# Banza: Brian Rudolph. The Chickpea Pasta That Nearly Turned to Mush

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2026-09-21
- Length: 58m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush

## Summary

Brian Rudolph, co-founder of Banza, explains how he created the first chickpea pasta after discovering wheat sensitivity, launching the brand with his brother Scott Rudolph. The company scaled from a Detroit apartment to over 25,000 stores by leveraging reality TV exposure on *Restaurant Startup* and securing early retail deals with Italy and Meijer. When initial production runs resulted in mushy pasta, Brian and Scott solved the issue by instructing consumers to 'steep it like tea' rather than boil it. Later, Banza navigated a severe PR crisis involving glyphosate allegations by partnering with the Detox Project to publish transparent test results and rebuild consumer trust.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=0) Introduction: Brian Rudolph and Banza
- [4:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=250) Brian's Wheat Sensitivity and Early Experiments
- [13:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=832) Co-founding Banza and Raising Initial Capital
- [21:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=1298) Scaling Production and the 'Mushy' Pasta Crisis
- [30:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=1846) The 'Steep It Like Tea' Solution and Packaging
- [42:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=2547) Retail Expansion and the Glyphosate Scare
- [58:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-21-banza-brian-rudolph-the-chickpea-pasta-that-nearly-turned-to-mush#t=3502) Rebuilding Trust and Future Growth

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Banza (product)
- Bob's Red Mill (other)
- Italy (company)
- Meijer (company)
- Target (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Kroger (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Restaurant Startup (other)
- Rocket Hub (other)
- Detox Project (other)
- Clean Scan (other)
- EWG (other)
- Barilla (company)
- Lupini (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder Feature: Stephanie Berwick of Pastazerts](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-05-23-founder-feature-stephanie-berwick-of-pastazerts) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#249 - Expo Pitch Slam Recap with ChiChi Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-19-249-expo-pitch-slam-recap-with-chichi-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [214 - Alex Cree on how he met Mark Cuban and innovated a new food product](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-09-20-214-alex-cree-on-how-he-met-mark-cuban-and-innovated-a-new-food-product) (People of Packaging)
- [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)
- [Gluten-Free Noodle Chips: Lauryn Bodden, S’noods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-04-12-gluten-free-noodle-chips-lauryn-bodden-snoods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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