Scaling WILDE Into a $100M+ and 20,000+ Door Brand | Jason Wright, WILDE

On this episode, we're joined by Jason Wright, Founder and CEO of WILDE Protein Snacks - the brand that figured out how to turn chicken breast into a thin, crispy chip (and now crackers!) and has since grown into a $100M+ business across 20,000+ retail doors. Jason walks through the full journey - from a failed meat-based protein bar to the eureka moment at the bottom of a potato chip bag, through R&D at Colorado State's meat science lab, a disastrous test run at a pork rind facility, and the moment that inspired WILDE's now-patented production equipment.We get into why WILDE had no choice but to vertically integrate and what it took to build a 55,000 sq ft facility in Kentucky during COVID - WILDE is now opening a 130,000 sq ft plant. Jason also breaks down pricing strategy, why demos remain the top velocity driver, and how TikTok creators are scaling a "disbelief" marketing message.We also dig into WILDE's innovation pipeline - the hard lesson from discontinuing a pork chip, and why the brand is now focused on formats. Crackers just hit the shelf, a tortilla chip is coming later this year, and a pita chip is on the horizon.---------------Episode Highlights:🥣 From granola founder in NYC to chicken chip inventor🧪 R&D at Colorado State's JBS-built meat science lab🏭 The pork rind facility disaster and what came next🔧 A bulldozer-inspired idea that led to patented equipment⚠️ IP leakage at a co-man (Conagra, Tyson, Hershey)🏗️ Building a 55K sq ft facility during COVID - and now a 130K sq ft plant🎨 Naming the brand after Oscar Wilde (and the trademark fight)🛒 How Whole Foods pioneered the protein snack set🚀 Demos as the #1 velocity driver (and scaling TikTok creators)💡 The "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" marketing philosophy🧀 Launching the WILDE cracker (chicken breast + four cheeses)🎯 Why WILDE is now focused on formats, not proteins👀 Innovation roadmap: tortilla chips, pita chips, flat pretzels---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro01:00 – Origin story: Feed Granola and health food in NYC03:17 – The failed meat-based protein bar06:57 – R&D at Colorado State's meat science lab08:03 – The pork rind facility disaster09:30 – The bulldozer moment and patented equipment11:00 – Why WILDE had to vertically integrate12:01 – Co-man in Virginia and IP leakage risks14:00 – Why Kentucky and how they financed the build18:11 – Brand identity and "protein chips" framing20:07 – Naming the brand after Oscar Wilde22:17 – Pricing strategy and retail expansion24:05 – Landing at Whole Foods and the protein snack set26:27 – Driving velocity: demos, TikTok, and disbelief marketing29:25 – Distribution: UNFI, KeHE, going direct31:03 – Pork chip lessons and the pivot to formats35:51 – New product launch challenges39:12 – Fundraising tips: seed vs. growth stage---------------Links:WILDE Protein Snacks – https://www.wildebrands.comFollow Jason on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-wright-ceo/WILDE on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wilde-protein-snacks/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 https://www.kitprint.co/.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.