Find out what Mumsnet testers thought of Ape snacks

[LucyBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 250 Mumsnetters with children aged 3 - 11 who have been testing out Ape’s Puffs range.

These Mumsnetters tested the following flavours:
Really Cheesy Puffs
Lightly Salted Puffs
Sweet Chilli Puffs

Here’s what Ape have to say: “At Ape, we have cut the monkey business, making snacks with only the best plant based ingredients and tastiest natural flavours, so you can snack happy. We want to know what you and your kids think of our baked-not-fried crispy snacks – Puffs! We can’t wait to hear what you think! Love from the team at Ape x”

Testers, please give your feedback by answering the questions below as well as completing the survey we have emailed you:

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?
2. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?
3. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?
4. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

All testers who give the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where three lucky testers will each win a £100 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

1. The children like the branding and the cheese and salt packs. The chilli was not popular. And it may just have been us, but opening the cheese packet in a confined space (the car) the smell was very pungent

1. Other products like fruit or other flavours might be good

1. I would change the packet as it was difficult for the children to open. And perhaps less smelly cheese flavour!

1. Vegetables would be a good idea. The vegetable crisp idea someone had previously is a good one

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

The kids loved the packaging, and I thought the product was appealing and a good portion size. Nobody was keen on the sweet chilli flavour but the others were popular.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Maybe some sweet snacks as well or fruit based items.

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

I would probably prefer them to be slightly cheaper as the price seemed a bit high to us.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products?

Healthy stuff like wholegrains and vegetables please.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

My children liked the salted and cheesy puffs but didn't like the chilli ones as they were too spicy and the aftertaste wasn't nice. I didn't like any of them very much.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Other flavours would be good. Maybe something sweet/fruity.

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

The shape is a really bad choice. They're exactly the right size and shape for little ones to choke on. Also, I'd rather not buy snacks in single use plastic packaging.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Vegetable or fruit puff would be good.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

My daughter loved the flavours, she said the chilli ones were like Doritos. She also liked the cheese ones. The packets were a bit to big but loved the bright colours.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

A sweet treat, flapjacks or nice bars.

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

Make them a little less salty.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

I would like some more flavours and a vegetable option.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

We tried all the flavours between us. Both of my children liked the cheese flavour. I loved the cheese flavour, it was the strongest one out of the varieties. My 9-year old's favourite was the sweet chilli flavour. My 4-year old's favourite was the cheese. We all liked the salted variety, but found it odd compared to the others. I think we're just used to salt and vinegar. I thought the sweet chilli variety had hardly any flavour to them, but my children like them. we all thought the portion sizes were very generous but the puffs are quite expensive compared to other snack products available. Being honest, I would probably only buy them again if they were on offer.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

I'm a big fan of Ape coconut bites but my children preferred the puffs. More flavours of puffs to choose from would be lovely. Smoky bacon flavour would be nice.

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

For me personally, I wouldn't buy the sweet chilli variety again. They just didn't taste of much. I would buy them for my children though.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

I think snacks made out of vegetables is always a good way to go. Anything that gets vitamins into my children is a good thing. It would be good if you could naturally dye some of the puffs and make them look interesting. I have a green-obsessed 4-year old so spinach would be a good colour. Beetroot purple too.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

The texture of the snacks was really nice and had the right amount of crunch. The cheese flavour was too overpowering and left an aftertaste. The chilli flavour were a big hit with the whole family. The salted ones were slightly different in texture.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Different flavours. My youngest said cheese and onion flavour ( he is dairy free so really enjoyed the crisps)

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

The cheese flavour needs some work and the packaging was too big for the amount of crisps.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Think the balance was just right.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

My daughter who is 3 tried them and spat them out despite usually enjoying crisps. I tried one and it wasn't nice.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Nothing as we were not keen

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

The shape. I'm sure they are a choking hazard with the size and shape being similar to that of a grape.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

None as we won't be buying sorry! They didn't go down well at all.

1. We all liked the chilli ones but the salted ones were a little tasteless.

1. My DS would have liked a meat option and I would have liked salt and vinegar

1. More puffs in each bag- less packaging

1. Any veggie range ie like carrot, chickpea sweet corn etc.

A sweet version would be good too

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

My daughter thought all three flavours were delicious. My son refused to try the sweet chilli flavour but that was his loss! We were all surprised that the cheese puffs were vegan as they were so cheesy! I was pleased that they were lower in fat and salt than most similar snacks.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Rice cracker type snacks perhaps?

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

The salted ones didn’t have much flavour - this could be improved.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

A sweet and salty flavour my daughter says?

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried? Like the balls, good flavours (save for the lightly salted which didn't taste of much at all).
2. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range? Any low calorie, low sugar, low salt snacks are always good
3. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change? Sharing bag or tub, more flavours (salt and vinegar or pickled onion or spicy tomato would be great), Ape gimmicks would entice the kids - jokes on pack or something similar?
4. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)? Vegetables would be great - anything healthy whilst remaining tasty and vegan is great.

Everyone had a try and seemed to enjoy them. They were a huge hit with my 11 year old daughter - but my older children, husband and carer were all more than happy to test them out too. Definitely more positive feedback than negative.

What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried? Loved the sweet chilli and cheese flavours. Hated the salted- wouldn’t even finish them which is rare for her. I liked them as an adult!

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range? Snack bars or rice cakes
2. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change? shape - not keen on round balls
3. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)? yes would support vegetables or something with protein like lentils/chickpeas

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

My children were excited to try these new snacks and liked the look of the brightly coloured packaging. Unfortunately, my 2 children (7 & 12) really did not like the taste of any of the 3 flavours - my son said the cheesy flavour smelt dreadful and would not even try them. They found the sweet chilli flavour too spicy and just did not like the salted pack. I found the salted pack completely tasteless, the sweet chilli ones were ok and the cheesy flavour was overpowering and reminded me of cheesy footballs, which I never liked.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Vegetable crisps, like sweet potato, parsnip and beetroot.

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

The flavours need to be more appealing.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Parsnip, beetroot, sweet potato.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried? They looked nice but nobody actually liked the flavours.
2. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range? Fruit based snacks.
3. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change? Different flavours,100% recyclable packaging and less expensive.
4. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?Fruit

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

Sorry but we really didn’t like them. The cheese ones were very overpowering, the chilli Ones were an odd flavour and the salted ones were like chewing cardboard,

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

I wouldn’t like to see any

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

Taste less packaging

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Yes a vegetable one might be ok

survey we have emailed you:

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

We really liked the salted, but found the sweet chilli had a strange after taste. They arent ideal for younger children as the shape is a bit of a choking risk

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

More flavours?

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

The flavour of sweet chilli Also the bags are large for children so perhaps 'mini bags' or a large sealable version

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Veg crisps might be nice, like beetroot

Thank you for the opportunity to test them

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

The Cheese were our favourite, but they did smell very strong in the packet, Lightly salted nice, Chilli was nice but left an after-taste

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Fruit flavoured puffs

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

There were not many in the packs, put some more in

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

The addition of fruit

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

Like: dd liked the amount of salt in the ready salted, she liked them as a snack and enjoyed eating the cheese and salted ones. I tried them too and found them very moorish and it was nice to have a non potato or rice cake based gluten free snack bag. I like they weren’t high in calories or deep fried.

Dislike: We all found the texture quite dry. Dd didn’t like the chilli as she doesn’t like the heat of chilli. I found the amount of salt in the ready salted too strong and overly salty, especially if giving it to a child (it was almost unpleasant to me) but dd said it had the right amount of salt, so 🤷🏻‍♀️!

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Maybe something sweet made with fruits eg cereal bars

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

Less dry. To me less salty too.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Addition of vegetables or fruit. Dd says including fruit. Could do sweet balls with dried fruit mixed in in small bags, or maybe some seeds or nuts mixed in too. Banana in stuff would be good because it goes with the ape theme.

1 my toddler found the plain too plain /no taste and she usually likes ready salted crisps - loved the Chilli and cheese

2 Flavours salt and vinegar and cheese and onion

3 diff flavours be different shapes

4 fine with Ingredients as Eat’s lots of veg

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

I personally liked that they were all really tasty (particularly the sweet chilli), crispy snacks that had no artificial rubbish in & were environmentally sound. I enjoyed and would buy again. Unfortunately my 3 year old really didn't like any of the flavours. He didn't even like the salty ones, I think the texture was off for him. The packaging also wasn't particularly appealing to kids so he wasn't immediately enticed. I didn't like that the product had salt in (quite a lot for children if they ate a whole bag!). I also didn't like that the big bags of crisps were only 1/2 Full.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Sugar & salt free crispy snacks in different shapes. Tasty nut snacks.

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

Packaging to be more fun for kids. Less added salt.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Any veggie addition sounds good to me. The air dried veggie crisps are nice and could be developed as part of the Ape brand.

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

We liked the packaging and loved that there is absolutely loads in the pack, Unfortunately we didn't really like the taste. We could taste the coconut which I don't mind but the children disliked. I do wonder if it's something they would grow to like. We liked the texture and thought the shapes were fun.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Maybe some improved flavours - salt and vinegar, cheese and onion, BBQ. Perhaps some crackers?

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

I am sorry to say we didn't think any of the flavours tasted good so we won't buy these again.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

A corn puff could be good

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

DH. Really liked the cheese ones and said they had a real cheesy hit. He was surprised they were vegan as I served them in bowls. He said that the sweet chilli ones were heartburn in a packet but he doesnt generally like spicy crisps

Me. I really liked the cheese and the salt ones. The sweet chilli ones were not my thing though- had a bit of a weird taste to them. The portion size in the packets were huge though- perhaps split the packets in half as they were very filling. I would share a bag between both of my kids.

Kids. DD liked the cheese and salted ones and asked me to buy some again- Amazon sell them by the box of 24. Ds prefered the salty ones. He didn't like the cheese ones but as a long-term dairy anaphylaxis child he doesnt really know what cheese tastes like. He thought the sweet chilli ones tasted like soap.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Fruity bars, wider range of flavours perhaps or snacks that appeal to children but without artificial additives/sweeteners

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change? Smaller packet sizes definitely.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Different vegetable flavoured crisps but please not beetroot- my 2 think it tastes like soil!

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

The children liked the texture and the salty and cheese flavours. I wasn't keen on them personally, too pappy for me.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range?

Potato crisps

1. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

Smaller bags, too big for young children currently.

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)?

Fresh vegetables, protein (beans?)

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

They loved the flavours! There favourite was the was the chilli ones 😋

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range? BBQ flavoured crisps, dried fruity snacks
2. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change?

Nothing my kids loved them

1. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)? Added hidden vegetables, pea crisps, and add some new flavours

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried?

I loved all the flavours, especially the cheese ones. Ds's weren't keen on the chilli flavour.

1. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range? Either a salt and vinegar or prawn cocktail flavoured ones please!
2. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change? Smaller packaging. I think the bags could be smaller.
3. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)? Vegetables would be amazing, also maybe rice cakes?

1. What did you and your children like or dislike about the Ape Puffs you tried? The flavours were nice and it felt like a good amount of puffs in each packet. I liked the packaging too and that they were healthy. I would have preferred them not to be balls as they were quite hard and I was worried about my LO choking.
2. What other products would you like to see in the Ape range? Maybe different flavoured crackers or wafers for the little ones.
3. If you could change anything about Ape Puffs what would you change? The shape
4. What ingredients would you like to see Ape use in future products (eg the addition of vegetables)? Maybe vegetables but I was quite happy with these flavours and ingredients