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We sat down with Kayden Horwitz, the Founder of Quite Nice, to talk about their gut-friendly oat mix and their motivation for spending years formulating it to be the ideal breakfast for those with GI issues and dietary restrictions.

What motivated you to create Quite Nice?

Talking to other people with functional GI issues and hearing how much they impact their quality of life. I was also motivated by seeing other products take shortcuts and exaggerate without maintaining high quality. Lots of people told us that was necessary to build a big business. Maybe they’re right, but it made me want to do it right even more.

What makes Quite Nice the “gut-friendliest” oatmeal?

It’s both what we put into our breakfast and what we leave out.

What we leave out is probably familiar to most Fig users already. We’re low-FODMAP, gluten-free, glyphosate-free, use no refined sugars, and are crafted in a dedicated facility free of the top 14 food allergens. We also worked hard to create bold, real flavors without the use of natural or artificial flavors, just real food. All of these exclusions benefit gut health, and while clinical research varies on each of them, we know they’re typically considered “bad.”

What we put in is well-tolerated, gentle fiber, as well as protein and superfoods like chia, flax, and hemp hearts. These ingredients support microbial balance and motility while ensuring our members receive diverse nutrients and a nutritionally dense meal, which can often be challenging on restrictive diets.

How does resistant starch fiber play a role in your products?

Resistant starch is a mostly non-digestible form of fiber that’s been part of the human diet for 10,000 years, but it’s often lost in a world of processed food. It comes from real foods and can be derived from potatoes, unripe bananas, corn, and other sources. We use resistant starch from potatoes since it handles heat the best and works well in our product context.

What were some of the decisions you made when formulating the product?

Too many to count. It was a process involving lots of consumer feedback. You’re always navigating the laws of physics with food, and as Fig users know, it’s impossible to please everyone. For us, it was about creating a product that was broadly useful to as many people as possible, knowing we won’t be for absolutely everyone.

Can you explain the decision to not use “natural flavors” in your products (which we love!)?

We had lots of conversations with our clinical team, customers, and friends (including some of the Fig team!) about this that influenced our thinking. Flavor houses (the companies that make natural flavors) are so opaque, and the regulation of that industry is so loose. We don’t think it’s favorable to customers. You really don’t know what you’re getting. We’re a food-as-medicine company, and we felt it was important to use real foods. Even though the research on natural flavors being damaging is inconclusive (mostly because natural flavors vary so much; it’s a broad category), we felt it was important to first do no harm. We’re proud of that.

(side note – be sure to sign the #EveryIngredient petition to urge more food companies to stop using “natural flavors”!)

What makes Quite Nice different from typical oatmeal?

Everything we talked about today! It’s the nutritional profile, the exclusions (in additives and shortcuts), and our commitment to sourcing the highest quality ingredients. Quite Nice certainly won’t fit everyone’s budget right away. It’s expensive to make a food product that doesn’t sacrifice quality in all the ways we want, but we felt it was important to have out there for people who prioritize that. We hope to make it more accessible over time.

How does Quite Nice ensure that its products are suitable for people with various dietary restrictions and allergies?

Testing. Our partner facility is a case-study level production facility and one of only a few in the US dedicated to producing without the top 14 food allergens. The work that goes into maintaining that is immense. Their food safety director and production director both come from pharmaceuticals, so they have a background in extremely tight safety requirements. We also work carefully to source from partners that do independent testing. Food like ours is natural, and that’s complicated and unpredictable, so we do a ton of work behind the scenes to ensure we’re safe.

What impact do you want to make on the world with your brand and product?

Packaged food has created so many problems in US population health, and we think it’s incumbent upon the next generation of packaged food brands to help fix some of the issues this industry has created.

Quite Nice is certainly higher priced than typical oatmeal. What makes Quite Nice worth the price?

Quite Nice is a functional food with an unusually high standard for ingredient sourcing, food safety, and quality all around. We see it as a complete meal and supplement in one, so our benchmark for pricing was $5 for a complete functional breakfast. When you’re comparing that to regular oatmeal packets, it’s a big premium. Our economy of cheap food in America is making us sick. That said, we acknowledge not everyone has the privilege to afford a $5 breakfast most days. We’re working hard to make our products more accessible without sacrificing quality or safety.

Summary

Quite Nice spent years making the optimal breakfast for those with GI issues and dietary restrictions and we commend them for their focus on making sure so many key needs are met, including making it Low FODMAP/Gluten Free, not using “natural flavors” or artificial ingredients, making it Top 14 allergen free, and adding well-tolerated fiber into it. If you want to try their products for yourself, they’ve offered Fig Members an exclusive 50% off your first order by using the code FIG on the Quite Nice website.