From a Capstone Project to Kroger | Eli Bank, Absurd Snacks

On this episode, we’re joined by Eli Bank, the Co-founder and COO of Absurd Snacks, a top-9-allergen-free, snack company that started as a senior capstone project at the University of Richmond and now sells in Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, and college campuses across the Mid-Atlantic.Eli walks us through how he and co-founder Grace turned their classroom idea into a fully commercialized brand, navigating student grants, allergen-safe formulation, hand-filling tens of thousands of bags, and eventually scaling to a co-packer.We dig into the behind-the-scenes of launching in national retailers, demo tactics that drive real velocity, and how grants in the early days can be an alternative to fundraising.—---------------Episode Highlights:🥣 From college project to Whole Foods shelves💰 How to fund your brand with grants (instead of VC)🌰 Making snacks that are top-9-allergen-free🏭 When to move to a co-man (and how to pick one)🛍️ Opening doors at Whole Foods, Kroger & Publix📈 Demo strategies that actually drive turns🎯 Channel differences and retailer expectations🚀 What he’s learned after producing 100K+ units by hand📦 Fancy Food Show & trade show strategy📊 Trends Eli’s watching in snacking and allergen-friendly CPG—---------------Table of Contents:00:00:00 – Intro00:40:11 – Absurd Snacks intro04:17:00 – From capstone project to on the shelf09:49:25 – Grants, the alternative to early-stage fundraising11:48:25 – Formulation and commercialization philosophy14:21:26 – Transitioning to a co-packer, allergen free reqs19:36:22 – A bunch of recommendations surrounding co-packers22:50:08 – Opening up the first few doors25:54:07 – Demo strategies29:36:18 – Whole Foods vs Kroger vs Publix34:16:26 – Fancy Food 202538:37:09 – Trends Eli is tracking—---------------Links:Absurd Snacks - https://absurdsnacks.comFollow Eli on LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/elibank/ Follow me on LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/ For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.