Rotten Crowned Champion of Nosh Live Pitch Slam 16

Rotten was named the winner of Pitch Slam 16, Nosh’s annual pitch competition for emerging food brands sponsored by Vdriven.

Launched in 2023 by founder and CEO Michael Fisher, the Los Angeles-based brand produces lower-sugar candies featuring distinctive branding inspired by ‘80s and ‘90s gross-out culture. Available nationwide in retailers including Sprouts Farmers Market, Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons and Dick’s Sporting Goods, Rotten’s gummy worms and crunchy coated gummy clusters are sweetened with a blend of allulose, monk fruit and vegetable fiber and tinted with colors derived from plants.

“Over a third of consumers in our category are cutting back on candy, with the primary reason being health and diet concerns. They look at the current options and they see empty calories and artificial junk they want to indulge, but the guilt is stopping them cold,” said Fisher during his presentation.

Compared to conventional candies, he noted, “We slash sugar by up to 70% and replace it with prebiotic fiber for gut health.”

Rotten emerged victorious among a group of six semifinalists including Xinca Foods, a producer of frozen Salvadorian pupusas; Keya’s Snacks, a line of Indian-inspired potato chips; Djablo Sauce, a maker of Filipino hot sauces; Shooka, a brand of Mediterranean-spiced tomato sauce; and Oh So Easy!, which offers a line of globally-inspired baking mixes.

During Friday’s Pitch Slam, finalists had four minutes to pitch their product and brand while explaining to the panel of judges where the products are situated in the market, their blueprints for scaling the business, and how they plan to differentiate themselves.

The competition was judged by Luke Abbott, founder and CEO of Vdriven; Jacqui Brugliera, director of marketing at BevNET CPG Media; Ashley Rogers, founder of Shelfmade CPG; and Wiliam Quartner, partner with Prelude Growth Partners.

The judges praised the taste of Rotten products and approach to branding, with Rogers describing Rotten as the “Liquid Death of candy.”

“It works because it tastes fantastic,” Quartner added. “If it didn’t taste so good, it’s a dangerous play calling it Rotten.”

As the champion of Pitch Slam 16, Rotten will walk away with a $10,000 awareness-building advertising package from Nosh and bragging rights.

Rotten joins past PitchSlam winners like Mochi Love, Lentiful, Sunnie, Ruani, Cocina 54, Savorly and Kokada.