This Snack Expert Knows What You're Going to Eat and Drink Next—Even Before You Do
"Millennials are leading a sort of redemption act for snacks," Andrea Hernández declares. "When we were younger, our parents told us not to eat snacks because it would spoil our meal. Now, the joke's on them because the whole meal is a 'snack!'"
Indeed, these days it's possible to start your morning with a chickpea-and-pea protein cereal, enjoy an entire sesame-ginger salad in snack bar form for lunch, and—for dinner in pinch—heat up a frozen beef and kimchi stew made with grass-fed brisket and farm-fresh bok choy.
In short, millennials have come a long way since Pop-Tarts, Lunchables, and Totino's pizza rolls.
Born and raised in Honduras, educated at Northeastern, and armed with a decade of marketing experience, Hernandez has become one of the industry's preeminent voices chronicling the evolution of this pluralistic, postmodern snack culture—from buzzy ingredients (hibiscus, kelp) and packaging (caviar tins, charcuterie boxes) to newfangled trends like adaptogenic beverages and direct-to-consumer cannabis and CBD. Through her self-made Snaxshot digital universe, comprising a Patreon newsletter, a Discord channel, and robust followings on Twitter and Clubhouse, Hernandez offers trend reports, product spotlights, and even advertising history 101 for her devoted following of self-proclaimed "snaxbois" and "snaxpals."