You Won’t Believe How Babybel’s Secret Move is Transforming the US Snack Game—Are You Missing Out?

When Peter McGuinness took over as the North American CEO of the Babybel cheese maker Bel Group earlier this year, he inherited what he describes as a portfolio of “sleeping beauties.” Brands like GoGo squeeZ and The Laughing Cow are well-positioned within the consumer demand for protein and healthier snacks, yet McGuinness notes that the company has been too “quiet” in promoting them.

“I'm not coming to Bel to restructure or fix something that's broken,” said McGuinness. “Bel in North America is a healthy company that has strong top and bottom line results, good margins, strong balance sheet. But it's really about how … quickly can we accelerate even more growth and make a good thing better.”

McGuinness’ transition to Bel comes after a significant tenure as the head of Impossible Foods and nine years at Chobani. Known for his bold approach, he successfully repositioned Impossible Foods in a plant-based meat category that he described as “mismarketed and mislaunched.” Now, at Bel, he leads a company that has been a staple in the U.S. for over 50 years, with a third of its sales coming from the U.S. through its brands including Babybel, GoGo squeeZ, The Laughing Cow, and Boursin. According to McGuinness, sales are currently growing in the low double digits.

Despite its longstanding presence in the U.S. market, McGuinness sees ample “pure opportunity” for growth. Awareness for Babybel stands at 72%, while The Laughing Cow is slightly higher. As consumers increasingly seek out portion-controlled snacks made with simple ingredients, Bel is in a favorable position to capitalize on this trend.

Earlier this year, Bel announced a remarkable investment of $200 million to double the output at its Babybel cheese production plant in Brookings, South Dakota. This is the largest U.S. investment in the company’s history. The firm also revealed a partnership with food technology company Foodberry, aiming to develop a lineup of healthier snacks featuring real fruit.

“It's more now than ever our time,” McGuinness stated. “There is a little bit of a carpe diem thing going on here, and we just want to make sure we're prepared. No one wants to squander demand with a lack of supply.”

With this production expansion, McGuinness emphasizes the importance of meeting demand as the company accelerates its innovation pipeline. Without the added production capacity, Bel could face challenges as early as next year due to anticipated launches and growth projections for its existing product lineup.

Bel is gearing up to introduce several innovations this spring and into 2027, aiming to position its brands as more appealing to health-conscious consumers while expanding their presence in protein and functional foods. For instance, in March, the company rolled out Babybel Pro, a mini wax-wrapped cheese providing five grams of protein and one billion live and active probiotics. The Laughing Cow also introduced a new dill pickle flavor to cater to “culturally relevant flavors.”

Looking to the future, McGuinness expressed that he is “pretty seriously” considering mergers and acquisitions to complement Bel’s existing portfolio of veggie and fruit pouches and cheeses. The company's potential expansion into new categories, such as spreads, is also on the table.

“We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he remarked. “We're going to continue to innovate within our current portfolio in an organic way. But there is no reason why we can't be looking at inorganic at the same time, as long as it's within healthy snacking.”

As Bel Group navigates its growth strategy under McGuinness’ leadership, the company seems well-positioned to tap into the burgeoning demand for healthier snack options, leveraging its established brands and recent investments to capitalize on emerging trends in the market.