Keep Food Fun: The Founders of Oddball and Shaxshot on the Future of Snacks
by: Ahmed Lone, SEAS '24
February 7, 2024
The Gourmand community at Columbia was thrilled to recently host Sophia Cheng and Andrea Hernandez for our "Food For Thought'' panel in collaboration with CORE. The two are revolutionary forces in the food industry: Sophia Cheng is the founder of Oddball, a fruit-based snack brand promoting healthy alternatives to traditional snacks, and Andrea Hernandez is the visionary behind Snaxshot, a platform known for predicting food and snack trends to spotlight the coolest emerging brands. Both guests shared their unique journeys into the food industry, their visions for their companies, and their thoughts on snacks, big food incumbents, and the future of food marketing that both are helping build.
The Rockstars
Sophia grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong, where in her words, “food is considered a love language”. Her life path is probably not so unfamiliar to many Columbia students, with time spent in management consulting and hedge funds before taking a pivotal role at Estee Lauder. It was there, holed up during the pandemic, that Sophia noticed a systemic problem when evaluating her own relationship with food: 70% of American caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods. Searching for a healthier alternative to her daily ice cream bar habit, she envisioned Oddball as a way to challenge the processed food industry and its deceptive practices.
Andrea, hailing from Honduras where she is currently based, brings a global perspective to her work. Her experiences with her grandmother's traditional cooking helped inspire a passion for food, but her "aha" moment came in 2019 while navigating the commodification of wellness in the marketing world. From this, she set out to create Snaxshot as an antithesis to the marketing-driven food industry, advocating for genuine food experiences.
Tackling Food Giants
Both entrepreneurs share a vision of shaking up the food and snack industry. Sophia is determined to make snacking fun again while also advocating for a return to real, unprocessed foods. Who's ready for the era of fun campaigns like a more health conscious Tony the Tiger? Andrea focuses on providing a transparent, consumer-first platform that helps navigate the overwhelming choice in today's snack market. With this, she aspires to create a mix of "SNL meets Anthony Bourdain" content that cuts through the noise without compromising integrity.
Both have taken on big incumbents of the industries - Sophia emphasized the importance of consumer education and creative resistance against the monopolistic practices of large food companies and Andrea pointed out the critical role of consumer support for independent brands, highlighting the true cost of quality in the face of criticism over pricing. As newer ventures, they have their finger on the pulse, leveraging trends like the "snackification" of meals and noting the challenges of differentiating in a crowded market. Neither are worried however, confident in their authenticity and ability to connect with consumers to light the way.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Sophia encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on solving real problems and to be strategic about seeking advice. She emphasized the importance of building an accountability structure to keep you moving fast. Andrea highlighted the value of trust and responsibility, both in terms of internal team dynamics and in the broader consumer-brand relationship. Both repeatedly have proved their hustle - whether it was hand packaging commercial batches of Jello for a Superbowl showcase or taking a hands-on approach to training employees and interns.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Sophia Cheng and Andrea Hernandez for sharing their insights and experiences with us. The experience was a powerful reminder to keep food fun, and we wish them the best.