Why We Love Wanderlands Pecan Nut Mixes: Gourmet Trail Fuel With a Sense of Place

Whether you’re powering up a mountain trail or pausing for a scenic snack break, the right trail food can turn a hike from “pretty good” to unforgettable. That’s exactly where Wanderlands Pecan Nut Mixes shine.

Crafted in New Mexico and rooted in bold, sense-of-place flavor, Wanderlands mixes aren't your average trail snack. They’re chef-level combinations made with premium ingredients, built for adventurers who want food that fuels the body and excites the senses. Here’s why we’re obsessed and why you might be, too!

What Makes Wanderlands Different?

Wanderlands was co-founded by Sofia Eldridge, a fourth-generation pecan grower and winemaker, and Jane Black, a neuroscientist with a deep passion for flavor and storytelling. Together, they created a snack brand that brings real thought and emotion into every bite. Their core idea? That a snack can transport you just like a great wine or a well-told story.

Each Wanderlands mix is inspired by landscapes, memory, and the idea of “somewhereness” which is the notion that food can ground us in a place and moment.

Perfect for the Trail: Nutrition Meets Flavor

Wanderlands mixes are not only delicious, they’re smart trail food. Here’s why they’ve earned a permanent spot in our hiking packs:

• High in healthy fats from pecans (which are naturally rich in antioxidants and heart-healthy fats)
• Satisfying protein to keep energy levels steady
• Creative blends of fruit, spice, nuts, and seeds that taste way better than basic gorp
• Lightweight and packable, perfect for backpacking and long-distance hikes
• No weird additives, just real ingredients with intention behind every one

Whether you’re a savory snack lover or want a hit of fruit and spice mid-hike, these mixes deliver in both flavor and function.

Flavor Profiles That Tell a Story

Each Wanderlands mix is built around a distinct mood and environment, often inspired by the landscapes of the American Southwest. Some favorites include:

• Spiced Pecan + Tart Cherry – A bold, earthy blend with a touch of fruit-forward zing
• Pecan + Hatch Chile + Pepita – A nod to New Mexico’s beloved green chile, with just the right amount of warmth
• Sweet Pecan + Wild Blueberry – Like dessert on the trail, without the crash

The ingredients aren’t just tossed together, but curated like a chef’s dish. You can taste the intentionality in every handful.

A Taste of New Mexico

Wanderlands is deeply rooted in the rich agricultural and cultural landscape of New Mexico. Their pecans are grown on Sofia’s family farm, and many of their flavors draw directly from the region’s iconic ingredients: Hatch chile, native fruits, desert spices. It’s snack food with a story, and every bag honors the land it comes from.

As hikers and backpackers who care about where our food comes from, that connection to place matters. Supporting Wanderlands means supporting small-scale agriculture, heritage farming, and a thoughtful approach to food production.

Interview with the Founders Sofia & Jane

You both come from such different worlds: winemaking and neuroscience! How did those backgrounds come together to inspire Wanderlands and your take on snacking?

Sofia: Most importantly, we’re both very passionate about the outdoors and about the journeys we experience there. The goal with Wanderlands was not only to echo the places we adore, but to create a snack that fits seamlessly into nature adventures and amplifies the experience.
As far as how my background plays into the product itself, working in wine changed the way I perceive the world. I’m now more attuned and aware of how place and terroir change flavor. It also helped me build a flavor and aroma library in my mind, which was crucial in informing how I think about translating the aromas of places into food in an integrated (and delicious) way. 

Jane: Like Sofia mentioned, we’re huge outdoor-lovers. Ultimately, Wanderlands is a union between that mutual passion and our distinctive backgrounds, which makes it a true labor of love. 
From a neuroscience standpoint, the olfactory sensory pathway–unlike the other sensory pathways–has always been really interesting in that it connects directly to areas of the brain responsible for memory and emotion. In fact, research shows that an aroma cue can elicit much more emotional and transportive memories than a visual or verbal cue. We also know that much of the flavor we perceive when we eat or drink something is actually driven by aroma and retronasal olfaction, not what we taste on our tongue. When you bring these three things together, you start to see how dynamic and complex the concept of flavor can be. That drove us to ask, how can we translate this love of the outdoors into a brand that leverages flavor in more creative and imaginative ways?

The idea of “somewhereness” is really intriguing. Can you explain what that means to you and how it shows up in the flavors you create?

Sofia: During my time in working wine production, I became captivated by the concept of terroir, or "somewhereness," which is the idea that a place’s soil, climate, and geography shape the character of a wine. I wanted to capture that feeling literally—of a place, a season,  an experience—with food. We’re also both huge lovers of the outdoors and wanted to honor it with a snack that really echoes its vastness and complexity. It wasn’t until I began working with Jane that this idea became a reality with Wanderlands. 

Your flavor mixes are super unique. How do you come up with new combinations, and what’s the process like from idea to finished snack?

Jane: All of our mixes are inspired by our love of the outdoors—specifically the landscapes, scents, and flavors of New Mexico. We’re always seeking a more dynamic, sophisticated, and - quite frankly - joyful snack when we reach those peak outdoor achievements and wanted to create a brand that really meets the beauty of the moment. Each blend we’ve made is rooted in a sense of place, drawing from the winemaking concept of terroir and the neuroscience of how certain ingredients can evoke memory and emotion through aroma. We collaborate closely with a chef to bring those ideas to life, creating snacks that not only taste amazing but also honor the landscapes they’re inspired by. Then, of course, we test them out in the wild! It’s about capturing this concept of “somewhereness” in every bite.

New Mexico has such a rich food culture and landscape. How has being rooted there influenced Wanderlands, both in terms of ingredients and storytelling?

Sofia: I grew up in New Mexico and wanted to capture the smells of my home state. Most people do not know how ecologically diverse it is. It has alpine climates, canyonlands, and high desert. I spend so much of my time outdoors in nature, and wanted to create a snack that encourages us to look up and really appreciate our surroundings. It’s perfect for those pauses after a long hike, when you stop to take in the beauty of your surroundings.

Jane: After I started working with Sofia, she invited me on a road trip through the wilds of New Mexico. I immediately fell in love with the varied and vast landscapes, so much so that I wanted to help her realize this vision of having people experience New Mexico in a visceral way while also raising the bar for outdoor-friendly snacks.

Starting a brand is no small feat. What’s been one of the biggest surprises or lessons you’ve learned since launching Wanderlands?

Sofia: This is my first rodeo, so I’m still learning. The best advice I’ve gotten is to “stick to the vision”.

Jane: I have a history in working with companies to find the ideal union between product and brand. We obviously have a nuanced focus on the product creation at Wanderlands, but it’s equally as important to build a brand that resonates with those we most want to reach. This is a mix of hypothesis and trial and error, and it’s been a really fun and educational process to introduce Wanderlands to new audiences, understand their reactions, and really begin to understand our ride or dies. 

Worth the Weight in Your Pack

Wanderlands pecan nut mixes are the kind of trail snack that make you pause mid-step and go, wow. They’re light, nutrient-rich, and packed with unique flavors that feel like a treat, not just fuel.

If you’re tired of flavorless bars or sugar-heavy mixes, give these a shot. Whether you're on a thru-hike or a weekend wander, Wanderlands brings a little gourmet joy to every trail mile.

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