MySnack is an Estonian food company that has made a remarkable leap in recent years, from a local producer to entering international markets. The company’s founder and CEO, Ellyt Talv, believes the key to success lies in bold decisions, a strong team, and collaboration with partners in Asia or Estonia.

“Our mission is to offer natural, nutrient-rich and tasty snacks that are also suitable for people with allergies or food intolerances, and that help prevent obesity. In addition, we’re focused on sustainability and environmentally friendly production,” says Talv.

According to statistics, over 43% of the world’s adult population is overweight (WHO, 2023), which is why Premium Brands OÜ (MySnack) founder Ellyt Talv, named Estonia’s Best Supply Chain Manager of 2025 this May, sees clean food playing a more critical role than ever before.

Design innovation and reducing food waste

In the past few years, MySnack has been especially active in product development. In 2023, the company took part in the mentoring program of the Enterprise Estonia (EIS), and in 2024, in the Design Masterclass, where they earned second place.

“The Design Masterclass helped us better understand what our customers actually expect,” Talv explains. “We mapped out our brand values, including sustainability and environmental footprint, and created a new visual identity for our dried fruit bars.”

“In Japan, there’s still a widespread belief that a woman can either be a mother or an entrepreneur. I shared how I’ve involved my children in entrepreneurship—this turned into an inspiring and memorable story.”
Ellyt Talv, founder and CEO of MySnack

These bars are made using a special technology developed in collaboration with food scientists in Vietnam. Talv noticed that fruit cutting residues and the flesh around mango seeds weren’t edible in their usual form. The solution: turn the scraps into fruit pulp, which is rolled out, cut, and shaped into bars, resulting in 8% less food waste.

“These are the very bars we now make from mango, dragon fruit, papaya, guava, pineapple and passion fruit—products we redesigned during the Design Masterclass,” Talv adds.

First steps in foreign markets

MySnack’s export journey began in 2014 with Latvia. “We entered the market thanks to a contact from an Estonian retail chain. This was followed by a collaboration with Stockmann in Finland, which was temporarily interrupted by COVID and the chain’s ownership change, but in 2023 we restarted with a clearly positioned brand,” says Talv.

“At the time, we didn’t have our own branded products and were still relatively inexperienced. We re-entered Finland in 2023 with a strong brand and a clear goal to significantly increase exports,” she recalls. According to Talv, entering the market followed a simple logic—just go there. “You need to let decision-makers know who you are, what your products are, and how you can help retailers increase their value in the eyes of consumers.”

Talv did extensive groundwork, travelling to Finland twice a week for two years—sometimes with her children, sometimes without. “I got to know the local lifestyle, habits and business culture. I collected contacts and even walked into shops with a sample bag, explaining that these products were missing from the market. The goal was always the same: help retailers fill the healthy snacks shelf with the right products. And it worked—I received very positive feedback,” she notes.

“If you have a great product that you truly believe in, you have to get decision-makers to taste it.” In Finland, sales doubled in a year, and it has become the company’s main market—MySnack products are now available in 900 stores, including SOK and Kesko chains.

Now, Talv is preparing to enter the broader Scandinavian market, working closely with EIS’s export advisor based in the region. “We’ve already signed an agreement with one Swedish retail chain. Since they want to offer our products to other markets as well, more serious cooperation will begin next year,” she says hopefully.

New target markets: Japan, USA and the Netherlands

In March this year, MySnack participated in the Foodex trade fair in Japan. “We gained over 70 contacts—most importantly, three retail chains and two distributors,” says Talv. “As a result, we’re starting cooperation with Japan’s third-largest distributor, who will bring our mango bar to the Japanese market.”

MySnack’s visibility at Foodex was boosted by being featured in the official promo video of the fair, and Talv was invited to speak at a women-focused business conference. “In Japan, there’s still a widespread belief that a woman can either be a mother or an entrepreneur. I shared how I’ve involved my children in entrepreneurship—this turned into an inspiring and memorable story.”

“I got to know the local lifestyle, habits and business culture. I collected contacts and even walked into shops with a sample bag, explaining that these products were missing from the market. The goal was always the same: help retailers fill the healthy snacks shelf with the right products. And it worked.”
Ellyt Talv, founder and CEO of MySnack

“Attending trade fairs is worth it—we’ve already confirmed our participation in Foodex 2026,” she adds, noting that the Estonian Food Industry Association has also played an important role in their success.

“Thanks to the Food Industry Association, we took part in the international Fancy Food 2025 fair in New York last month and gained a great number of contacts. There was especially strong cooperation among Estonian companies—everyone supported each other. We found one retail chain with around 100 stores in New York and nearby,” Talv says.

In addition to the USA and Japan, the company is also in negotiations with a distributor in the Netherlands.

She also mentions that MySnack’s fruit bars will be evaluated by the SFA (Sofi Awards) tasting jury in early 2026, who are looking for the best new flavors. “Such recognition would greatly help us get into American retail chains.”

Product development in Asia and Estonia

Most product development is done in Estonia, but a significant part of the work is also tied to Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea, where MySnack collaborates with local farmers and food scientists. Talv says they try to be present in Asia as much as possible to ensure the entire supply chain is transparently managed and delivers the best product to the end consumer.

“The supply chain is the key factor—and also the secret to our company’s success. I earned the title of Best Supply Chain Manager 2025 thanks to building a complex but sustainable and efficient international supply chain. I’ve spent nearly 12 years building a farmer network and the entire concept,” Talv explains.

“It’s important to be on the ground in Korea to shorten the supply chain and produce near the seaweed farms. We apply the same principle to all our products—produce where the crop grows, ideally right on the farm.”
Ellyt Talv, founder and CEO of MySnack

“Over this time, I’ve educated myself, lived and worked in Asia, created recipes, searched for the best raw materials, earned qualifications in agriculture and nutrition, and even established plantations in Southern Estonia. Our team consists of experienced women with a strong sense of mission—thanks to them, we have a solid foundation to keep growing the company effectively.”

According to Talv, the company is preparing for product development in South Korea, aiming to launch seaweed snacks free from flavor enhancers and additives. South Korea is ideal for this, as 70% of the world’s edible high-quality seaweed is produced there.

“I decided to go there in person because it makes the supply chain most optimal. While living in Thailand, we developed the seaweed snack recipes, but I didn’t think it made sense to import seaweed into Thailand and produce there,” she explains.

“It’s important to be on the ground in Korea to shorten the supply chain and produce near the seaweed farms. We apply the same principle to all our products—produce where the crop grows, ideally right on the farm. If local technology is lacking, we transport the raw materials to our main factory within a 200 km radius,” Talv adds.

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