Three Wishes

Three Wishes is an American breakfast cereal brand launched in 2019 by spouses Ian and Margaret Wishingrad. The brand was created in response to what the founders viewed as a shortage of breakfast cereals combining familiar cereal convenience with comparatively higher protein, lower sugar, and restricted-ingredient formulations. Its cereals are made primarily from chickpea, pea protein, and tapioca rather than conventional cereal grains. Products are gluten-free, grain-free, and certified non-GMO, with recipes using sweeteners such as monk fruit and organic cane sugar. The company spent approximately two to three years developing its recipes before launch. Ian and Margaret Wishingrad worked with food scientists and manufacturers and evaluated more than 100 recipes. The founders initially financed the business themselves before outside investors joined, including Rxbar co-founders Peter Rahal and Jared Smith and former Post Consumer Brands president Steve Van Tassel. Margaret Wishingrad serves as chief executive officer, while Ian Wishingrad is identified as a co-founder. Three Wishes initially offered cinnamon, honey, and unsweetened varieties. It later expanded its range with cocoa, frosted, and fruity flavors. The products are presented in pastel-colored cardboard boxes containing translucent plastic sack liners, giving the packaging a distinctive appearance within the better-for-you cereal category. The brand's name refers to Ian and Margaret Wishingrad and their son. At launch, Three Wishes was distributed through natural and organic grocery retailers including Sprouts Farmers Market, Wegmans, and Whole Foods Market, as well as through Amazon and a group of independent and regional stores in New York. By June 2020, the cereals were reportedly stocked in approximately 600 stores, including Erewhon and Stew Leonard's locations. The COVID-19 pandemic constrained conventional in-store sampling, so the founders organized a socially distanced drive-through sampling event outside their home in Scarsdale, New York, in April 2020. The brand has also used entertainment and sports-related marketing. In connection with the June 2020 launch of its cocoa flavor, Three Wishes released a taste-test video featuring Peter Ostrum, Paris Themmen, and Julie Dawn Cole, actors associated with the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In 2021, basketball player Buddy Boeheim appeared in a Three Wishes advertising campaign, accompanied by a limited-edition Buddy Box. The campaign was described in reference coverage as the first traditional advertising campaign featuring a college athlete. Consumer reception has generally focused on Three Wishes as an alternative to highly sweetened conventional cereals. A 2019 Business Insider taste test found the cinnamon and honey varieties more appealing than the unsweetened version and characterized the products as a credible lower-sugar, lower-carbohydrate alternative. The brand was also included in Diane von Fürstenberg's Amazon collection commemorating International Women's Day in 2020. Available reference material does not establish the brand's current ownership, headquarters, financial performance, or complete present-day distribution footprint.

Three Wishes was founded by married couple Ian and Margaret Wishingrad and launched in 2019. The founders entered the category after becoming dissatisfied with the limited number of cereal products that they considered both nutritious and appealing. Their concept focused on a cereal that could provide a familiar breakfast format while avoiding grains and gluten and delivering more protein with less sugar than many conventional products. Development took roughly two to three years and involved collaboration with food scientists and manufacturers. The Wishingrads reportedly tasted more than 100 recipes before selecting the formulas for commercial production. The founders funded the early work themselves, later bringing in outside investors that included Peter Rahal and Jared Smith, co-founders of Rxbar, and Steve Van Tassel, a former president of Post Consumer Brands. Margaret Wishingrad became chief executive officer. Reference material describes Three Wishes as the first cereal company founded by a woman, although the scope and definition of that characterization are not further specified. The initial range consisted of cinnamon, honey, and unsweetened cereals. The recipes used chickpea, pea protein, and tapioca as their principal ingredients and were marketed as gluten-free, grain-free, certified non-GMO products. Monk fruit and organic cane sugar were among the sweetening ingredients used across the range. Later additions included cocoa, frosted, and fruity flavors. Packaging used pastel cardboard boxes with translucent plastic sack liners, distinguishing the brand visually from many established cereal products. Three Wishes entered retail through Sprouts Farmers Market, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market, Amazon, and approximately 150 natural and organic grocery stores in New York. By June 2020, the distribution footprint had reportedly reached about 600 stores, with additional placements at Erewhon and Stew Leonard's. The brand's early expansion occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when conventional grocery-store sampling became more difficult. In April 2020, the founders responded by arranging a socially distanced drive-through sampling event outside their home in Scarsdale, New York; between 50 and 100 people reportedly attended. Marketing activity supported both product launches and the brand's better-for-you positioning. For the cocoa launch in June 2020, Three Wishes released a taste-test video featuring Peter Ostrum, Paris Themmen, and Julie Dawn Cole, all associated with the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In 2021, Buddy Boeheim promoted the brand in a traditional advertising campaign, and Three Wishes issued a limited-edition Buddy Box. Reference coverage described this as the first traditional advertising campaign featuring a college athlete. The brand also received lifestyle and cultural visibility through its inclusion in Diane von Fürstenberg's Amazon collection for International Women's Day in 2020. A 2019 Business Insider comparison of three Three Wishes flavors with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Froot Loops, and Honey Nut Cheerios gave the strongest preference to the cinnamon and honey varieties, while finding the unsweetened version less compelling. The review framed the brand as a credible option for consumers seeking to reduce sugar and carbohydrate intake without abandoning cereal's taste and crunch. Current ownership, headquarters, financial results, and the full contemporary retail footprint are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 2021

  Buddy Box campaign launches

  [1]Three Wishes (food)en.wikipedia.org

  Three Wishes partners with Buddy Boeheim on a traditional advertising campaign and releases a limited-edition Buddy Box.

• 2020

  Retail distribution expands

  [1]Three Wishes (food)en.wikipedia.org

  The brand reaches approximately 600 stores, including Erewhon and Stew Leonard's, after initially selling through natural and organic retailers and Amazon.

• 2020

  Cocoa flavor introduced

  [1]Three Wishes (food)en.wikipedia.org

  Three Wishes adds a cocoa flavor and supports the launch with a video featuring actors from the 1971 Willy Wonka film.

• 2019

  Three Wishes launches

  [1]Three Wishes (food)en.wikipedia.org

  Ian and Margaret Wishingrad launch Three Wishes with cinnamon, honey, and unsweetened grain-free cereals.

A better-for-you breakfast cereal brand emphasizing grain-free and gluten-free recipes, plant-based protein from chickpeas and peas, relatively higher protein, and less sugar than many conventional cereals.

• Breakfast cereal · 2019

  Cinnamon

  One of the brand's original flavors, the cinnamon cereal is a grain-free and gluten-free cereal made primarily from chickpea, pea protein, and tapioca. It is positioned as a crunchy alternative to conventional cinnamon-flavored cereals, with less sugar and comparatively more protein than many mainstream products.

• Breakfast cereal · 2019

  Honey

  The honey variety was part of the original Three Wishes lineup. It uses the brand's grain-free cereal base and sweet flavor profile to offer a familiar honeyed breakfast experience while supporting the brand's gluten-free, non-GMO, and lower-sugar positioning.

• Breakfast cereal · 2019

  Unsweetened

  The unsweetened cereal was introduced at launch for consumers seeking a more restrained flavor profile. It uses the same general chickpea, pea-protein, and tapioca platform and is intended to reduce reliance on added sweetness while retaining the texture and convenience of a boxed cereal.

• Breakfast cereal · 2020

  Cocoa

  The cocoa flavor was added after the initial Three Wishes range. Its introduction was supported by a promotional taste-test video featuring actors from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, connecting the product launch with chocolate-themed popular culture.

• Breakfast cereal

  Frosted

  Frosted was one of the flavors added to the brand after its initial launch. It extends Three Wishes' better-for-you cereal platform into a sweeter, more indulgent flavor territory while retaining the brand's grain-free and gluten-free product framework.

• Breakfast cereal

  Fruity

  The fruity flavor was introduced as part of Three Wishes' post-launch range expansion. It broadens the brand's appeal toward consumers familiar with colorful fruit-flavored cereals while maintaining the company's alternative-ingredient and reduced-sugar positioning.

• 2021Buddy Box campaign

  United States

  Three Wishes worked with basketball player Buddy Boeheim on a traditional advertising campaign and issued a limited-edition package called the Buddy Box.

  Outcome. Reference coverage characterized the campaign as the first traditional advertising campaign featuring a college athlete; no sales result is provided.

  Source
• 2020Scarsdale drive-through sampling

  United States

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Three Wishes hosted a socially distanced cereal sampling event outside the founders' home in Scarsdale, New York, rather than relying on conventional in-store demonstrations.

  Outcome. The event reportedly attracted between 50 and 100 attendees.

  Source
• 2020Cocoa launch taste-test video

  United States

  Three Wishes promoted its cocoa cereal with a video featuring Peter Ostrum, Paris Themmen, and Julie Dawn Cole, actors associated with the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

  Outcome. The campaign provided entertainment-led promotion for the new cocoa flavor; a quantified commercial outcome is not available.

  Source
• 2020Diane von Fürstenberg Amazon collection

  United States

  Diane von Fürstenberg included Three Wishes in an Amazon collection associated with International Women's Day.

  Outcome. The inclusion gave the young brand additional lifestyle and women-focused merchandising visibility.

  Source

• 2020

  Use drive-through sampling during the COVID-19 pandemicStrategy

  Background

  Pandemic restrictions reduced opportunities for conventional in-store product sampling.

  Action taken

  The founders organized a socially distanced drive-through sampling event outside their Scarsdale, New York, home.

  Aftermath

  The event reportedly drew between 50 and 100 people, but broader commercial effects are not documented.

  Source

• 2020

  Expand the flavor portfolio with cocoaProduct launch

  Background

  After establishing its original cinnamon, honey, and unsweetened products, Three Wishes sought to broaden appeal with a chocolate-oriented flavor.

  Action taken

  The company introduced cocoa cereal and paired the release with a Willy Wonka-themed cast taste-test video.

  Aftermath

  The product became part of the brand's expanded flavor range; no financial or sales result is available.

  Source

• 2019

  Launch a grain-free, protein-oriented cereal platformProduct launch

  Background

  The founders believed consumers had limited access to cereal that combined convenient, familiar eating occasions with higher protein, less sugar, and restricted-ingredient formulations.

  Action taken

  After two to three years of product development and testing more than 100 recipes, Three Wishes launched with cinnamon, honey, and unsweetened varieties made primarily from chickpea, pea protein, and tapioca.

  Aftermath

  The brand entered natural and organic retail channels and later expanded its range with cocoa, frosted, and fruity flavors.

  Source

1. 1Three Wishes (food)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cereal Startup Hands Out Samples in Driveway Drive-Thrucheddar.com
3. 3Interview: Three Wishes' Margaret Wishingrad on How to Sell a Product That's 'Good for You'dtcmagazine.com
4. 4Adweek Crossover: I'm With the Brand Meets Adweek Togetheradweek.com