Noha Waibsnaider, Food Services
Peeled Snacks: Feel Good About Your Choices
Noah Waibsnaider ’02 launched her first business, Peeled Snacks, in January. Meeting the demands of an on-the-go lifestyle, Peeled Snacks offers three different mixes of large pieces of dried fruit and roasted nuts in unusual, stay- fresh packaging: the dried fruit and the nuts are packed separately to ensure freshness without the added sugar or fat found in other mixes.
Waibsnaider had no idea that she would become an entrepreneur. “For a couple of years after business school, I worked at Unilever, where I learned about packaged goods and the food industry. While at Unilever, I noticed that there was something missing in the marketplace: tasty and healthy snacks,” Waibsnaider says.
During her time at the School, Waibsnaider worked on the launch of the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) partnership. She found the experience instrumental in exposing her to the areas of entrepreneurship and venture capital as they relate to social responsibility: “The perspective I gained from the GSVC helped me to later define my company goals. I learned a framework for analyzing both the social and financial viability of a company and gained tools that now enable me to make tough decisions and trade-offs in managing the growth of Peeled Snacks. The contacts I made through the GSVC with the Lang Center, the School administration, faculty members, investors, entrepreneurs and students have been invaluable assets in the launch of Peeled Snacks. My family, friends and business associates have been a source of both emotional support and an amazing resource pool, as has Professor Amar Bhidé’s theory of ‘hustle as strategy’.”
When asked what advice she has for student entrepreneurs, Waibsnaider provides three key points: Learn as much as you can about the industry before you launch a company, as you will be much more successful if you’re an insider; pick a niche that most people in the industry are ignoring; and diversify your network as much as possible while in school.
You can learn more about Peeled Snacks at: www.peeledsnacks.com.