Inner Demon: Spicy Snacks to Soothe Your Stress and Ignite Your Senses

A brand of spicy treats designed by Emma Brigaud ’25 and Haley Kim ’25 for health-conscious Gen Z adults who seek stress-relief through snacking.

The Problem

It’s no secret that we live in stressful times, and Gen Z—those born between 1997 and 2012—is a particularly stressed-out demographic. More than 91% of Gen Z adults say they’ve experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom because of stress (source), and 36% use emotional snacking as a coping mechanism. 

The Opportunity

One of the phenomena emerging from this ubiquitous stress is a treat culture. This presents a growing opportunity to create novel snacks that meet a demand for flavorful escapism. 

But for Brigaud and Kim, one category of treats stood out: spicy snacks. Many consumers have a preference for spicy and sour snacks to relieve stress, with the intense physical reaction providing a grounding distraction. 

Market Landscape

There’s been a recent emergence of portable, spicy snacks to meet the demand of on-the-go Gen Z consumers with adventurous, spice-seeking palates. However, most of existing spicy snacks, such as Takis and Hot Cheetos, are heavily processed, composed of a laundry list of mystery ingredients.

Health brands offer slightly better options, but there was still enormous room for improvement, especially when looking at Brigaud and Kim’s health-conscious target customer.

Solution

Inner Demon’s mission is to craft simple, indulgent snacks that offer a moment of calm through bold flavors and thoughtfully chosen ingredients. Each bite is designed to balance wellness and indulgence, creating a modern, sensory escape that nourishes both body and mind.

To differentiate our brand from competitors, Brigaud and Kim designed their demon characters for each product, empathizing with their emotional snackers. And to meet their audience’s needs, they designed each snack to be portable, mess-free, and low-calorie and low-sugar while still packing unique textures and big flavors.

“Whether you're on the go or taking a moment to yourself, our snacks make it easy to indulge with a little extra flair, all while keeping things naturally delicious.”

Sales & Marketing Channels

Brigaud and Kim will begin by piloting Inner Demon’s products at Popup Grocer, and envision retailing at popular gourmet food markets such as Citarella, Eataly, Whole Foods, Erewhon, and Chelsea Market.

Inner Demon’s marketing is heavily social-forward, with the social strategy leveraging the brand mascot and acknowledging mental health as a key driver for storytelling across channels and campaigns. For example, this could include Instagram story polls to check in with the audience on their stress levels and provide reminders to take a snack break.  

And let’s not forget the allure of spice, which can be promoted in campaigns such as the Twin Flame Challenge, which encourages users to test their tolerance and #demondare.