Kind (company)

Kind LLC
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Snack food
Founded	2004; 22 years ago in New York City, United States
Founder	Daniel Lubetzky
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	United States (also operates as BE-KIND outside English-speaking markets)
Key people	Daniel Lubetzky (founder)
Products	Snack bars, granola pouches, frozen bars, refrigerated nut-butter bars, chocolate clusters
Number of employees	500
Parent	Mars Inc.

Kind LLC (operating under the brand name Kind Healthy Snacks, stylized as KIND) is a snack food enterprise headquartered in New York City, established in 2004 by entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky. Since 2020, it has functioned as a subsidiary of Mars Inc.

History

Kind was launched by Daniel Lubetzky in 2004, achieving approximately $1 million in revenue within its inaugural year. In 2008, private equity firm VMG Partners made an investment that facilitated a substantial scale-up of Kind’s sampling initiatives—from a modest $800 budget to $800,000 by 2009—resulting in expanded presence across 20,000 retail outlets. In 2014, Lubetzky reacquired VMG’s stake to regain full ownership of the company.

Today, Kind’s products are stocked in more than 150,000 retail locations across the United States. In 2014 alone, the company sold over 458 million bars and granola pouches, nearly doubling its sales compared to the previous year. The workforce comprises around 500 employees.

Key acquisitions include Creative Snacks, based in North Carolina, acquired in October 2019, and Nature's Bakery, a snack bar manufacturer purchased in December 2020. Early in 2020, Kind broadened its product portfolio by launching frozen bars, refrigerated nut-butter bars, and chocolate clusters to reach wider consumer segments and stimulate growth.

Kind movement

The KIND Movement embodies Kind’s commitment to promoting kindness as a core philosophy. Initiated in 2009 through the Do the Kind Thing platform, it empowers consumers to convert acts of kindness into tangible support for various causes. This initiative features Kind acts, #kindawesome cards, and Kind Causes, with over one million acts of kindness either performed or facilitated. Time magazine has highlighted it as an innovative approach to making a positive impact.

Mars ownership

Mars initially acquired a minority interest in Kind in 2017, valuing the company at more than $4 billion amid sales of $718.9 million that year. In November 2020, Mars announced its intention to purchase the remaining shares for $5 billion to fully integrate Kind and accelerate its international expansion and product development.

Products

Kind’s product range includes eight distinct lines: Fruit & Nut, Plus, Nuts & Spices, Healthy Grains Bars, Healthy Grains Clusters, Strong & Kind, Breakfast, Pressed by Kind, and Frozen.

Significant product introductions include:

2008: Launch of Kind Plus—bars composed of whole nuts and fruit enriched with fiber and antioxidants.
2010: Introduction of 100-calorie Kind minis.
2011: Debut of Healthy Grains Clusters granola.
2012: Release of Nuts & Spices bars containing no more than 5 grams of sugar.
2013: Launch of Healthy Grains granola bars.
2014: Introduction of Strong & Kind savory snacks featuring 10 grams of soy- and whey-free protein.
2016: Expansion with Breakfast line and Dark Chocolate Almond & Mint variant.

In May 2025, as part of its sustainability initiatives, Kind rolled out recyclable packaging for selected bars available at Whole Foods.

Outside English-speaking markets, the brand operates under the name BE-KIND.

Controversies

In 2015, the FDA challenged Kind’s use of the term "healthy" on four snack bar labels and questioned the use of a plus sign. The agency pointed out that regulations define "healthy" snacks as those containing one gram or less of saturated fat and require that plus indicates a nutrient content at least 10% higher than standard category levels.

Kind responded by pledging to update the labeling on these products and initiated a thorough review of all offerings to ensure full compliance with FDA guidelines. A company spokesperson emphasized that nuts—key ingredients contributing to product appeal—contain beneficial fats which exceed the FDA’s saturated fat thresholds.

External links