Harvard Alum Creates New Healthy Snack

Once frustrated with the selection of food in Harvard dining halls, Thong Q. Le '98 has found the solution for his Harvard brethren and a legacy for himself: Frugi.

As president of his new company MiniMeals, Le created this new take on fruit pies. He touts the Frugi as a snack with "less fat, less sugar, more real fruit, a great source of protein, and most importantly, they're ready-to-eat!"

Le was first driven to his creation of Frugi (pronounced "froo-jee") as a senior tinkering in the Adams House kitchen. After poring over several flavors of fruit pie and seeking advice from Michael Miller, executive chef at Harvard Dining Services, Le unveiled his product.

When it came time to name the product, all it took was a trip to the dictionary, according to Palmer Douglas Bailey, CEO of MiniMeals and a director of Capital Management Consulting.

"A 'frugivor' is a person who eats fruit," said Bailey. "We never heard the word, but after shortening and test-marketing it with over 75 other names, we knew that when you hear 'Frugi' you think 'fruity.'"

Frugi has 3.5 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein, and 220 calories.

The Harvard Coop Cafe is currently the exclusive carrier of Frugi. It's already a success with customers there, according to Duarte Vieira, systems manager for the Harvard Coop.

"We sell a good percentage of the product and this is already with little name recognition," Vieira said.

Customers at the Harvard Coop are eating up Le's idea for a nutritious treat in flavors like apple and cherry.

"Things that taste healthy usually don't taste good, but this is great," said Anne Sclater, a student at the Harvard Divinity School. "I like this product because I don't get enough protein in my diet since I don't eat meat."

Jenny K. Lantz, a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government's Council of World Leaders, said she liked the size and taste of the meal.

"Some American pies are too sweet, but this is just right," Lantz said.

In the past, students have approached the Coop with sales pitches dealing with Internet-related services, but according to Vieira, "Thong's was the first 'real product' that matched our sales."

"Thong came in and told me of his view for the product," he said. "We agreed that the Harvard student was a good niche for this product to meet."

Le's claim to fame may soon go beyond just fruity pies. He's also one of the original founders of MiniMeals, Inc. After approaching Cambridge-based Capital Management Consulting, Le received the resources for his functional foods venture and together they formed the new corporation.

"This product was intriguing because it actually tastes delicious and is good for you," MiniMeals' Bailey said. "It's not like a PowerBar that you just eat out of desperation or the Nutri-Grain bars where I don't find enough protein."

Le says MiniMeals' next step is to try branching out to more distributors, and down the road he hopes to sell Frugi on the Harvard campus.

"We're trying to work with other distributors to carry the product through Harvard," Le said. "We are also in discussions with Barnes and Noble to carry Frugi to all is stores, maybe 480 locations."

While MiniMeals now produces and sells only Frugi, company officials say other products are in the pipeline for development.

"Obviously from the resource standpoint we have to move carefully with a product people really enjoy, but other products are also in development that are consistent with the idea of food that's ready to eat anywhere and is healthy for you," he said.

MiniMeals will offer taste tests of its newest combinations and flavors of Frugi on Saturday, Oct. 10 in front of the Coop.