45°
LesserEvil, a healthy snack food alternative company started in 2004, is headquartered in Wilton but has long been working with co-packers in New Jersey and New York to produce and package its line of puffed snacks and chips.
It took the company a year to get the factory open in northern Danbury, said CEO Charles Coristine, because the zoning for a food production facility didn’t exist before LesserEvil moved into the city.
“Mayor Mark has been really helpful,” in getting the factory the zoning set up and helping LesserEvil move in to the city, Coristine said.
When asked why Danbury, Coristine said, “Danbury was just a little more attractive.” It wasn’t on I-95, which he said gets overcrowded quickly, it was a little cheaper and “they seemed more eager,” he said.
Not all LesserEvil products will be produced in the new Danbury factory, which actually opened and began producing in January, but right now the Chia Pop and the Kettlecorn are being made there. Coristine hopes that as the company expands, the company will be able to produce and package more products itself.
“The machinery we have here will allow us to expand into different lines,” said Andrew Strife, the chief operating and financial officer for LesserEvil. “As a company, we are focused on healthy snacks, leaning towards ingredients that are not just “not bad,” but are good for you.”
In the future, Coristine said the company hopes to start producing another two lines out of the Danbury factory, including another puffed snack called “Super Four."
“We’re very happy to have them here in Danbury,” said Bruce Tuomala, economic development chief for Danbury.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Wilton and receive free news updates.
