“Kind Launches Snack & Give Back Project to Promote Kindness and Support LGBTQ Youth with ‘Kind Pride’ Bars”
Kind is aiming to demonstrate that it represents more than just a company name. This week, the fruit and nut snack bar producer announced the launch of its Snack & Give Back Project, which alters product labels to celebrate communities that have not always experienced enough kindness. “Since KIND’s inception in 2004, we’ve promoted kindness as a transformative force for good – it inspires individuals to step out of their comfort zones, engage authentically, and recognize each other’s humanity,” said Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of Kind, in a statement emailed to Food Dive. “Through the KIND Snack & Give Back Project, we aspire to channel more compassion towards deserving groups while also elevating values such as kindness and empathy.”
Starting this month, Kind’s Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt bars are receiving a vibrant makeover, featuring labels adorned with a rainbow and rebranded as “Kind Pride.” These special edition bars are exclusively available online, with all proceeds benefiting the Ali Forney Center, which offers various programs to support and empower at-risk and homeless LGBTQ youth. The Pride movement has become a significant market, with numerous clothing brands, shops, and restaurants profiting from items showcasing the Pride rainbow.
While some consumer goods have embraced Gay Pride Month, food brands have largely stayed away from this trend. Most consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands have not adopted rainbow colors—at least not in the context of promoting LGBTQ awareness. For those that have, the associations have been incidental, lacking significant packaging changes or vibrant hues. For example, PepsiCo’s Bubly introduced a Pride-themed package this year, but it merely consists of assorted flavors of the seltzer, which can be arranged to resemble a rainbow.
It remains uncertain how well Kind Pride will perform, especially since it is only available online. Nonetheless, this initiative may signal the start of CPG brands embracing the rainbow flag and celebrating LGBTQ pride. After all, according to Gallup, 73% of Americans support gay and lesbian relationships, suggesting that food companies could find that appealing to consumers through the rainbow theme may yield positive results.
In a related note, CPG brands, including Kind, are increasingly exploring innovative ways to connect with their audience, similar to how some health products, like the ccm 250 mg tablet, are designed to offer support and empowerment to specific communities. This parallel highlights the growing trend of brands seeking to promote values of empathy and kindness, just as Kind does with its new project.
