LOS ANGELES — Plant-based pork skin and cheese puff maker Outstanding Foods plans to expand beyond the salty snack category. The Los Angeles-based company, which has high-profile investors such as Snoop Dogg and Deeks Bentley, plans to launch soft-baked, gluten-free cookies soon and is developing egg substitutes.
“Ultimately, we hope to be a company that consumers can rely on for every meal and snack opportunity from morning till night,” said co-founder and CEO Bill Glaser. says.
A self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and long-time vegan, Glaser launched his company five years ago in partnership with Dave Anderson, former chef and product developer at Beyond Meat and Eat Just. The first offering was a bacon-inspired mushroom-based snack.
“We intentionally planned to be a platform food company with the ethos that everything leads to great taste and luxury … but with ingredients that inspire nutrition and clean, wellness.” “We are planning other product lines in other categories, but we chose the snacks category first because we wanted to meet where mainstream consumers shop.” is.”
Outstanding Foods now offers 3 flavors: Outstanding Puffs, Outstanding Cheese Balls, and Outstanding Pig Out Crunchies, which combine pea protein with a blend of nutrients from broccoli, spinach, kale, pumpkin, sweet potato, sunflower seeds, and cranberries. We sell and distribute one product line. , chlorella, maitake, shiitake. (“Porkless Bacon Chips” was scrapped due to operational complexity and high production costs). Flavor profiles range from white cheddar and nacho he cheese to pizza and barbecue. Products are sold at approximately 22,000 retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Walmart and Costco.
“Our products don’t require new habits,” says Glaser. “You’re going to eat it, you’re going to love it, and you happen to get all these nutrients and protein on top of that.
In the interview, Glaser shared the inside scoop on what’s to come from the celebrity-backed snack company.
food entrepreneur: What inspired you to start this business?
Bill Glazer: I’m a longtime serial entrepreneur and have worked in a variety of companies, but have personally been plant-based for nearly 33 years. I started a company with the intention of making it easy for everyone to eat healthy, plant-based, gluten-free foods, but without making any sacrifices. To pull it off, I needed someone like my co-founder.
How did you put a celebrity like Snoop Dogg on the cap table?
Mr. Glazer: We very intentionally brought in early investors who were celebrities and influencers so that we could leverage them to create content, use in advertising, and garner press…
When it comes to food, many people are skeptical. Especially when it comes to plant-based or healthier stuff. The experience of most people who have tried something healthier is that it doesn’t taste as good as what they are used to….we found means the product responded to a topic created online by Snoop and other personalities.
Food or not, any brand, celebrities want things that are real to them, that they love dearly, and that they use in their daily lives. A big part of that was getting the product off the ground because it spoke for itself. I’ve had a few relationships, but many of the relationships we have with celebrity investors were new. If it tastes as good as it used to, I’d say an easy yes…and that’s how we’ve attracted so many celebrity investors.
How do you identify innovation opportunities in the market?
Mr. Glaser: We were one of the first brands to make plant-based pig skin, and we did it with a much higher protein content than any other plant-based brand. What could be improved, not just protein or anything else?
The second product we launched… we took a common product on the market, Puff… We boosted the protein and added an excellent source of 20 vitamins and minerals. …the back of the label looks like you are reading a multivitamin. You get iron, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc and all the other nutrients you get from organic fruits and vegetables.
what’s next?
Mr. Glaser: Enter sweet snacks. We will be releasing an excellent her cookie earlier this year. This is essentially a nutritional cookie that tastes like a great tasting indulgent cookie. This cookie has 5 grams of protein per serving. They’re also packed with 20 vitamins and minerals, but they don’t taste like nutritional cookies.
Most consumers love cookies so much they are ready to make sacrifices to get the nutrients and protein they contain. Product free and gluten free.
We also address eggs… The egg category, like many plant-based products, uses ingredients that give texture or aid function. is one of the main ingredients used in plant-based foods. It is a reverse gelling agent used to fake the texture of plant-based meats and the curdling of plant-based eggs. Used to make the melting point of plant-based cheese. We have developed a methylcellulose-free (plant-based egg)…
Not only is it cleaner in terms of ingredient deck, but it works more like a real egg. We are working to scale up our manufacturing and are in talks with a major food company that could be a potential partner for distribution of that product.
First, liquid eggs and frozen patties. We care a lot about consumer behavior and want to make it easier for people to adopt our products rather than adding steps.
What was the biggest challenge you faced building this business?
Mr. Glaser: I believe that any entrepreneurial journey requires adaptability. You have to have a strong will to do your best, but doing your best doesn’t mean just going on the path you choose. It means adapting to whatever comes your way, including challenges…and challenges are opportunities if you approach them with the right mindset.
Changes in iOS have made D2C marketing increasingly crowded, expensive, and difficult to convert. We have always turned around.
Have you faced any supply chain challenges recently, like many other companies have?
Mr. Glaser: We have successfully navigated our supply chain. We always try to be prepared and anticipate by being agile when market changes and challenges arise…In normal times, let alone in the present times, we accept to understand We are open to evaluate. See what the best solution is and move forward with confidence.
Accepting feedback is an important principle…We always provide the highest quality products, but we also love hearing feedback from our consumers, retailers, our team and outside sources…We make money We’re paying attention, and if there’s enough information, we’ll make changes right away.
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