SEATTLE -- May 10, 2007 -- Sahale Snacks, the number one brand in the natural trail mix category, employs "culinary magic" when it produces its sophisticated flavored, nutritional snacks. Faced by growing competition in a category it helped create, Sahale began looking for some branding magic to be applied to its line of award-winning, premium nut blends. The company approached Kendall Ross, a strategic brand development and design firm based in Seattle, about a complete brand and packaging re-design. Key considerations during the process included creating a more engaging package design, a revised naming structure and developing a consistent brand architecture that could be extended to future product lines. The resulting new program is being implemented on Sahale Snack's line of six products that will soon be available at such retailers as Target, Whole Foods, REI, Costco, Kroger Stores, Wegmans and Amazon.com nationwide.

"One of our goals was to give the brand and packaging a more brand-specific, active feel - one that evokes the company's goal of creating healthy snacks for today's consumer," said Tim Ross, principal at Kendall Ross.

The team at Kendall Ross conducted extensive competitive research and brand analysis of numerous initial designs & potential brand structure before establishing the final new identity. Wide ranges of packaging concepts were explored and tested, from evolutions of the existing packaging to concepts that explored new territory for the brand. Another key aspect was to find ways to draw greater attention to the brand's points of differentiation -- its quality nut blends influenced by exotic ingredients inspired by global cuisine.

"Today's crowded retail shelf bombards consumers with an ever-increasing array of visuals -- visuals that must be processed in an even shorter time span," added David Kendall, principal and creative director at Kendall Ross. "Research confirmed our belief that Sahale Snack's brand-mark remain the prominent element on the package."

The revised brand-mark and new naming system, combined with sophisticated new color-coding, establishes a more unified visual system that is bold, brighter and more approachable. This new look is currently being extended throughout all of the marketing materials ranging from POP and marketing collateral.

"The new packaging is an essential milestone in our brand evolution," said Edmond Sanctis, Co-Founder of Sahale Snacks. "The new look improves our identity and helps us communicate better with our customers."

The new packaging makes its way onto store shelves in late June 2007.