Meet Our Makers: Amber Pitsis of Valli Snacks

Amber Pitsis is the Founder & CEO of Valli Snacks, creators of a range of delicious superfood gummies. These superfood lollies appeal strongly to folks looking for vegan, gut friendly, all natural and delightfully convenient treats.

They’re Australian made with no added sugar, a five star health rating and some serious nostalgia points to boot! A perfect five star health score is as rare as hen’s teeth – especially for candy – making Valli a real hit with parents and caregivers.

The growth of Valli Snacks is a great example of seeing a gap in the market, staying true to your vision and the importance of partnering with people who really understand your brand.

C&C: Hi Amber! Can you tell us a bit about the early days of Valli Snacks? Where did the idea come from and how did the business get started?

Amber: Of course - it seems like so long ago now! I’m very health conscious, I love eating well, I train every day and I have a sweet tooth. I was trying to create a snack that wasn’t just for me and was also for my children, that was more ‘guilt free’ than what was out on the market but was also functional. Something that you could enjoy while also getting the benefits. 

Also, knowing that my kids were having something that was actually benefitting them - it’s got all of the fruits, vegetables and superfoods and they’re hidden so that you can’t even taste them. I really did find it hard to find a snack that I could really indulge in, let alone one that I can indulge in and feel great about afterwards. I had the Sour Apple supergreen product initially in mind - I love superfoods myself and would eat my daily greens. So at first, it was the concept and the idea. 

From there, the next part was obviously trying to make the idea real. We started Valli three years ago now. It’s taken three years for us to get it off the ground because I was trying to create a product that wasn’t a functional vitamin (where you could only take one) but it also wasn’t just a plain confectionery. It was about finding the right manufacturing partner, one that understood the Valli vision - a partner who shared the vision and could bring that to life.

It was just lots of reaching out to people, lots of trying to get someone to understand. It was a lot of finding someone who could understand Valli and what we wanted to do with Valli, to then bring it to life. That was probably the hardest part of starting Valli. At the time, there was no one out there that could merge the functional world with the confectionery world. Once we started to find someone who understood what we wanted to do, we started flavouring. Then we moved onto branding and then went from there. 

C&C: One of the key parts of Valli Snacks is the amazing flavours. What was the flavour testing process like and how did you come up with the flavours?

Amber: This one was very logical actually! The functional ingredients played a major role in this - you couldn’t have a cola bottle shape paired with green ingredients. The first step for us was to logically match a great shape, colour and flavour with the functional ingredients. Obviously, our Sour Apple has all of the greens in it so we went with a green colour. The Antioxidant Raspberry Lovehearts are great for your heart - so we made them a heart shape. When we were picking flavours, there were a few different flavours that we tried and figured out which were our favourites. It wasn’t all logical - there was also flavour profile testing behind it as well. 

C&C: Turning to the Valli Snacks packaging, it’s super bright and colourful and you also get a very clear message on the front of the packaging emphasising the health benefits. How did you create and design the packaging?

Amber: We started with our brand personality, which is fun, interesting and something a little different. We wanted to stand out so that people could see us on the shelf. Even thinking about how we picked the name Valli - Valentine is my daughter’s name and her nickname is Valli (my kids were a massive inspiration behind this whole brand) - it worked so well. We didn’t want to be a beige, boring confectionery brand or health food product and wanted to really mix that confectionery world with a healthy world. It was important that we had the logos that called out the benefits of the product at the bottom and made a real statement.

C&C: What has the process of getting Valli Snacks ‘on the shelf’ been like?

Amber: I think it really started with identifying that gap in the market - the superfood benefits with the functional lolly - and then a lot of it was finding the right manufacturer and right distribution partner that could bring Valli to life. Once we had the product in place, it was about bringing the branding to life and then bringing the online side to life. It all just worked together over time. 

C&C: In that process of getting the products ‘on the shelf’ and going through that evolution, how did you end up working with a distributor and why did you choose to work with Cartel & Co? 

Amber: A distributor was an easy option for us, but Cartel & Co had a great reputation in the industry and a lot of people had spoken very highly of them.

When we met, we really got that instant feeling of a true partnership - someone who was really going to be honest and had the care towards our brand that we did. I think this was the most important thing with picking a distributor - they had to have that same love and care and want for our brand to grow. Also, what we both liked in brands aligned - good quality, premium products that are good for you. Cartel & Co understood what we were as a brand and I instantly knew that we would work well as a team. 

C&C: If I was brand new to the Valli Snacks world, which product would you recommend that I try first?

Amber: The Antioxidant Raspberry Lovehearts - everyone loves the flavour and texture of them and it is probably the all round winner right now. But I must say, there is a new variety coming that may easily take first place and could be the ones to watch out for. So stay tuned!  

C&C: What do you envision for the future of Valli Snacks as a brand?

Amber: Gummies have been a great, fun starting point, but I do actually see this branching out into other avenues of the snack world as well. Things like interesting chips and bars with added superfoods and bringing the interesting aspect to snacking. That’s the goal!

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