Dese nuts

Starting a new company in a ruined economy sounds like nuts to two of the executives partially responsible for the success of Bear Naked — in fact, it sounds like Yumnuts.

Fairfield's Tyler Ricks and Stamford's Jerome Metivier have joined forces with Michael Cochrane of Southport to launch a new natural snack brand using the prized cashew and, as the Bear Naked granola brand did, they set up headquarters in Norwalk. Keeping in mind how the last company Ricks and Metivier worked for sold to Kellogg in late 2007 for a reported $122 million, it seems worth taking notice of these particular Yumnuts.

Cute, but a nut's a nut, right? Wrong, say the partners. Their product, they claim, is a unique take on the ever-popular snack, one that offers three savory and three sweet flavors and which uses no added oils, artificial ingredients, sweeteners, colors nor preservatives in the roasting process. It all starts with premium jumbo cashews and a slow, dry-roasting technique.

Handing me a bag of Yumnuts and a can of a rival brand for comparison, the visible difference is clear. The Yumnuts cashews are lighter in color, lacking the oily sheen of the competitor, and at least 50 percent larger. "We don't slather on a lot of ingredients that would mask the natural flavor of the nut," says Ricks. "We use ingredients that will simply enhance it." A sampling of the various flavors (sea salt, spicy Cajun, chili lime, chocolate, toasted coconut and honey) finds the Yumnuts overall to be lighter and crisper than your standard cashew, with a punchy savory or lightly sweet taste that seems to come from just a dusting of the noted seasoning.

Cochrane, whose family had been in the nut importing business for many years, notes the misconception about cashews as being fatty. He points out they contain the same kinds of good fats, like oleic acid and monounsaturated fats, found in olive oil. They have no trans fats and no cholesterol, and they pack a hefty punch of protein and essential minerals. "It's all the added stuff that other companies put in that makes them unhealthy," he says.

"Our challenge was differentiating from the existing nut market," says Ricks. "It's all about the quality and the taste."

Well, maybe not all. "The taste is key, of course," says Metivier, "but the name is a show-stopper."

A five-once bag of Yumnuts retails for $4.99 to $5.99. For more information, check out www.yumnutsnaturals.com.