Every day, it seems that more and more people are waking up to the fact that the foods we eat, primarily meat and dairy, play a huge role in our current environmental crisis. Companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are disrupting the food space with plant-based burgers that look, cook, and taste like actual meat while being more environmentally friendly (and not to mention, healthier) than a traditional beef patty. Politicians, too, are also acting to influence the way that we eat. This month, a group of Danish politicians took on the 22-day vegan challenge (yes, like Beyonce) in order to highlight how simply changing the way we eat can have an enormously positive effect on the planet. Even scientists and health experts are rallying behind the idea of cutting back on meat and dairy and swapping in plant-based substitutes.

We’re amazed that we’re seeing so many influential people standing up for the planet, our health, and animals. Together, we believe that we can combat Climate change. But in order to do that, we’re going to need some food to fuel this constant fire burning inside us — and that means we need snacks.

And while we’ve certainly witnessed a spike in the amount of plant-based meat substitutes and dairy-free ice creams flooding the market, delicious, crunchy snacks that are also better for our bodies than a traditional potato chip are still (sadly) rare.

Luckily, there are healthier snacks out there. Hippeas, for example, is a vegan snack company that makes crunchy, organic, puffed, Cheez Doodle-shaped puffed snacks made from chickpeas. VegNews reports that the company just received an undisclosed investment for a minority stake in the company from Leonardo DiCaprio and investment firm Strand Equity Partners, which means that we’ll be seeing these healthier vegan snacks in more locations soon.

According to Hippeas CEO Livio Bisterzo, “As the brand continues to grow with such momentum in the marketplace, it’s incredible to bring on board partners who align with our vision and values as a company.”

For Hippeas, a celebrity activist like Leo, who has donated to environmental causes in the past, seems to be a perfect match for an investor. Many people don’t realize the huge impact the dairy industry has on the planet – it uses more water than the entire population of California, produces a massive amount of waste and air pollution, just to give you an idea. So while grabbing crunchy snacks coated with cheese might seem innocuous, it all adds up to the larger environmental footprint. But thanks to this new investment, customers will now be able to pick up a bag of snacks that satisfy our craving for cheese while being dairy-free and healthier than conventionally packaged snacks.

In addition to producing delicious snacks, Hippeas has made a commitment to donate a portion of sales for each bag sold to farmers in east Africa. We’re looking forward to finding those Vegan White Cheddar and Sriracha Sunshine Hippeas.

Image source: Andrea Raffin/Shutterstock