Meet Andrew Chi & Brad Armistead | Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Chi & Brad Armistead, we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew & Brad, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We’ve been close friends for over 20 years and even worked at the same company for almost a decade. We had worked in marketing on a variety of food and lifestyle brands and decided to start our business when we came across a problem that needed to be solved.

We were inspired to start Salivation Snackfoods when our close friend Dave was on the keto diet to help treat a serious health condition. It’s hard enough to stick to any diet, but the limited number of tasty dessert options that were keto make this particularly difficult for Dave, and we knew he wasn’t the only one, so we decided to do something about it.

We set out to solve the problem of making a low carb, gluten-free dessert that was also truly delicious. Since we both had deep experience in brand management, we were excited to tackle this.

We started with brownies, America’s favorite dessert. This also meant that the bar was high and that we had to get the taste and texture perfect.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We set out to create the most delicious low carb, gluten-free brownie possible. Neither of us is a trained pastry chef, so we had a really steep learning curve. After tons misfires, including a salted caramel explosion on Brad’s kitchen ceiling, we thought we had a pretty good recipe. We brought it to a pastry chef friend for feedback, and it took her 10 seconds to tear to shreds what had taken us 200+ hours to create.

We walked away with our tails between our legs and called our friend the next morning to see if she would help. She told us very honestly that she bakes with butter, white sugar and white flour – ingredients we don’t use – so there wouldn’t be a fit. But she did introduce us to another pastry chef who liked experimenting with different ingredients… and it was a bonus that she used to work at the French Laundry.

So with the help of pastry chef and keto experts, we were able to create a line of brownies that were each 3g net carbs (for the whole freakin’ thing!) and that were also delicious. Our pastries are keto, gluten-free, dairy-free and with no added sugar. We use a combination of natural sweeteners and boost each pastry with collagen and MCT oil. We’re proud to have created something that is so low in net carbs and doesn’t spike blood glucose levels, while making it taste a like a gourmet pastry. The lesson here is to talk to experts early in the process.

But it’s also necessary to find partners you can count on, especially as a small company without deep pockets. We learned this lesson the hard way when we worked with a manufacturer who cashed our checks but didn’t deliver the goods (literally). More important than the wasted money, however, was the lost time. It set us back 6 months and put us in a terrible spot. We were debuting at the upcoming Metabolic Health Summit, and we needed to make a whole lot of brownies really fast. We were on such a tight timeline that we ended up arriving at the show 1 hour after it started with brownies in blank packaging. They were almost still warm! But thank goodness we made it, because it was at that summit that we were discovered by Mollee Rucker, the Bristol Farms buyer.

Entrepreneurs wear many hats . . . actually, they wear ALL of the hats! Since no one can be great at everything, you have to admit to what you don’t know, not be afraid to ask, and surround yourself with people and partners that complement what you bring to the table.

Networking with other entrepreneurs is also invaluable. We can’t tell you how much we’ve learned from other entrepreneurs. They’ll save you tons of time and money — two things you never have enough of as a business owner.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here are some highlights for my bestie’s visit to LA: • Redondo Beach (Avenue C) for a dip in the ocean or walk on the beach – keep an eye out for dolphins – followed by breakfast burritos at Phanny’s

• Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with lunch at the café, followed by an evening under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl

• Morning hike at Runyon Canyon, followed by brunch at Republique. After brunch, head over to Melrose to go thrifting for fashions at Crossroads Trading, and then The Grove to to scratch the rest of your shopping itch.

• Bike ride to Griffith Park Observatory and be sure to ride up to the parking lot where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone danced in La la land, followed by an outdoor lunch at the charming Alcove Café and Bakery in Los Feliz. If you’re hungry for more sweets, get a slice at House of Pies.

• Visit the Getty Center, then head over to Westwood, home of UCLA and Diddy Riese Cookies – a favorite snack spot among Bruins and non-Bruins since 1983.
• Seven Sundays a year CicLAvia puts on the city’s largest open street events that let you bike, jog, walk, dance on car-free streets in LA.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’ve gotten tons of valuable advice and encouragement from other founders. The first thing we did when we started was reach out to friends and founder colleagues who had launched their own brands. We offered to buy them lunch if they would share their stories and advice. Not only did every person accept, but we got insights that would end up saving us countless hours and thousands of dollars. A few founder friends who helped us a ton are Rosie O’Neill who started Sugarfina and Brenden Schaefer and Adam Razik who started Bright Bar. And it was Mollee Rucker, co-founder of KetoBrainz who discovered us at the Metabolic Health Summit where we debuted; she was a buyer at the time, and she brought us into Bristol Farms which continues to be a great retail partner.

We’d also like to give a shout out to Naturally Los Angeles. This a super supportive community of entrepreneurs, investors, brands, retailers and industry experts who support the launch and growth of natural products companies. NLA has programs, events and partnerships that have been extremely valuable.

We’re extremely grateful for the support that we’ve gotten, and whenever possible, we’re 100% committed to sharing our experiences or contacts to help other founders.

Website: www.salivationsnackfoods.com

Instagram: @salivationsnackfoods

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewschi

Facebook: @salivationsnackfoods

Image Credits
Annie Tao Photography (for pic of co-founders in kitchen)