Mamma Chia Rapid Growth Continues

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 24, 2013) - Mamma Chia, the organic food and beverage company that created the chia beverage category, announces the expansion of its signature Mamma Chia vitality beverages and their recently launched Chia Squeeze™ vitality snacks into several national chains, as well as launching in Canada and establishing its first online sales channels. This growth comes on the cusp of Natural Products EXPO East (September 25-28), an industry-leading trade show and conference where Mamma Chia CEO and founder, Janie Hoffman, will be among the speakers. Mamma Chia will be exhibiting its organic chia vitality beverages and snacks in Booth 520 of the Baltimore Convention Center.

The Chia Squeeze™ vitality snack -- announced earlier this year -- provides an exciting new way to enjoy the benefits of chia seeds, combining them with fruits and vegetables for a delicious, 70-calorie, anytime snack in an on-the-go squeeze pouch. Chia Squeeze is USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Verified, kosher, gluten-free and vegan, does not require refrigeration and is an ideal snack for backpacks, lunchboxes, purses, briefcases, or gym bags.

The innovative Chia Squeeze has been well received by people of all ages, as well as retailers, and is now available at thousands of natural and mainstream grocery stores across the country including Whole Foods, Sprouts, HEB, Ralph's, Giant Eagle, Vitamin Cottage and other regional and independent retailers. Costco is also offering the Chia Squeeze in its warehouses in Southern and Northern California, Hawaii, Utah and Arizona, and Safeway and REI will be rolling out the product in their stores nationwide later this month.

The Chia Squeeze is also available online from the company's new online store, www.ShopMammaChia.com, as well as through leading e-tailers including Amazon.com, OpenSky and iHerb.com.

The company's wildly popular Mamma Chia vitality drinks, the first-to-market chia seed beverages, have also added new retail distribution with retailers such as Krogers, Safeway and Harris Teeter, while experiencing continued growth in existing chains including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Ralphs and Albertsons. Mamma Chia vitality beverages are also now available in stores throughout Canada including Safeway, Whole Foods Market and Choices Markets.

"The popularity of chia continues to experience skyrocketing growth and has truly evolved from a relatively unknown ingredient, to a mainstream, functional powerhouse," says Janie Hoffman, Mamma Chia founder and CEO. "Through our innovation, high-quality organic products, and our commitment to the planet, we are excited to be leading the renaissance of chia by continuing to share new and delicious organic chia-based foods and beverages for souls of all ages."

Chia seeds have seen explosive growth in recent years, with Mamma Chia leading the way as the category innovator. According to recent data from SPINS, a leading provider of syndicated market research, chia was the top ingredient across all natural products last year, growing by more than 350 percent in food products while the chia beverage category grew over 1000 percent. Known for their nutritional benefits, chia seeds offer a complete nutritional profile of Omega-3s, dietary fiber, complete protein, antioxidants and minerals.

Since launching the original Mamma Chia vitality beverage line nationally in fall 2011 as the first-to-market chia seed beverage, Mamma Chia has grown to offer nine flavors and is recognized as the category leader. Reaching nationwide retail availability in one short year, Mamma Chia continues to receive industry recognition. BevNET honored Mamma Chia with both "Best Non‐Carbonated Beverage Award" in 2011, and "Person of the Year" in 2012 for founder and CEO Janie Hoffman. The company has been featured throughout the press including recent stories in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

For more information, please visit www.MammaChia.com. Share in the Magic of Mamma Chia with us at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!