Our journey began two summers ago when the idea for Quevos fell right onto my plate. I (Zack) have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 11, and I regularly snacked on egg whites because their lack of carbs allowed me to avoid needing an insulin shot. My favorite part of making an omelet was always the flakes of cooked egg white that coated my non-stick pan, which I used as an omelet topping. One summer day, I realized something special about those little egg white bits as I scraped them onto my plate: they crunched like a chip, and yet their calories came entirely from protein.
That’s when I picked up the phone and called my then-best friend and now co-founder (and still best friend) Nick. I was a collegiate distance runner and Nick was a collegiate tennis player, so we were both very focused on fitness and nutrition. I routinely sought low-carb snacks, and Nick was always carrying around protein bars. We knew that egg white chips could be the perfect high-protein, low-carb, all-natural, on-the-go snack for both of us, but would anyone else would want them? Many, many people, DO, it turned out! Currently, the American diet contains far too many simple carbohydrates, not enough protein and a gross excess of processed ingredients. The egg white chip was a perfect solution.
We had one small problem.
We had no idea how to turn flakes of egg white into a bona fide chip. So we went to the drawing board, and we ultimately spent the remainder of that summer and the entire next one experimenting. Throughout the development process we stayed true to the snacking ideals that inspired us in the first place - making a snack with tons of protein (15 grams per bag), very few net carbohydrates (3 grams per bag), and snacks made from the highest quality all-natural ingredients. Our snack also picked up a few awesome benefits along the way, including healthy fats from avocados and chia seeds as well as offering an excellent source of fiber (9 grams per bag) from a source we love in Nutraflora, a prebiotic fiber that has been shown to support healthy gut bacteria and is commonly used as a dietary supplement.
After years of work, we finally arrived at the product of our dreams (not without the help of many brave taste testers who we are immensely grateful to)! We managed to create a boldly flavorful, delicious, crunchy and fully satiating snack with an unparalleled ingredient and macronutrient profile.
After all of this preparation, we are finally arriving at the start line. Next week we will be launching the product in retailers around Chicago. We’re partnering with athletes, dietitians, trainers and yoga instructors to bring Quevos to everyone whose life will benefit from a snack without tradeoffs. We believe in snacking to the fullest, and we know that Quevos will make you a believer, too.
Happy snacking!
#eatquevos
-Zack and Nick
