The $500M+ Beef Stick Empire: The Chomps Story
Consumer VC #347 with Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali, Co-Founders of Chomps
Listen on Spotify, Apple, YouTube
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Hey friends,
Today’s episode is with Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali, the founders of Chomps. Chomps produces healthy beef, turkey, and venison meat sticks. Their first month in business they brought in $500 in revenue. Fast forward, Chomps is now a $500m+ powerhouse sold in Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Whole Foods—all built with no VC checks.
In this episode, Pete and Rashid share how they turned a side hustle into a national brand:
✅ Why starting small gave them the discipline to stay profitable
✅ The scrappy marketing tactics that turned $500 into their first $5,000
✅ How a Trader Joe’s deal transformed their growth overnight
✅ Why they ignored the “raise early” startup playbook and bootstrapped instead
✅ How their opposite personalities created the perfect founder duo
✅ The systems and strategy that took them from a side hustle to shelves nationwide
👉 If you’re building a business from scratch—or wondering if you really need VC money—this episode is proof that you can start lean, grow smart, and win big.
Timestamps
01:10 – How a $500 Side Hustle Became Chomps
03:25 – Pivoting From Frozen Meat to Beef Sticks 06:20 Early Influencer Hacks That Fueled Growth
10:45 – The Trader Joe’s Breakthrough
14:10 – Staying Profitable Through Scale
18:30 – The Founder Dynamic That Made It Work
22:00 – $80M Secondary Round
26:30 – Building a Brand Customers Love
30:00 – The Next Chapter for Chomps
34:20 – Building Systems and Teams for Scale
37:00 – Staying Profitable While Competing with Legacy Brands
40:10 – Why They Never Raised a Traditional VC Round
44:00 Becoming a B‑Corp and Setting Higher Standards
48:10 Their Take on the Protein Trend and What’s Next for Chomps
51:30 Book Picks: Rocket Fuel & Die With Zero
Thanks for listening.