Riding on the economic recovery of the post-pandemic era and the growing clamor for healthier food options, PH-based startup and snack food brand Honest Junk is now looking to expand in multiple ways. From offering a wider range of products to their customers, increasing their retail footprint with more stores, exploring the potential of the TikTok marketplace, and expanding geographically into Cebu, Davao, and Iloilo, Honest Junk is on the move.
Honest Junk’s planned expansion is timely. Anticipated to surpass US$11 billion by 2027, the snack food market in the Philippines is poised for significant expansion in the coming years. Yet as consumers become increasingly discerning, there has been a noticeable shift towards healthier and higher-quality snacking alternatives.
Founded in 2016, Honest Junk is the brainchild of PR professional and entrepreneur Celine Gabriel Lim and former PlanaForma fitness studio CEO and Go Nuts Donuts owner Christina Trillana-Lagdameo.
Honest Junk’s story started when Lim was in the middle of her in vitro fertilization treatment and had to go gluten and dairy-free. The dietary change was understandably a challenge, especially when it came time to shop for healthy snacks. It’s a dilemma familiar to anyone who’s had to start eating healthier: everything that tastes good is either expensive or bad for you.
That same year, Lim decided that she had enough. Leveraging Lagdameo’s expertise in the food and fitness industries, the two women worked together to craft healthier versions of beloved snacks such as cookies, crackers, gummy bears, and chocolate bars. For example, the line’s Super Cookies are a healthier take on chocolate chip cookies and are vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, and low in sugar and sodium. Similarly, Honest Junk’s Cheese Barks are gluten-free, nut-free, and sugar-free.
ingredients for a guilt-free indulgence.
The brand uses a number of strategies such as working with local suppliers and performing taste tests to keep costs low while keeping the same great taste. Additionally, Honest Junk also makes a point of showcasing Filipino flavors and ingredients to distinguish itself from other healthy eating brands. The brand’s Super Gummies, for example, come in a range of fruit flavors and are fortified with moringa, which is known locally as malunggay.
With the brand going strong for about seven years now and outlasting challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s worth examining how the brand is able to keep its commitment to tasty and accessible healthy snacking.
What sets the brand apart
One of Honest Junk’s most distinguishing features is its low prices. A 100-gram packet of its Super Gummies costs less than P100. A 150-gram packet of its Super Cookies costs only P120. The prices for all individual snacks in the Honest Junk store rarely ever go above P200—something that puts it in stark contrast with popular health boutiques.
According to Lagdameo the key to keeping prices low is Honest Junk’s effort in building a roster of several local suppliers. “Having several suppliers helps compare prices and tells you what kind of deals other suppliers can offer you,” explained Lagdameo.
It also helps that Lagdameo herself has key experiences in both the food and fitness industries, having taken lead roles in both Go Nuts Donuts and PlanaForma Fitness. Go Nuts Donuts would expose her to the ins-and-outs of food manufacturing while PlanaForma gave her a deeper understanding of the healthy lifestyle market. Lagdameo’s years of experience from both of these ventures then helped her understand what it would take to make a commercially viable product.
Each one of Honest Junk’s products also went through rigorous taste tests involving Lagdameo’s kids. “Each one of our products had to hit three things: affordability, usage of local ingredients, and of course, taste,” explained Lagdameo. “But the trick was that I didn’t tell them it was supposed to be healthy. We wanted to know what they really thought of the taste.” With her kids as a source of honest and unfiltered advice, Lagdameo immediately knew if a snack could perform in the market.
The dedication to showcasing Filipino flavors and ingredients is also a crucial component to enhancing the flavor in Honest Junk’s products. Distinctly tropical fruits such as dalandan, guava, and calamansi are infused into its line of gummy bears. Additionally, fortifying it with moringa means the gummies also offer an additional boost in vitamins and minerals.
Honest Junk’s use of Filipino ingredients even empowers other Filipino entrepreneurs. Its thin and crip Cheese Barks are crafted using authentic farmhouse fresh cheese sourced from Malagos Farmhouse in Mindanao. “We went as far as going directly to Malagos Farmhouse and working with their founder and pioneering cheesemaker Olive Puentespina,” Lagdameo revealed. “She even formulated one of her cheeses to fit our cheese bars specifically.”
Honest Junk’s dedication to embodying a distinctly Filipino spirit remained strong even during the pandemic. Inspired by the bayanihan spirit and the generosity displayed by Filipinos during the pandemic, they introduced Love Local, a special product featuring Super Gummies mixed with bite-sized dried fruit. For every pack of Love Local sold, Honest Junk donated a mask to Kythe Foundation for children battling cancer. Additionally, Honest Junk partnered with Wholly Scrap!, a brand that employed displaced Filipino seamstresses to create upcycled masks using fabric scraps, contributing to environmental sustainability and supporting local businesses.
Adapting to challenges
Though Honest Junk has survived business challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, that doesn’t mean the challenges are over.
“We’re definitely affected by the ongoing price fluctuations in the sugar industry, even if it’s used minimally in our snacks,” Lagdameo admitted. “The cost of coconut sugar and raw sugar is constantly changing.”
The price fluctuations also compound issues of erratic supply. With prices so unpredictable, it becomes a challenge to manage and keep track of inventory. The problem is only exacerbated during periods of peak demand, such as the holidays.
However, Honest Junk understands that it has to adapt to these challenges. The brand isn’t afraid to experiment and change its lineup of products to adjust to the realities of the supply chain. As long as the product meets their standards of taste and pricing, Honest Junk is willing to give it a try.
Additionally, Honest Junk is active in both e-commerce and retail outlets. Not only does this make their products more accessible to the average Filipino, but it gives the brand two legs to stand on. “Both are important and we manage the dynamics between the two by following the sales trends,” explained Lagdameo. “For example, we double down on retail sales on Christmas because that’s when people rush to the stores to buy gifts. For back-to-school sales, which involve staying home more, we noticed our online sales are stronger. We switch focus as necessary and meet people where they are.”
As Honest Junk sets its sights on expanding its product offerings and venturing into new markets, customers can rest assured that the brand will remain dedicated to its mission of providing enjoyable and affordable healthy eating options – whether you’re an adult striving for a healthier lifestyle or a child in search of a satisfying snack.