Food for Thought
With a new twist on familiar snack foods, this entrepreneur has success in the bag.
Vital Stats: James Lindsay,
40, founder of Rap Snacks Inc.
Company: Philadelphia-based
maker of snack foods
Projected 2003 Sales: $4
million to $5 million
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Crunch Time: Lindsay's
snack-business savvy spawned from a youthful obsession.
"I've always been curious about the snack industry. If
there were inconsistencies in the product, I'd call the company
to find out why." Working as a salesperson for Warner-Lambert
(makers of Certs and Sugar Babies), Lindsay heard word of a layoff
and sought new employment . . . for himself. Says Lindsay, "I
found [snack food-making] was a multibillion-dollar
industry."
"It feels good
to make a difference and set an example for the
kids."
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Tasters' Choice: Rap
Snack's popcorn, chips and cheese curls come in 11 flavors,
with packaging featuring cartoon renderings of rap artists such as
Lil' Romeo, Master P and Nelly; a small bio with album release
dates; Web sites; and positive messages. Distributing mostly to
independent businesses in the inner city nationwide, Lindsay sold
out 800 cases within two hours of his launch. He plans to expand to
mass merchandisers by September.
25 Cent: Each bag of Rap
Snacks sells for a quarter. "In the inner city, every kid has
a quarter, but not every kid has a dollar. It's a cheaper way
to develop brand loyalty; I'm able to grow with the customer
base."
Chipping In: Each
artist's label pays a promotional fee to Rap Snacks.
"[Labels] spend money on posters and things like that all the
time," says Lindsay. "I told them it would be beneficial
to promote their albums on our bags because we're reaching 2
million to 3 million kids [per] week."