Lollihop: It’s Like Birchbox, But For Healthy Snacks

I’m a Clif Bar fiend. Cool Mint Chocolate’s my current favorite, but mainstays like Chocolate Chip and Crunchy Peanut Butter suit me just fine.

But sometimes as I bite into one of these super-efficient, energy-packed bundles of nutrition, I find myself asking: could there be an energy bar out there that’s even better than my beloved Clifs? One that sacrifices some sugar for a bit more protein, and maybe a sprinkle of antioxidants?

Enter Lollihop, a new startup based out in Palo Alto that’s looking to help introduce you to an array of tasty and healthy snacks, with a minimum amount of effort required on your part.

The service is pretty straightforward: you sign up, and every month they ship you a box of organic snacks. If you want to pay as you go, it’s $22.75 per month; buy a year at a time and it will drop to $18.95. In addition to energy bars, each box will typically include several bags of chips and healthy popcorn.

The curation process isn’t simply a matter of throwing together a hodgepodge of new snacks each month, either. Instead, the team works with a nutritionist who analyzes each snack for factors like flavor, texture, and nutrients (they also call the manufacturer to learn more about the ingredients). And if you’re interested, the box includes a guide explaining what the nutritionist thought about each item.

At first glance, I thought the price sounded pretty steep — for around $20 per month, you’re getting eight snacks total. But founder Suzanne Xie points out that these nutritional snacks are generally quite expensive at supermarkets (she’s right). In fact, she says that so far the site’s users have been happy with the price, and that they’re primarily concerned with curation and convenience, which is what Lollihop is focused on. Another way of looking at it: Lollihop’s customers are probably used to paying a bit more for their nutritious, organic foods anyway.

Xie’s previous company, Weardrobe, was acquired by Like.com in 2009 (which was then acquired by Google). Her cofounder Tamara Lucero-Rajaram has an MD from Northwestern and a MBA from MIT — her last company involved tissue engineering.

Oh, and about that Clif Bar replacement? Xie suggests I try out a Macro Bar.