Rip Van Taps Partners + Napier For Major Brand Positioning Assignment

Snack Startup Turned Food Innovator Gears Up for Next Phase of Growth

ROCHESTER, NY, Feb. 19, 2020— Rip Van, a fast-growing food innovation company on a mission to reinvent today’s snack foods, has hired integrated creative company Partners + Napier to establish a brand position that fuels Rip Van’s continued growth and further disrupts the $605 billion snacking category.

Rip Van’s roots date back to 2010 when Co-CEO Rip Pruisken debuted what would become the company’s signature Rip Van Wafel, inspired by the stroopwafel pastries he ate growing up in Amsterdam, to fellow students at Brown University. Today, Rip Van Wafels are available nationwide at retailers such as Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Peet’s Coffee, served on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights, and in hundreds of tech company cafeterias.

While the Rip Van Wafel continues to gain momentum in both the cookie and bar segments, Rip Van’s ambitions go far beyond the humble stroopwafel. Looking to the future, Rip Van’s leadership saw a clear need to solidify the brand’s position as a food innovator that tackles the challenges category leaders and other newcomers have ignored.

“Rip Van was founded on the simple belief that we can improve people’s lives by inventing better snack foods,” said Jim Low, who joined Rip Van as President in October 2019, bringing with him senior sales and marketing experience from companies like Mondelez and Schuman Cheese. “As snacking moves from a treat occasion to the way we eat, people are looking for more nutritional value. We see this as an immense opportunity to bring excitement to the category, creating snack foods that are delicious but won’t compromise your health.”

With 94 percent of consumers reporting snacking at least once daily per Mintel, and 50 percent of consumers reporting 2-3 snack occasions each day, Rip Van is focused on satisfying consumers’ desire for convenient, delicious and health-conscious treats.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to work with Jim Low again, on a project that plays to our strengths in both food and health,” said Sharon Napier, Chair & Founder of Partners + Napier. “As Rip Van sets its sights on its next phase of growth, this important strategic assignment will strengthen its position as a force for change in the snacking category.”

About Rip Van

Founded in 2012, Rip Van is determined to reinvent today’s most widely consumed convenient foods for the better. The NY-based snack company started with Rip Van Wafels— taking on the cookie category and creating a better-for-you, tastier, modern and convenient snack— because convenience is necessary in today’s fast-paced world. This fan favorite is disrupting the $7 billion US cookie category. For more information on Rip Van and its products, please visit www.ripvan.com.

About Partners + Napier

Partners + Napier is an integrated creative company best known for amplifying brands through category-defying creativity. The agency is ranked among the top 20 Most Effective Agencies in North America by Effie Worldwide (2018, 2019) and a Top 3 Agency in healthcare (2019). Partners + Napier specializes in food and beverage, health and wellness, technology, and travel—proudly serving clients such as Smashburger, Constellation Brands, Instant Pot, Highmark Health, Pyrex, Delta Vacations, and Xerox. The agency is a part of Project Worldwide, an independent global network of wholly owned agencies. Please visit http://partnersandnapier.com/ for more information.