# Dang Foods: Vincent and Andrew Kitirattragarn

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-01-24
- Length: 1h 07m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=0) Introduction: Vincent and Andrew Kitirattragarn and Dang Foods
- [4:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=291) Early Life and Vincent's Restaurant Experiment
- [14:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=857) The Underground Market and Toasted Coconut Discovery
- [20:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=1252) Fancy Food Show and First Retail Partnerships
- [30:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=1812) Andrew Joins and the Safeway Breakthrough
- [39:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=2377) Social Media Luck and Branding Strategy
- [44:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=2659) The Failed Onion Chip Launch and Venture Funding
- [54:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=3287) Rice Crackers and Keto Energy Bars
- [1:00:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn#t=3612) Pandemic Impact, Supply Chain, and Family Therapy

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Dang Foods (company)
- H-E-B (company)
- Safeway (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- KPMG (company)
- Courtney Kardashian (other)
- Chrissy Teigen (other)
- Thai Crossing (company)
- Good Guide (company)
- Fancy Food Show (other)
- Expo West (other)
- New Taste Marketplace (other)
- Trader Joe's (company)
- Funions (product)
- RX Bar (product)
- Lara Bar (product)
- Cliff Bar (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder Feature: Breanna and Jared Golestani of Kokada](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-02-14-founder-feature-breanna-and-jared-golestani-of-kokada) (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)
- [Founder Feature: Sashi Kumar, Brittney Lim, and Jim Giberson of Tamarind Heads](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-09-20-founder-feature-sashi-kumar-brittney-lim-and-jim-giberson-of-tamarind-heads) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature - Fane He and Kyle Nguyen of  The Lucky Ox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-20-founder-feature-fane-he-and-kyle-nguyen-of-the-lucky-ox) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#137 Plant-Based Dumpling Kings: Eric Wu and Adam Yee, Sobo Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-04-09-137-plant-based-dumpling-kings-eric-wu-and-adam-yee-sobo-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-24-dang-foods-vincent-and-andrew-kitirattragarn. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.