Hardware Podcasts

Dang Foods: Vincent and Andrew Kitirattragarn

How I Built This · 24 Jan 2022 · 1h 07m

What this episode covers

Vincent and Andrew Kitirattragarn, co-founders of Dang Foods, explain how they scaled their Asian-inspired snack brand from a home kitchen experiment to over 10,000 retail locations. Vincent details the origin of their coconut chips and the strategic pivot to rice crackers and keto-friendly energy bars, while Andrew discusses the operational challenges of scaling production and managing supply chain disruptions. The brothers recount the costly failure of their vacuum-fried onion chips, the serendipitous boost from social media influencers, and the internal family dynamics that required therapy to resolve as they grew the company.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Dang Foods, H-E-B, Safeway, Whole Foods, KPMG, Thai Crossing, Good Guide, Trader Joe's
Products
Funions, RX Bar, Lara Bar, Cliff Bar
Also
Courtney Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Fancy Food Show, Expo West, New Taste Marketplace

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    Founder Feature: Breanna and Jared Golestani of Kokada

    Breanna and Jared Golestani, co-founders of Kokada, discuss their journey from pandemic-era kitchen experiments to launching a nationally distributed coconut-based snack brand. They detail the strategic decision to scale rapidly after winning the NOSH Pitch Slam, the challenges of managing an international supply chain with co-packers in Sri Lanka and domestically, and their financing strategy relying on angels and family offices rather than venture capital. The founders also explain the development and retail testing of their new product, Kokada Dunks, leveraging FDA guidance on coconut to target school-safe, peanut-allergy-friendly markets.

    Scaling productionManufacturing partners & offshoring
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 27m

    Founder Feature: Sean Knecht of Tantos!

    Sean Knecht, co-founder of Tantos (the first and only puffed pasta chip), discusses building the brand with celebrity chef Joe Sasto, detailing their origin story from a DM about flour-to-egg ratios to appearing on Shark Tank twice. Knecht explains the 'Shark Tank effect,' noting 3,000 orders in three days but also a significant cash flow hit due to Amazon holding funds for over a month. He outlines his strategy for pitching Whole Foods by analyzing SKU data to prove the snack aisle was oversaturated with tortilla chips, leading to a direct conversation with the buyer.

    Crowdfunding & preordersPricing, margins & unit economics
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 38m

    Founder Feature: Sashi Kumar, Brittney Lim, and Jim Giberson of Tamarind Heads

    Sashi Kumar, Brittney Lim, and Jim Giberson, co-founders of Tamarind Heads, discuss their journey from a Dartmouth business school project to launching a tamarind-based barbecue and hot sauce brand. They detail the complex proprietary process of sourcing whole tamarind pods and developing a manufacturing line that preserves the fruit's flavor without using concentrates, which won a Sofi Gold Award. The founders explain their strategy for scaling production, managing supply chain logistics, and expanding into retail through specialty stores and trade shows like Fancy Food Show, while maintaining a bootstrapped model and preparing for future funding rounds.

    Materials & manufacturing processesManufacturing partners & offshoring
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    Founder Feature - Fane He and Kyle Nguyen of The Lucky Ox

    Fane He and Kyle Nguyen, co-founders of The Lucky Ox, discuss their journey bootstrapping a Vietnamese-inspired beverage brand from concept to 100 wholesale accounts. They detail the challenges of DTC logistics with glass bottles, including breakage and the need for hand-delivery via subway and Uber, and explain their pivot to 12-packs and a new repacker. The founders emphasize their 'streetwear brand that makes drinks' identity, drawing inspiration from Nike and Kith, and their grassroots door-to-door sales strategy in New York City.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceRetail, wholesale & distribution
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 59m

    #137 Plant-Based Dumpling Kings: Eric Wu and Adam Yee, Sobo Foods

    Eric Wu, co-founder of Sobo Foods and former founder of Gainful, and Adam Yee, food scientist and co-founder of Better Meat Company, discuss launching Sobo Foods, a plant-based Asian American frozen dumpling brand. They detail their journey from meeting at Kitchentown to scaling production, emphasizing the importance of authentic branding, nutrient density, and navigating the current venture capital landscape for early-stage CPG companies. The founders share insights on targeting retail buyers in the Bay Area, leveraging their previous industry experience to accelerate decision-making, and the surprising demographic trends driving plant-based adoption among Asian Americans and parents.

    Starting a product companyValidation & product-market fit
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.