# Stacy's Pita Chips: Stacy Madison (2019)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-08-09
- Length: 57m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019

## Summary

Stacy Madison, co-founder of Stacy's Pita Chips, explains how she and Mark Andrus pivoted from a Boston food cart to a $250 million sale to PepsiCo. They overcame early skepticism from a Frito consultant by engineering a custom conveyorized oven and sourcing a modified carrot-cutting machine to scale production. The company navigated significant challenges, including a factory fire and the complexities of selling to major retailers like Trader Joe's and Costco, while maintaining control without giving up equity.

## Chapters

- [1:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=75) Introduction: Stacy Madison and Stacy's Pita Chips
- [4:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=258) Early Career and the Decision to Start a Food Business
- [13:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=814) Launching the Food Cart and Creating Pita Chips
- [23:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=1392) Scaling Production: From Ovens to Custom Machinery
- [26:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=1610) Securing Funding and Retail Distribution
- [34:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=2056) Overcoming Scaling Skepticism and Manufacturing Challenges
- [40:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=2453) Divorce, Business Partnership, and Growth
- [47:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=2822) The Sale to PepsiCo and Factory Fire
- [51:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-08-09-stacys-pita-chips-stacy-madison-2019#t=3060) Post-Sale Life and New Ventures

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Stacy's Pita Chips (product)
- PepsiCo (company)
- Frito (company)
- Trader Joe's (company)
- Costco (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- B Bold Bars (product)

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- [Founder Feature: Marilyn Yang of Popadelics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-04-11-founder-feature-marilyn-yang-of-popadelics) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Sean Knecht of Tantos!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-08-founder-feature-sean-knecht-of-tantos) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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- [Founders Feature: Lucy Dana of One Trick Pony](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-21-founders-feature-lucy-dana-of-one-trick-pony) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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