Holiroots: when snack time needs more vegetables
From an EIT Food challenge to supermarket shelves, Holiroots is giving vegetables a new role in everyday snacking.
Beetroot, sweet potato, parsnip, leek and carrot have found themselves somewhere unexpected: inside a packet of crackers. Holiroots is taking vegetables more familiar from soups, sides and Sunday dinners and giving them a crunchier role.
A vegetable problem hiding in our snack habits
It is mid-afternoon. Hunger hits, and convenience often wins.That everyday moment is part of a wider food challenge.
World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day for everyone over the age of 10. [1]Yet the latest comparable Eurostat data show that only 12% of people in the EU ate five or more portions a day, while one in three reported eating no fruit or vegetables daily.[2]
At the same time, WHO says changing lifestyles have shifted diets towards more highly processed foods high in unhealthy fats, free sugars and salt, while many people still do not eat enough fruit and vegetables.[1]
For Holiroots, a German-founded food startup founded by Paola Varela and Duyen Do, this gap sparked a simple question: could vegetables find a more natural place in our everyday snacking habits? Today, Holiroots makes organic vegetable crackers and crispbreads, bringing vegetables into a familiar and convenient snack format.
More shelves, more crunch
What started as an early-stage idea was beginning to earn its place on the shelf. By 2023, Holiroots was supplying Belgian retailers Bio-Planet and Okay. Later that year, its crackers had reached 100 organic stores across Germany.
Then came a bigger leap. In 2026, Holiroots secured nationwide availability through Alnatura in Germany, alongside listings in EDEKA Südwest stores and nationwide online availability through Rossmann. From its first retail listings to a growing presence across Germany and Belgium, Holiroots was taking its vegetable crackers to more snack cupboards.
Giving vegetables a bigger role at snack time
Holiroots is finding a new place for vegetables in our everyday diets. Its organic, plant-based snacks contain more than 30% fresh vegetables, turning ingredients such as beetroot, sweet potato, parsnip, leek and carrot into convenient crackers and crispbreads. By bringing vegetables into a moment usually associated with more traditional snack foods, Holiroots is giving consumers another way to make vegetable-based choices part of their daily routine - and showing how familiar vegetables can play a bigger role beyond the main meal.
Greens that crunch
Where the founding team took shape
EIT Food’s role began at a formative stage. Through the Food Solutions Programme, Paola Varela and Duyen Do met and worked together to develop the concept, business plan and prototype that would eventually lead them to become partners and co-founders of Holiroots. The programme also facilitated another connection that would prove pivotal: one of the jury members later became Holiroots’ first investor.
The EIT Food Challenge marked the beginning of what Holiroots is today. It was where we developed our initial idea and transformed it into a solid business plan. Through the programme, I gained valuable knowledge on how to build, validate and pitch a business concept, while also gaining access to an important network of investors and industry experts.
What Holiroots learned along the way
Turning an idea into a product on supermarket shelves rarely follows a straight line. Four lessons stand out from the Holiroots journey:
- Find people who complement the idea. The right programme can help you find a co-founder, not just develop a concept.
- Treat pitching as a door opener. Early validation can lead to relationships with investors and industry experts.
- Let the idea evolve. A strong business is not afraid to adapt its proposition as it learns from the market.
- Grow shelf by shelf. Holiroots moved from its first retail listings to wider distribution across Germany and Belgium.
The next chapter: making vegetable snacking easier to find
For Holiroots, the next chapter is about making vegetable-based snacking easier to find. Its growing retail presence across Germany and Belgium gives the business a stronger platform to reach more consumers - and to test how far a simple idea can travel: vegetables do not have to wait for lunch or dinner to earn a place in the day.
About EIT Food's Healthier Lives Through Food mission
We will make a material difference to quality of life by enabling more consumers to have better choices through access to affordable, healthier food products and actionable information.
Through Healthier Lives Through Food, EIT Food brings together innovators, researchers, businesses, policymakers and communities to help create a food system in which healthier choices are more accessible, attractive and achievable for everyone.
Protein diversification is a key part of this mission. By expanding the range of nutritious, sustainable and appealing protein choices available to consumers, we can support healthier diets while building a more resilient food system. EIT Food’s Protein Diversification Think and Do Tank brings together stakeholders from across the food system to identify shared challenges, develop solutions and accelerate action.
Have an idea that could help shape a healthier food system? Explore EIT Food’s entrepreneurship programmes for startups and discover how we can support you in turning it into impact.
Learn about the latest opportunities, research and innovations shaping the food industry.
References
- World Health Organization. (2026, January 26). Healthy diet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
- Eurostat. (2022, January 4). [Use the title of the Eurostat news article]. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20220104-1
