How Lesser Evil Popped Into A Master Class in Innovation
In a world drowning in “healthy” snack options, one brand dared to ask: What if we stopped compromising?
Lesser Evil’s journey from a small Connecticut startup to a major player in the better-for-you snack space isn’t just another health food success story – it’s a masterclass in brand positioning and market disruption.
The Unlikely Origin Story
Charles Coristine wasn’t your typical food entrepreneur. A former Wall Street trader, he spent years in finance before purchasing Lesser Evil in 2012. The brand, which had been struggling to find its footing, needed more than just a capital injection—it required a complete reimagining.
What Coristine brought to the table wasn’t just business acumen but a personal revelation. After experiencing his health transformation through clean eating, he saw an opportunity to create snacks that genuinely delivered on the promise of being better for consumers, not just marginally less harmful.
Positioning That Cuts Through the Noise
Lesser Evil took a boldly different approach in an industry where “natural” and “healthy” had become meaningless buzzwords.
They positioned themselves as radical transparency advocates, going beyond organic certification to scrutinize every ingredient and process. Their strategy wasn’t just about being better than conventional snacks but redefining what “better for you” meant.
The brand’s genius is making premium ingredients and meticulous production processes part of its story. While competitors were racing to the bottom on price, Lesser Evil invested in coconut oil instead of cheaper alternatives, organic cassava flour instead of conventional starches, and Himalayan salt instead of regular table salt. These choices weren’t just about product quality; they became powerful marketing differentiators.
Note: I had never tasted Lesser Evil, so I bought the Himalyan Pink Salt Popcorn popped in coconut oil. Wow. This was a much better taste and flavor experience than I expected. I’m now hooked and a repeat customer. No one paid me to write this post; I liked the popcorn’s taste. – Jeff
Smart Moves That Fueled Growth
1. Product Innovation with Purpose: Lesser Evil didn’t just launch products – they created new subcategories. Their “Paleo Puffs” and “Power Curls” weren’t mere line extensions but strategic entries into emerging dietary trends, capturing consumers before more prominent brands could react.
2. Channel Strategy: Rather than immediately pushing for broad distribution, Lesser Evil built strong relationships with natural food retailers and specialty stores. This approach allowed them to establish brand credibility and command premium pricing before expanding into conventional retail.
3. Manufacturing Control: By maintaining its production facility in Danbury, Connecticut, Lesser Evil maintained control of its product quality while maintaining higher margins than competitors who relied on contract manufacturers.
Valuation Insights
As of February 2025, the popcorn brand Lesser Evil was being considered for sale at a valuation of $1 billion. According to several online sources, their revenue in 2024 was estimated at $150MM.
The valuation comes from:
– The brand’s rapid growth trajectory, premium positioning in high-growth categories, strong margins from vertical integration, established distribution in natural and conventional channels, and the broader market’s appetite for better-for-you snack brands.
Cognitive Fluency
This concept is often called the “adjacent possible” or “incremental innovation” in product design theory.
The Adjacent Possible Concept
The theory suggests products that are:
- Familiar enough to be immediately understandable
- Slightly novel in their approach
- Not too radically different from existing solutions
A familiar and immediately understandable product has a significantly higher chance of market adoption and success.
Why Radical Innovation Often Fails
Ultimately, revolutionary products face multiple barriers:
- Requires extensive user education
- Challenge existing mental models
- Demand significant behavior change
- Increase perceived risk for consumers
- Often perceived as too complex or intimidating
The Optimal Innovation Strategy
Successful innovations typically:
- Build upon existing mental models
- Solves known problems in a slightly unexpected way
- Provide just enough novelty to be exciting
- Maintain enough familiarity to feel comfortable and low-risk
Real-World Examples
- Apple – The iPhone evolution follows this pattern perfectly. Each new generation maintains 80-90% similarity to the previous model while adding incremental innovations (better cameras, faster processors, or new features like Face ID) that don’t require users to relearn how to use the device.
- Dyson – Built on the familiar vacuum cleaner concept but added cyclone technology and bagless design. Users immediately understood what it was but appreciated the improvements without needing education on an entirely new category.
- Airbnb – Took the familiar concept of vacation rentals but added a digital platform and trust mechanisms. The basic concept of “staying in someone’s home” wasn’t new, just the delivery method.
- Nespresso – Built on the familiar coffee maker but simplified it with pods. Users didn’t need to learn a completely new way to make coffee, just a variation on a familiar process.
- Ring doorbell – Took the familiar doorbell concept and added video capabilities and smartphone connectivity without changing the fundamental use case.
- Oatly – Built on the familiar concept of milk but made from oats. The usage, packaging, and application were all identical to regular milk, requiring minimal consumer education.
- Swiffer – Built on traditional mops and dusters but added disposable cloths and a simpler design. The function remained familiar while improving convenience.
- Sonos – Built on traditional speakers but added wireless connectivity and multi-room capabilities without changing how people fundamentally interact with music systems.
This approach is sometimes called “cognitive fluency” in design psychology. Consumers are more likely to embrace a product that feels like an intuitive evolution rather than a complete revolution. The human brain naturally seeks patterns and resists dramatic changes, so “comfortably different” products tend to succeed more often than radical departures from the norm.
Three Key Lessons for Food & Beverage Entrepreneurs
1. Radical Differentiation Matters But Consider an Incremental Improvement
Don’t just make a slightly better version of what exists. Lesser Evil succeeded by fundamentally rethinking what clean snacking could mean, creating clear daylight between themselves and competitors. But they built their ideas on existing models.
2. Vertical Integration Can Be a Strategic Advantage
While conventional wisdom often favors asset-light models, controlling your production can provide quality assurance and margin advantages that offset the capital investment. Lesser Evil isn’t subject to the challenges of contract packing.
3. Build Your Tribe Before Your Distribution
Lesser Evil’s success wasn’t built on the immediate scale but on creating deep connections with early adopters who became brand evangelists. This foundation made broader expansion more sustainable and profitable.
The Lesser Evil story reminds us that playing it safe is often the riskiest strategy in a crowded marketplace. Their willingness to make bold choices – in ingredients, manufacturing, and positioning – created a brand that stands out in a sea of sameness.
The lesson for entrepreneurs looking to build the next great food brand is clear: the path to success often lies in being radically, uncompromisingly different.
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