Most Likely to Ignore Conventional Thinking Around a Crowded Category: Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali, co-CEOs, Chomps

🧠 Most Likely to Ignore Conventional Thinking Around a Crowded Category: Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali, co-CEOs, Chomps

Just when you thought it was safe to snap back into a Slim Jim, Chomps entered the game. The 100% grass-fed beef stick company has racked up awards – including multiple Inc. 5000 list appearances – as well as an $80 million investment from Stride Consumer Partners in 2022.

Chomps has grown even as an earlier wave of premium meat snack plays – think Epic, Krave, Chef’s Cut, and Duke’s – found themselves stranded, caught in between convenience stores and Whole Foods. Meanwhile, Chomps has kept its products at zero sugar, with 10 or more grams of protein and a low-enough ingredient profile to keep it Whole30 compliant – all while selling in gas stations and Trader Joe’s alike.

Co-CEOs Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali have kept the product line simple, colorful and grounded – by using grass-fed beef, they’re able to keep the environmental high ground, while also making those ecological and health principals affordable to most consumers. No wonder they’re growing so fast. Here’s one more thing about the old order: Women love Chomps, taking the brand a long way from the Macho Man, indeed.

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