Developing something truly unique isn’t always as simple as sitting in front of a whiteboard and waiting for a bolt of inspiration.
More often than not, the biggest opportunities reveal themselves when life throws an unexpected curveball your way.
It’s those moments of necessity, rather than flashes of genius, that regularly spark the best ideas.
That was certainly the case for Earthnutz founder Abby Singh, who began crafting the “UK’s only nut-based crisp” after her son suffered an allergic reaction to peanuts.
With the healthy snacking market beginning to evolve and flourish, what began as an experiment in the family kitchen snowballed into a range of wholesome peanut protein crisps and virgin peanut oil.
As part of our Founders Series, we sat down with Abby to dig deeper into her inspiration for building the brand, discover how she’s reinventing the humble peanut, recap the journey so far and look ahead to what’s coming next.
Unearthing Earthnutz
The story of how Earthnutz came to be is, fittingly, as distinctive as the product itself. Born from lived experience, shaped by personal challenges and refined through a determination to find a better solution, it all began with a moment no parent ever wants to face.
The catalyst, in this case, was when Abby’s son suffered an allergic reaction to peanuts. Rather than banishing nuts altogether, Abby sought a way for her son to overcome a life of dietary restrictions.
“I enrolled him in a hospital treatment programme to help him build up a tolerance until he could eat whole peanuts,” she explained.
“The only problem was that, after years of avoiding them, he didn’t actually want to eat them. So I started getting creative in the kitchen to make something more fun, familiar and tasty for him to eat*.
“What started as a personal mission soon turned into a product development journey.
“At the same time, I could see the healthy snacking market evolving, with people looking for products that delivered real nutrition without feeling like a compromise.”
Working alongside food industry experts and nutritionists, Abby developed what later became known as Earthnutz: a high-protein, high-fibre snack designed to appease savoury cravings while providing all the nutritional benefits of peanuts.
“They’re shaped like a peanut, crunch like a crisp and come in Salt & Pepper, Sweet Chilli and Wasabi flavours,” she added.
Once Abby had some initial prototypes, she set out on the road to visit stores and conduct sampling with customers, gaining invaluable feedback from every visit.
Armed with that insight, the recipe and formulation got iteratively better from there. As the product began to take its final form, the name flowed naturally.
“Earth nuts is a lesser-known name for peanuts,” Abby continued.
“Unlike most nuts, which grow on trees, peanuts grow in the ground – giving them the name ‘earth nuts’ or ‘groundnuts’.
“The name Earth Nuts had great synergies with my desire to grow a sustainable, healthy food brand. We added the ‘z’ to create Earthnutz, in recognition of the way we supercharge our nutz to make them even more nutritionally powerful.”
Far from your standard packet of flavoured nuts, Earthnutz features several clever additions that elevate each bite beyond pub snack territory and into a category of its own.
Each tube delivers 15g of protein, 6g of fat and just 139 calories, thanks to ingredients such as defatted peanuts, chia seeds and nutritional yeast.
They also provide up to 20% of the RDA of fibre per serving, along with 14 vitamins and minerals – including 29% of the RDA of magnesium, a key nutrient involved in learning, memory and cognitive performance.
As for the flavouring, Earthnutz keeps things natural with honest inclusions like horseradish, wasabi, garlic, ginger and other spices.
“We wanted the same satisfaction of reaching for a packet of crisps, so we’ve re-created that crave-inducing crunch,” Abby added.
“Each crisp is hollow, giving you an irresistible double crunch that’s completely different from eating whole peanuts.”
For Abby, replicating that classic crisp experience with her own unique twist was crucial. As a self-confessed foodie, she rejects the notion that food is purely fuel.
Through Earthnutz, she’s on a mission to prove that building healthy habits and enjoying your grub don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
“I’m a person who loves to eat, and I enjoy my food because it’s a source of creativity for me,” she said.
“Health and wellness has a tendency to spill over into over-optimisation. It stops becoming wellness when we lose connection to the things that made us enjoy it in the first place and to how food makes us feel.
“We don’t need more rules, more tracking or more decisions because that just reinforces the idea that we’re somehow doing it wrong.
“I believe the future of the industry isn’t about giving consumers more information; it’s about giving them more confidence.
“When nutritious food is genuinely simple, satisfying and easy to reach for, healthy habits become sustainable. At the end of the day, wellness should make us feel better!”
Embracing the Peaks and Troughs
It’s fair to say Earthnutz has enjoyed a positive start to life. The nascent brand celebrated a double win at the 2023 Nourish Awards, scooping Gold in the Snacks and Best Ethical Company categories.
“That was a really special moment of validation for everything that I’ve built and all the love and energy that has gone into the recipe, formulation, nutrition, production ethics and packaging,” Abby recalled.
“I was also recognised as a Finalist in the Women in Food and Drinks Award in the Food Waste and Circular Economy Category, so that was really exciting too.”
However, as is the case with any challenger brand, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Abby’s commitment to ethical practices has presented several challenges along the way, not least when it came to designing the packaging.
“We invested 2 years in finding a packaging format that would keep the crisps fresh while being fully recyclable in your home recycling bin, anywhere in the UK.
“We tried every type of eco-packaging on the market – compostable, biodegradable, flexible, recyclable. After months of searching, getting samples, making enquiries and attending packaging conventions, we eventually found a supplier that looked really promising.
“The only problem was that the machinery required to seal the packaging was still in development. From start to finish, it took a year to get from discovery to packaging on the shelves.
“The result is Sonoco’s single-serve paperboard can that’s 90% paper, made from 60% post-consumer recycled fibre and fully recyclable from home.
“They’re distinctive, stackable (taking up less space in each box and pallet), deliver strong shelf standout and, crucially, preserve Earthnutz’s perfect peanut crunch. We’re really happy with them, but it was a tough one to crack.”
Despite the inevitable potholes in each stage of the product development, Abby has enjoyed just as much personal development.
Asked what has been her highlight of the journey so far, she said: “I think the biggest surprise has been realising how much I’m capable of learning.
“Starting Earthnutz has meant wearing every hat possible – from building a production facility from scratch to designing packaging, launching a website and figuring out marketing.
“It’s equal parts chaotic and rewarding, but I love it, and I hope that comes across in the product itself.”
What’s Next for Earthnutz?
As we move into the second half of 2026, Abby’s focus remains fully fixed on growing Earthnutz from the ground up.
Achieving her goal of turning Earthnutz into a household name starts with bolstering the brand’s direct-to-consumer community and getting the squeaky-clean crisps into the hands of more people looking to “eat well without overthinking it.”
“I came across a quote by James Clear in Atomic Habits that has really stuck with me: ‘You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.’
“It completely changed the way I think about health and habits. The easier you make healthy behaviours, the more likely they are to become your default.
“That idea became a big part of why I created Earthnutz: to reduce friction in healthy eating by making good nutrition the easy choice.
“As a brand, if we can make it just a little easier for people to nourish themselves, day after day, then I’d call that success.”
Though peanuts are Abby’s wheelhouse, she says there’s “always room for more” in the pantry.
“New product development is something I’m really passionate about,” she added.
“I’d love to do some limited edition flavours for seasonal events like Christmas, or create some great brand collaborations, such as drinks pairings.”
Quick-Fire Questions With Abby Singh
Describe your perfect customer in five words.
Health-conscious, foodie, active, thoughtful, adventurous.
What’s your USP? In other words, what is it you do differently that sets you apart from the crowd?
Earthnutz combines the crave-inducing crunch of a crisp with the nutritional benefit of nuts – in the UK’s only nut-based crisp.
We create everything from a zero-waste production unit, meaning that no waste is sent to landfill.
Plus, all of the energy used runs off a renewable energy tariff.
Wave a magic wand. Where would the brand be in three years?
Nationwide – in people’s snack cupboards, desk drawers, gym bags, handbags and car doors.
Let’s talk stockists. Where can people find your products, and where do you want to see them listed over the next 12 months?
You can find Earthnutz online through our website and at independents up and down the country. We’ve just launched a fully flexible subscription service delivered straight to your door – making it easier to eat well, without sacrificing flavour.
Can you give us a Gymfluencers’ exclusive? Is there anything going on at Earthnutz HQ that NOBODY knows about yet?
Since you’re asking… yes! I’m currently reaching out to gyms, padel clubs, pilates and yoga studios because I’d love Earthnutz to be available where people are already investing in their health.
If you know a venue that would be a great fit, or run one yourself, drop us a line at sales@earthnutz.com. We love working with independent businesses and bringing healthy snacking a little closer to home.
*Earthnutz are NOT meant for allergy sufferers because they contain a large amount of peanuts.*
