Hungry for Change

Hangry Planet seeks to redefine the traditional junk food landscape perpetrated by c-stores with the opening of the first-ever fully plant-based convenience store

By Danielle Romano

COMING ACROSS AN undercover investigation into organic dairy farms by Animal Recovery Mission inspired actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Bobak Bakhtiari to launch Hangry Planet, North America’s first fully plantbased convenience store.

Hangry Planet offers carefully curated snacks, meals, certified organic desserts and more that are sourced and vetted to assure that every product in the store is sustainable, animal product free, and cruelty free. This offers a unique experience for mindful consumers who can now shop with a clear conscience and no “fineprint” ingredients or farming reading required, according to Bakhtiari.

“As an ecstatic steak and dairy/cheese enthusiast, I was abruptly buzz-killed by the reality of rampant abuse on dairy farms and how I have been blindly fueling abuse via traditional embrace of food choices,” he told Convenience Store News. “Further research on factory farming via AnimalEquality.org solidified the vision to prove that cruelty-free dining can be delicious and can also contribute to more optimal personal health and planet health.

“With Hangry Planet, I sought to affirm that we truly don’t need to support stealing baby calves from mom to offer cheese, dairy or dairy-containing c-store snacks to humans,” he explained.

A Craveable Experience

Located at the Tanforan Shell station at 1199 El Camino Real in San Bruno, Calif., Hangry Planet occupies nearly 1,500 square feet. It took nearly six months to bring the concept to fruition.

The mission of Hangry Planet is to “transform the compulsive junk food milieu of traditional c-stores into healthy havens of grab-and-go meal yumminess.”

What is Tobacco Harm eduction?

Mary Elizabeth T. Barwick

Reynolds American Inc. RAIS Vice President, Strategic Engagement

Reynolds is committed to reducing the health impact of our business, and Tobacco Harm Reduction, or THR, is an important component of that commitment.

The concept of harm reduction is a science-based, public health strategy intended to lower the health risks associated with high-risk behaviors; seat belts in cars are a classic example. Tobacco Harm Reduction provides adult smokers uninterested in quitting altogether with accurate information and access to potentially less harmful alternatives to cigarettes such as vapor, tobacco heating, oral nicotine and smokeless, and encourages adult smokers to consider switching.

cience upports TH

There are scientifically proven differences in the health risks of various tobacco products. Cigarettes are by far the most risky, and comparatively, products like e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and snus carry less risk. The primary reason is that these other products do not involve combustion.

“Though more research on both individual and population health effects is needed, many studies suggest e-cigarettes and noncombustible tobacco products may be less harmful than combustible cigarettes.”

- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2022

TH is mportant for Public Health & etailers

Our vision is to build A Better Tomorrow® by reducing the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable products for our adult consumers. These innovative products will continue to be available in retail outlets across the country.

But adult consumer adoption and use is dependent on broader access to accurate information about THR and these alternative nicotine products. In spite of the science, some U.S. policymakers continue to propose and enact prohibitionist policies in the form of regressive taxes and outright bans on these products at the local, state and federal level.

Collectively, we must work to promote pro-THR policies and give adult consumers accurate information and prevent unreasonable bans and taxes that limit consumer choice and the acceptability of these alternatives. We want to empower adult nicotine consumers to understand the potential benefits of tobacco harm reduction, and you can help us do that. THR is an important public health movement that not only benefits adults who smoke but also creates broader societal benefits across the United States.

You can learn more about THR and our commitment to a Better Tomorrow® at www.reynoldsharmreduction.com

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Tobacco Harm eduction

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This is intended to facilitate public policy discussion. Reynolds does not make health or cessation claims regarding its brands. Reynolds is not responsible for the content of referenced sources and the views expressed may not represent the views of Reynolds. No tobacco product is safe, all tobacco products containing nicotine are addictive. Youth should never use tobacco. Smokers who are concerned about their health should quit. © RAIS (2022)

and affinity toward plant-based cuisine in the area, and the accessibility of West Coast vendors that offer ample plantbased snacks and meals that are actually very tasty,” Bakhtiari said.

Hangry Planet carries somewhere around 3,500 SKUs. A team of vastly different personalities has to audition items that ultimately Bakhtiari or Assistant Manager/Deputy Commander of Operation Nourish Joss Montiel will select to carry. Among the key criteria products must meet to be considered are caliber of yumminess and how processed it is.

The store offers a range of vegan and plant-based grab-and-go meal options, like the Hangry Bliss Breakfast Sando, which features Beyond Meat, JUST Egg and Follow Your Heart Cheese on a gluten-free bagel; hand pies like the Beyond Meat based mushroom-sausage scramble; Daiya plant-based burritos; Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers; and vegan empanadas.

On the beverage side, a Laird’s Superfood machine serves up vegan hot cocoa and golden milk. Additionally, customers can access an array of prebiotic sodas and nine brands of kombucha.

Hangry Planet also fulfills the desire for sustainable and satiable desserts. Tapping local bakeries, the c-store offers certified organic vegan pastries from Black China Bakery, and artisan vegan cookies from Kerri Kreations, both based in Santa Cruz, Calif. There are also vegan doughnuts made from locally sourced ingredients from Oakland, Calif.’s Donut Farm.

And because no convenience store is complete without craveable snacks, the market stays stocked with healthy, plant-based snacks that champion Hangry Planet’s “Feel Beautiful, Not Junky” tagline. The offering includes a range of vegan and plant-based candy bars from Go Max Go Foods that boast attributes such as gluten free, non-GMO ingredients, no corn syrup, no artificial ingredients and non-dairy chocolate.

Hangry Planet isn’t just limited to the store either. Outside, Bakhtiari has created a regional hotspot known for colorful and comical sculptures, live music and a VR Car Wash, a touchless tunnel car wash that offers cinematic and immersive experiences. As part of the brand’s mission, Hangry Planet leverages health education, sustainability and animal rights through partnerships, as well as the retailer’s 10 percent social impact giving, whereby 10 percent of every sale goes to several different charities supporting animal and human rights, schools, orphanages, and impoverished communities globally.

All products carried at Hangry Planet are vetted and must meet certain criteria, such as caliber of yumminess and how processed it is.

“At Hangry Planet, we don’t preach veganism, we bedazzle taste buds with very yummy food that’s also much less processed than the average c-store.”

— Bobak Bakhtiari, Hangry Planet

Destination: Growth

So far, the customer response to Hangry Planet has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Bakhtiari reported, and also very curious, prompting him to build a resource site called AnimalJoy.org to answer frequently asked questions.

“At Hangry Planet, we don’t preach veganism, we bedazzle taste buds with very yummy food that’s also much less processed than the average c-store,” he said. “Outside of the plant-based agenda, right off the bat, there was a growing community of folks excited that we’re not trying to slowly murder customers with high-volume junk food, but that ‘Feel Beautiful, Not Junky’ is at the forefront of the mission with more abundantly healthy options.”

Bakhtiari noted that once the vegan community zeroed in on the store, Hangry Planet became more of a destination. For that reason, sales are more robust now than they had been.

With Hangry Planet’s growing popularity, Bakhtiari plans to open more locations. He’s been approached about expansion investment and is currently in talks to introduce a store to the Ann Arbor, Mich., area.

“While it appears the c-store milieu is a great pipeline for expansion as health takes a greater priority, there’s also talks about opening a larger grocery store that fuels planet- and animal-friendly choices on a grander scale,” he said. CSN