Broccoli bites, dried fruit, snap-pea crisps, chickpea puffs and cheese crisps are flying off the shelves at Fuelco’s Foodsmart convenience stores, something that makes founder and New York-based Foodsmart CEO Adam Musa proud. “I grew up working in the fuel retail business, and when I had the opportunity to build my own c-store concept, I wanted to provide a place with plenty of healthy snacks,” he said. Musa pointed to the changing American palate, with successful stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods offering many vegan, kosher and gluten-free products, as another factor in his decision to open Foodsmart. “People are trying to be more healthy, and that gives us a real opportunity to meet that need with bigger selections of healthful snacks at a place they already stop at frequently.”

A Healthy Start

For Musa, inspiration came from attending the 2018 NACS Show in Las Vegas. “I’m a third-generation retailer with my grandfather and my father in the business,” he explained. “So, I already had a feel for the overall business.”

The NACS Show opened his eyes to more possibilities. “I’m talking to farmers from Iowa who are making their own beef jerky, as well as many other vendors,” he said. “That made me realize there’s a million ways to source products that will resonate with the customers I wanted to attract.”

He designed the store’s aesthetics to convey a warm, healthy feeling through Italian tile on the floors, bricked walls and wood tones to complement the healthier selections. “All too often, we can get stuck selling the same items for decades,” Musa said. “But when we do that, we’re missing out on expanding our customer base and reaching new shoppers.”

We want to give plenty of healthy choices but know people do want traditional salty snacks, too.

While Foodsmart does have traditional snacks and sodas, the emphasis is more on foods and beverages that promote wellness and social responsibility. “Many Foodsmart customers aren’t just looking for a quick munchie,” he said. “They are living lifestyles that integrate concerns about a product’s carbon footprint with vigilance about calorie counts.”

Foodsmart selects products that meet those requirements. “We’ve entered a period of consumer hyperawareness and activism,” he said. “Shoppers want their values and aspirations reflected in the products they buy, and they’re willing to pay more for items that demonstrate a commitment to those beliefs.”

His own research into Foodsmart’s bestsellers backs that up. Between 2020 and 2021, the products with the biggest sales gains were Rhythm Broccoli Bites, Amphora Soft Dried Fruit, Harvest Snaps Green Pea Snack Crisps, Hippeas Chickpea Puffs and Whisps Cheese Crisps—all of which check the healthy and social responsibility boxes.

“For every two types of potato chips, there’s a lentil chip option—we have roughly a 2-1 ratio of traditional to healthy alternatives,” he said. “We want to give plenty of healthy choices but know people do want traditional salty snacks, too,” he said.

The store’s design is meant to evoke a warm, healthy aesthetic, and that carries through to the grab-and-go items, which include prepackaged wraps, sandwiches, salads and parfaits. Guests can blend flavors at the frozen yogurt station.

For now, Musa has no plans to add fresh-made foodservice because of the lack of square footage available for a kitchen. Instead, he offers a full line of prepackaged wraps, salads, sandwiches and parfaits in open-air cold cases. A satellite deli owned by Foodsmart prepares the items for the chain.

A Healthy Word

To generate community interest in his store, Musa has a multifaceted grand opening strategy. For example, when the first store opened in Valhalla, New York, two years ago, Musa gave away a Chevy Camaro. Customers entered by downloading the FuelCo app, which he plans to do for each new location. Musa’s FuelCo company provides the fuel for the stores.

With the Valhalla store near a hospital, he donated $10,000 to the hospital plus a $5 free gas gift card to every hospital employee. The $5 in free gas is also available to any customer who downloads the FuelCo app.

“I also paid attention to how my grandfather and father treated their employees—many times, they had team members who had worked for them for 30 years,” Musa said. “So, I make sure my employees are trained right and have all the tools to do their jobs.”

So far, both Foodsmart stores are located in New York, with six more under construction at other locations in the state. For Musa, the bottom line is making sure customers and employees know Foodsmart cares about them. “It’s about the three Cs—cleanliness, consistency and customer service. These are crucial to getting repeat customers,” he said.