Mr. Rodrik and Nahoum comment: "At Crispy Fantasy, we are creating a brand new category, in which taste meets health, making cereal the way it should be — delicious, fun, and loaded with nutritional benefits that help you stay energized and productive. We also feel tremendously fortunate to partner with Doug and Peter, two of America's most profound food entrepreneurs, leveraging their vast network and resources to bring our exciting products and best-in-class experience possible to market." Crispy Fantasy, co-founded by entrepreneurs Andrea Rodrik and Raphaël Nahoum, is made with a short list of wholesome and natural ingredients, including unsweetened cacao powder, soy and pea protein, as well as avocado oil. Each cheerful, bright-colored box provides four times more protein and at least 50% less sugar than leading cereals on the market.

As explained in the brand’s first TikTok video, which has gained 3.4 million views, the company was formed in 2021 by Rodrik and Raphaël Nahoum, after Rodrik posted a LinkedIn post seeking a co-founder for a new healthier cereal business. Nahoum turned down a six-figure salary offer at a US investment bank to join the venture. The breakfast cereal market is forecast to grow by CAGR of 4.2% through to 2026, according to figures from Mordor Intelligence. However, Crispy Fantasy doesn’t see anything new coming to the shelf to bring excitement to the fixture. Crispy Fantasy, co-founded by Raphaël Nahoum (left) and Andrea Rodrik (right), is the first hassle-free breakfast cereal brand in Europe. (PRNewsfoto/Crispy Fantasy) Crispy Fantasy is billed as a vegan cereal and, Rodrik and Nahoum explained, they expect to capitalise on growing demand for plant-based products beyond meat and dairy alternatives. Crispy Fantasy already has accomplished the hardest thing: creating a mind-blowingly great product. I've tasted the other 'healthy' cereals and Crispy Fantasy's product blows all of them away; it's truly the 'Halo Top' of cereal," says Doug Bouton. "Halo Top is sold in more than 30 countries, and I'm incredibly excited to partner with Crispy Fantasy as an investor and advisor to help them build a global brand anchored by mind-blowingly great products."Viral TikTok cereal brand Crispy Fantasy is soon to launch its own direct to consumer operation, as well as a major sampling campaign with rapid grocer Zapp. Having recently completed a ‘significant’ capital raise, European breakfast start-up Crispy Fantasy is preparing to launch its first products, delivering a line of ‘junk-free’ breakfasts with clean ingredients. The bottom line for Crispy Fantasy is to focus on taste first and excel what a typical healthy cereal should be other than zero sugar or grain, aspiring to be the European challenger brand to a breakfast cereal duopoly — Kellogg’s and Nestlé, owner of Cheerios outside of North America and Shreddies, according to Rodrik and Nahoum. With deep-rooted beliefs in democratizing access to nutrition, Crispy Fantasy creates better value for its customers at a more affordable price.

With our plant-based attribute and classic, nostalgic flavours, we're able to satisfy literally everyone as a mass-market brand,”​ the co-founders suggested. 'The Halo Top of cereal'We don’t yet have the distribution, but that’s the next priority in our masterplan,” he said. “To ensure accessibility throughout the UK, so if another video blows up– which I’m sure it will– it’s easy for people to try it.”

Company co-founder Andrea Rodrik said after “blowing up on TikTok” the brand was now working on how to convert views into sales, which he dubbed “the million dollar question”. Peter Rahal adds: "With my experience, I'm going to help these amazing founders with all the problems that emerge with the company building process." Attention has been paid to the nutritional detail of product formulations. Each box of Crispy Fantasy provides four times more protein and 50% less sugar per serving than the ‘leading’ cereals on the market, the group claims.We're extremely fortunate and honoured to be supported by amazing US entrepreneurs, including Doug Bouton from Halo Top and Peter Rahal who sold RXBar to Kellogg's - they both have incredible experience building and operating brands in Europe too. In the near future, Crispy Fantasy will also enter other European nations, including Germany, and we're so excited to ultimately build a global presence for our hassle-free, junk-free, and incredibly delicious product,”​ FoodNavigator was told. Co-founded by Andrea Rodrik and Raphael Nahoum, the brand prides itself on its ‘short list’ of ‘wholesome and natural ingredients’. These include agave syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, soy and pea protein and avocado oil. Rodrik and Nahoum didn’t disclose the amount raised, but said the significant funding will help them ramp up new product development, roll out across retail, and hire new employees, in addition to enhancing online shopping experience. However, it could be a prolonged task for Crispy Fantasy to land in the U.S. due to market saturation and intensified competition. The industry has been untapped for decades and is clearly dominated by a few long-standing incumbents. From a nutrition perspective, the current leading brands in the cereal market are high in sugar and low in real healthy nutrients. Crispy Fantasy stands out with our first-to-market ‘junk-free, hassle-free’ brand proposition by using only clean, natural, and wholesome ingredients, including pea & soy protein, avocado oil, and unsweetened cacao powder. Our product also contains at least 50% less sugar compared to legacy brands on the market. Crispy Fantasy's gluten-free, high fibre, and plant-based attributes also make us a no-brainer for health-conscious consumers,”​ we were told. Bouton, who described Crispy Fantasy as the “Halo Top of cereal,” noted how the cereal startup will be leveraging their distribution platform — currently sold in more than 30 countries — to eventually build a global presence. Rahal also said in a statement: “With my experience, I'm going to help these amazing founders with all the problems that emerge with the company building process.” Strategic Market Expansion

We believe the European breakfast cereal market is ripe for disruption especially as there haven't been any new products that cater to the needs of health-conscious consumers,”​ Rodrik and Nahoum told FoodNavigator. We see the biggest growth opportunity for junk-free breakfast cereals [here]. The UK market is immense thanks to a big cereal/oatmeal eating habit. Over the past few years, we've also noticed the UK becoming way more receptive to new food trends than other European countries because the country is indeed a melting pot of different cultures,”​ we were told.Later in the year, Crispy Fantasy is expecting to become available in physical stores and has ambitions for “mass market” distribution through “the major mults” Rodrik said, adding the brand was hoping to emulate the success of Candy Kittens and Little Moons.