Almost as Good as the View

 Your Snack Belongs Outside This Summer, Here’s The Case for It

Spending the summer in Colorado, I’ve tackled a few of the state’s famous “fourteeners”—a group of 58 mountain summits above 14,000 feet. On not one, but two separate occasions, I noticed a group of people at the top eating Nerds Gummy Clusters. 

By nature of these mountains being up high where the air is thinner and mostly require meticulous planning, there aren’t many people at the top on any given day, making this coincidence feel worth noticing. There are many camping foods that are specifically marketed towards outdoor activities and placed in the checkout lines of REI. Nerds Gummy Clusters aren’t. Yet, the association between the colorful treats and the top of the mountain clearly exists for many people. 

The world of hiking and outdoor activities is one of shared tips and tricks that are passed down through the community. Snack recommendations are included in this unique kind of transmitted knowledge, and like the examples shared on this Reddit thread, they’re not always things you’d expect. 

For a multi-hour journey that already requires hikers to carry multiple water bottles and a few different layers, weight-efficiency is less of a concern. Hikers have caught on the fact that its well worth the extra space and weight to trade overpriced and unappetizing sport-chews for an indulgent, nostalgic, and crowd-pleasing treat that serves the same purpose. 

Being a Part of the Memory

Brands that are lucky enough to have a spot at the top of the mountain prove that they won’t just survive at high altitude, but can thrive. The Nerds clusters have a place now in the surely unforgettable 15 minutes spent on top of the mountain before the winds get too chilly and the afternoon thunderstorm looms in the distance. 

Brands should be doing what they can to be the thing their customers reach for to accompany them in these memorable settings. When a bag of your snack makes it to the top of a mountain, the flavor becomes synonymous with the breathtaking view of a once-in-a-lifetime hike. 

Effort Justification

There are even scientific principles for why snacks eaten out in the wilderness genuinely taste better to people. Effort justification is the principle that humans assign greater value to outcomes that took more work to achieve. It’s why a home-cooked meal tastes better than the same meal prepared at a restaurant. Your product, if it's a convenient snack, can still take advantage and occupy this space. It’s a way to reach a sector of the market that in day-to-day life might opt for a more “healthy” option. 

User Generated Content

The potential for visually striking User Generated Content is another reason to tap into the hike-snack space. The brightly colored package against the rocky backdrop makes for some great visual irony. The Nerds social media team has already tapped into how well the mountains look on the feed:

Outside on Socials

Gen Z is getting outside more. Young people, especially during the summer time, are sharing more content of outdoor activities—running, biking, and hiking. A study conducted between 2010-2020, unsurprisingly, found a direct link between increased visitation rates and online visibility for National Parks. Social media is a driving force in getting people outside, and that connection means just as much for snack brands as it does for outdoor-gear labels.

Forklift Take

Our Forklift Take? The best way for snack brands to ride this wave is to meaningfully position their products in outdoor spaces. Appealing to customers shouldn’t require you to jump through hoops to manufacture realities about a customer you want to exist: your most successful attempt will be in pinning down something they’re already feeling.  Creating the same association that clearly exists between Colorado 14ers and Nerds Gummy Clusters can be an authentic-feeling marketing campaign with outdoor content creators, a social media initiative encouraging users to share their content, or clever messaging on the package: anything that reminds people that your snack should come with them on their hike, is best enjoyed enjoyed in the great outdoors, is a relief from an exhausting trek, and requires nothing to pair with it but a great view.

This post was researched and written by Anya Potsiadlo, Forklift Food Partner’s 2026 Intern, a senior at Colorado College from the SF Bay Area.