Dacon announced it completed the construction of the 88 Acres facility. The company says food influences health, performance, celebratory moments and cultural exchanges and today’s shift from commodity-driven pricing to personalized products reflects a growing consumer preference for transparency and value-added benefits. Today, consumer choice is an exercise in sustainable sourcing, non-GMO, vegan, allergen-free, nutrient-dense and gluten-free shopping. Snacks have transitioned from impulse to pre-planned purchases, becoming a staple in the American diet. The U.S. retains the largest global snack revenue at $105.9 billion, outpacing Japan, India and China.
88 Acres’ products offer flexible nutrition for modern lifestyles based on seeds. As a sustainable food resource, seeds are nutrient-dense due to their ability to grow a plant. They are also high in protein, healthy fats, fiber, taste and texture properties and are not a common food allergen. The portfolio consists of seed-based protein bars, seed and oat granola bars, seed butters and crunchy granola clusters called Seed’nola. Favorites include Dark Chocolate Sea Salt and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Seed + Oat Bars, Banana Bread Protein Bars and Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter. 88 Acres snacks are distributed nationally in grocery stores, mass retailers, K12 and higher education partners, on airlines, Amazon and from its website.
Originally created in their apartment kitchen, 88 Acres’ first production facility was in Dorchester. The brand's growth has resulted in a new headquarters leased from Camber Development at 85 John Road in Canton, Mass. The site gives 88 Acres 6x the production capacity of their previous bakery. Acres crafts their artisan snacks in-house to uphold the highest allergy standards. Function was prioritized over form for this facility design, with the facility being reconfigured to easily meet growing demand. Areas include a quality control lab, R&D lab, production area, cooling room, warehouse, executive offices and conference rooms totaling 30,000 sq. ft. The resulting effect is overall organizational continuity between sales/marketing, warehousing, R&D and production functions.
To honor 88 Acres, Dacon funded a water conservation program in Canton. Currently, the Neponset Watershed Association monitors water quality via testing for the presence of chemicals, water depth, temperature, clarity and dissolved oxygen in a 120-mile area around the Neponset River. Working with NepWA, a green team of local high school students will tag 200 drains with markers to educate citizens on stormwater contamination. Street runoff from fertilizers and debris is the largest source of water pollution. The use of chemicals and illegal dumping in drains affects the drinking water for 120,000 citizens along the Neponset River.