When steaks don’t sell you shift to sticks; that’s how Chomps was born. After several failed ventures—one of which left him bankrupt—Pete Maldonado decided to take another chance on launching a business. He partnered with Rashid Ali to start a mail-order service similar to Omaha Steaks, but with grass-fed meat that was more suited to the Paleo diet. When the partners couldn’t get that off the ground, they shifted to individually-wrapped meat sticks; one of the first in a long line of ‘healthier for you’ protein snacks. For several years, each co-founder tried to manage the business as a side-hustle, but the sausage hit the fan in 2016 when a surprise order from Trader Joe’s left them scrambling to produce a million sticks. Today, Chomps is available in major chains across the country and pulls in more than $100 million a year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Peter Maldonado and Rashid Ali, co-founders of Chomps, share their entrepreneurial journey from day jobs to launching a $20 million brand of grass-fed meat sticks. They discuss the challenges of scaling up, the importance of grassroots marketing, and strategies for evolving their brand. Their story includes navigating retail transitions and establishing partnerships with major stores like Trader Joe's. They also delve into optimizing return on investment while maintaining brand awareness, emphasizing the need for continuous learning in their marketing approaches.