Mainebiz talks with Toby Ahrens, an entrepreneur whose market is expanding like — well, like a buckwheat puff.
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Toby Ahrens is the founder and president of Diggables, a Portland-based gluten-free buckwheat snack brand launched in 2023. Ahrens leads a three-person team at Diggables, with plans to grow this year to support sales and marketing efforts. Mainebiz caught up with the entrepreneur to find out more.
Mainebiz: What triggered your path to entrepreneurship?
Toby Ahrens: Starting a business has always been a dream. The pandemic reminded all of us that we have one life to live, and the food industry in Maine is filled with super-passionate, positive and supportive people. There is no better place to start a business.
MB: Why a gluten-free snack brand?
TA: We are really a buckwheat snack brand that happens to be gluten-free. Surprisingly, buckwheat is completely unrelated to wheat — it’s actually a seed — and is naturally gluten-free.
MB: Where do you source your buckwheat and other ingredients from?
TA: We try to source as much as we can from Maine, including buckwheat from Bouchard Family Farms in Fort Kent.
MB: How are buckwheat puffs made — what’s the production process?
TA: The extrusion process is actually very simple. Buckwheat flour is fed into a screw that pushes the flour through a heated nozzle, and out comes a puff — almost like a controlled popcorn pop. The puff is then cut into the appropriate size. That’s it. All of our puffs are 100% buckwheat, and our sea salt flavor only has two additional ingredients — sunflower oil and sea salt.
MB: Who and where are your customers?
TA: We are now in more than 100 stores, primarily in Maine and New Hampshire. A large East Coast specialty retailer will be launching our products in April, which will expand our presence from Maine to Florida and into the Midwest.
Our ideal customer is someone that cares about the ingredients in their snacks, whether for nutritional or environmental sustainability reasons. Kids love our puffs, too; my son’s middle school friends are some of our biggest fans.
MB: How have you financed your startup costs so far?
TA: The usual combination of grants, internal funds and more recently, a line of credit to build inventory. The opportunity to capture market share in the natural snack food category is tremendous, so we will likely be seeking external funds as we continue our momentum.
MB: What did you learn from being a member of Fork Food Lab and participating in programs such as Top Gun and CEI’s Tastemakers Initiative?
TA: Most importantly, we learned that Maine’s famous food scene isn’t just limited to restaurants — there are so many inspirational mission-driven companies with incredible products and kick-ass founders, employees and mentors. I am proud to be part of that community, and organizations like Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, CEI and Fork do an incredible job facilitating those connections.
MB: In the crowded snack food market, what sets your brand apart?
TA: We are the only buckwheat-based snack on the market. Because of its nutritional and sustainability benefits, buckwheat has been named a top food trend in 2024 by the New York Times, ‘Good Morning America,’ the ‘Today Show’ and Whole Foods. Go buckwheat!
MB: You mentioned the lack of extrusion equipment in Maine. What will it take for you to set up manufacturing here?
TA: The short answer is scale. Maine Crisp — great company and super tasty crackers, by the way — expanded their gluten-free production facilities in Maine recently, so there are companies that we can learn from when the time is right.
MB: What’s your long-term vision for your business and brand?
TA: Our goal is to make healthy, climate-friendly ingredients as accessible as possible in a market segment that has been dominated by empty calories. Our vision is that the snack aisle of the future will be filled with tasty and nutritional and sustainable choices. We believe that this starts with pioneering buckwheat, listening to customers and partnering with like-minded brands and retailers.