Elizabeth Berrett
Squirrel Sisters built its name on a simple but stubborn idea: snacks could be genuinely enjoyable without added sugar. Long before the wider food industry began polishing its health halo and talking earnestly about reformulation, sisters Gracie and Sophie Tyrrell were already campaigning against sugar from the snack aisle’s front line.
Their story now reads less like a product launch and more like a small business that spotted a national conversation before it fully arrived.
Founded in 2015, the brand emerged after Sophie received a life-threatening diagnosis and gave up sugar. Out of that moment came a business with a very clear purpose: to offer snacks that did not rely on refined or alternative sugars to do the heavy lifting.
A Brand Born From A Health Wake-Up Call
Some food businesses begin with a spreadsheet. Squirrel Sisters began with something rather more human.
Sophie’s diagnosis forced a rethink of what everyday eating looked like, particularly when it came to sugar. That personal shift became the root of a brand that would later sell millions of bars across the UK.
The sisters’ position was never especially complicated. They believed sugar was appearing in far too many everyday foods, often tucked away behind language that made it sound harmless, natural or faintly virtuous.
Sophie put it with characteristic force: “Refined and alternative sugars are in so many things and it makes me so angry. Sugar is a huge issue, it’s detrimental to our health and it frustrates me that it’s taken a global pandemic for the government to start taking action.
We have been and will continue to campaign against sugar by offering our consumers a fantastic and delicious alternative.” (Sophie)
That was not the voice of a brand trying to surf a trend. It was the voice of someone who had already had the argument with sugar and was not inclined to lose it.
Britain’s Sugar Debate Was Already Building
At the time, the UK was facing increasingly uncomfortable questions about obesity, public health and the role of sugary foods in everyday diets.
The figures were stark. As Gracie noted then:
“It’s great that people are taking their snacking choices seriously and realising the harm sugar can cause. The UK faces a major crisis when it comes to obesity 63% of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity so we are proud to offer consumers a genuinely healthy and delicious range of snacks; snacks that will satisfy consumers’ taste buds as well as their health” (Gracie )
It was an argument that landed because snacking had become almost invisible in daily life. A bar between meetings. A packet on the train. A cupboard raid after dinner. Nobody writes it down, but it all counts.
Squirrel Sisters entered that space with a message that was refreshingly direct: no added sugar across the full range.
Moving Beyond Sweet Snacks
After establishing itself with bars, Squirrel Sisters expanded into savoury snacking, including roasted nuts and crunchy crackers.
The roasted nut range included Smoked Almonds, Salt & Cider Vinegar Almonds, Chilli Cashews and Sea Salt & Black Cracked Pepper Cashews. The cracker range followed with Smoked Paprika and Crispy Onion.
It was a clever step. Sweet healthy snacks can often end up trying to impersonate dessert while insisting they are being terribly sensible. Savoury snacks have less of that identity crisis.
Nuts and crackers gave the brand a broader everyday role: lunchboxes, desks, handbags, gym bags and the dangerous half-hour before dinner when even the fridge light starts looking appetising.
Holland & Barrett And International Demand
The move also gave Squirrel Sisters retail momentum. Holland & Barrett picked up the savoury range online, putting the brand in front of shoppers already looking for healthier alternatives.
Export orders followed from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Germany, Cyprus, Finland, Sweden and Iceland, showing that the no added sugar message was not simply a UK concern.
That international interest matters. It suggests the brand’s central idea had commercial legs beyond domestic health policy, supermarket trends or one particular government campaign.
Why The Story Still Matters
Looking back, Squirrel Sisters feels like one of those brands that understood where consumer behaviour was heading.
The language around food has changed dramatically. Shoppers now ask harder questions about ingredients, sugar content, ultra-processed foods, energy, protein, gut health and blood sugar balance. Not all of those conversations are tidy. Some are useful, some are noisy, and some sound like they escaped from a wellness podcast wearing linen.
But the central point remains solid: people want snacks that fit into real life without quietly undermining their health goals.
Squirrel Sisters found a clean position in that debate. No added sugar. Clear flavours. A personal story. A campaigning edge. Not complicated, but effective.
A Small Brand With A Sharp Message
The snack market is not exactly a gentle place. It is crowded, fast-moving and filled with brands shouting over each other like traders at a Saturday market.
Yet Squirrel Sisters managed to stand out by keeping its message tight. The sisters were not trying to be everything to everyone. They were trying to solve one clear problem: the amount of added sugar hidden in everyday snacking.
That clarity gave the brand its identity. It also gave consumers a reason to remember it.
Final Takeaway
Squirrel Sisters was never just another snack brand with a pretty packet and a promise. Its story began with a health scare, grew through a personal mission, and found its place in a national conversation about sugar, obesity and better everyday choices.
Five years on from launch, the brand had sold millions of bars, moved into savoury snacks and attracted international interest. More importantly, it had helped make no-added-sugar snacking feel less like a niche concern and more like common sense.
In a market full of brands trying to look healthy, Squirrel Sisters had the advantage of actually meaning it.
