Breaking the Mold: The 19-Year-Old Entrepreneur Changing the Snack Game with AHAV Food

Liam Frumkin, the founder of AHAV Food and a sophomore at Duke University, has a mission to improve people's lives through simple snacks and ingredients. His high-protein, plant-based cookie dough bites contain no more than six easily recognizable ingredients. At only 19 years old, Liam is the youngest entrepreneur to join the Union Kitchen Accelerator and has deferred his time at Duke to focus on entrepreneurship, CPG, and empowering others to love both food and themselves.

Liam shared that his journey to create healthy snacks began with his own struggles with an eating disorder. For three years, he limited himself to only eating chicken, vegetables, and rice because he believed that was healthy. He became obsessed with what went into his body, and it was difficult for him to find healthy snacks with ingredients he could recognize at the grocery store. This led to him never eating snacks, dessert, or anything that satisfied his cravings.

Feeling overwhelmed by the abundance of "healthy" desserts on the market and their complicated ingredient lists, Liam decided to experiment in the kitchen. The product formulation, which originally used chickpeas, took many months and iterations to perfect. Liam also discovered that his first customer base was not sustainable. However, he didn't give up and eventually found Union Kitchen.

Liam admits that he started from scratch when it came to sourcing packaging designers and suppliers and was initially intimidated by the process of launching a CPG product. He believes that taking the first step is the hardest part but is achievable with persistence and determination.

A portion of AHAV's proceeds will go towards the National Eating Disorders Foundation (NEDA), which is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. NEDA aims to promote prevention, cures, and access to quality care.

Liam concludes, "Throughout this journey, I have learned so much about myself, food, and life in general. This is why I created AHAV. Because life is complicated, and our food shouldn't be." You can try AHAV's chocolate chip, chocolate chip peanut butter, or cinnamon oatmeal offerings by visiting your local Union Kitchen or by purchasing online through their website and Instagram.