Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Eric Christianson, CEO at Nutrient Survival:
Q: Can you share insights into Nutrient Survival’s growth trajectory and key milestones achieved since its inception? What unique strategies have you employed to position Nutrient Survival in the market?
A: Nutrient Survival was born in 2020 during the early months of the pandemic as global food supplies became completed disrupted overnight. People who were brave enough to go out, grabbed what they could. Stores quickly became depleted, and people were left with few choices. Many went on-line to shop. There they found us, Nutrient Survival, an to end-to-end food tech company that makes the world’s most nutrient-dense food and beverages to give people the nutrition they need to endure.
Most Emergency Food provides very little nutrition. For them, it’s about cheap, empty calories that do nothing for your body and mind. And because there’s no true nutrition in these survival foods, if that’s all you eat, you will ironically die. That’s why we did something different with Nutrient Survival. It’s top shelf, delicious, Special Ops grade nutrition. Designed to the same nutritional standards of the US military for its elite Special Operations Forces, but importantly, for people like us. Each meal is packed with 40 essential nutrients – vitamins, minerals, protein amino acids, omega fatty acids and fiber.
As you can see, our key strategy is based on quality and differentiation. We started exclusively on-line with our own website, building an intimate devoted direct-to-consumer following for our brand. Since then, we’ve expanded to other ecommerce partners like Amazon, Walmart.com, Costco.com, and are not ready to cross-over into traditional retail.
Q: What inspired the creation of Nutrient Survival’s product line, and how do your offerings differentiate from other competitors in the industry
A: Our products were inspired by my time in the military. I was in some high intensity units during my time as a former Army Ranger, serving from the jungles of Panama to air of the famous 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles. One thing we needed more anything was a sound body and mind to carry on our missions.
Fortunately, military scientists studied what soldiers needed to optimally perform under this kind of constant stress. What they determined was that the secret lie in nutrient dense food. That’s why we picked up their research and formulated our products to that same standard. But unlike the military, our food is created by a trained culinary chef and then handcrafted in small batches, with real fresh ingredients. Only after it’s delicious, do we fortify it with the all the essential nutrients your body needs. From there, we freeze dry for 24 hours. This process is expensive but worth it. It removes the water, but locks in all the flavor and nutrition that we put into it. The result is long-lasting, lightweight, and delicious food. When you’re ready to use it, just add a little hot water and it rehydrates for a tasty meal just like when it left the chef’s kitchen.
Our products range from hearty entrées like Homestyle Scramble and Triple Cheese Mac, to strength building shakes like Creamy Chocolate, to immune boosting drinks. We sell these in various formats like large #10 cans, multiserve pantry packs, single serve packs, and convenient drink sticks.
Q: How does Nutrient Survival identify and target its consumer base? Can you elaborate on any specific marketing or distribution strategies that have been particularly effective in reaching your target audience
A: A recent report by FEMA said that 77% of people believe they will be impacted by a disaster in the near future, yet just 50% of people feel they are prepared for that. So what I’m saying is that preparing isn’t just for Doomsday Preppers anymore. Preparing is common sense. We all have car insurance, health insurance, and home insurance. We all save a little money for a rainy day. So why don’t we do the same with our food supplies? The good news is that more and more of us are.
We’ve spent the past several years honing our marketing message and approach. We’re not the cheap calorie guys, so we have to work hard to convince people that we’re worth paying more for. That we’re worth it.
Because of the brand positioning, we’ve partnered with former elite Special Forces operators that believe what we do. We’ve partnered with the reputable “preppers” who are not endorsing us for the money, but because they love our products. I’ve also taken to the “airwaves” as the spokesperson for the brand given my background both in the military and as a former food executive for many years. This authenticity that we all bring carries through and has established us as a values first company with consumers.
As the market for survival foods evolves, how does Nutrient Survival stay ahead in terms of product innovation and adaptation to changing consumer preferences or dietary trends.
Generally speaking, survival food has a bad reputation. After all, it’s the stuff most people stick in the basement and hope they never have to dip into. For us, we celebrate our taste and culinary credentials. Even more so, we celebrate our complete nutrition. All of our foods are made with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. All of them except for the pasta dishes are gluten free. We use plant-based proteins to deliver an excellent source of protein in all our meals, including the meal replacement shakes.
To stay ahead of the pack, we spend a lot of time in the marketplace looking at trends, new ingredients, and new products in other categories. Because we’re a smaller food company with a strong nutritional background, we can move much faster than the big companies to formulate with new beneficial ingredients that they won’t get to for years to come.
Q: Looking ahead, what are Nutrient Survival’s upcoming initiatives or product launches?
A: We’re proud of roots in emergency food, but the truth is that our food shouldn’t just be for those situations. Nutrients can keep us healthy and vital every day we’re alive. But we have to work at it, especially when we’re surrounded by today’s world of ultra-processed foods. One of the greatest issues we’re facing as a population is growing incidence of cognitive decline or dementia. As medicine has helped us live longer, our brains have not been keeping up. Sadly, 1 in 3 seniors is dying with some form of dementia. It doesn’t have to be that way. Our brains were designed to last our entire lives. In fact, our brain longevity is just 3% genetics, and 97% behavioral choices. And it starts with nutrition. That’s why our latest innovation is focused on brain health with food specifically designed with brain targeted nutrients. It’s called BrainCare.
The star of the show is our Brain Omega 3 Bar. Made with sweet ripe figs, dark chocolate, cranberries, rolled oats and organic rice crisps, and other natural ingredients, these bars are simply delicious. What’s amazing though is that each bar has as much omega 3 as a fillet of salmon, but without the fishy taste. But the 1,948mg of omega-3 is just the beginning. Each bar is also packed with 8g of protein – 1.5g from collagen, and 40 essential nutrients – vitamins and minerals, aminos, omegas and fiber – plus naturally occurring flavonoids providing powerful antioxidants. Tasting is believing and once you do, you won’t ever be without these incredible bars again.
You can also learn more from our book “Eat to Think,” co-authored with Peter M. Castleman and available on Amazon. The book both explores the beauty of the brain and how it is designed to regenerate forever while empowering readers with Six Pillars of Brilliance to strengthen brain health and longevity.
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