In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Chiara Munzi, co-founder of ChiChi Foods — the winner of Startup CPG's first-ever Expo West Pitch Slam, powered by Advantage FDM Sales. ChiChi makes the world's first chickpea hot cereal: a shelf-stable, high-protein, high-fiber breakfast that cooks just like instant oatmeal but delivers everything oatmeal doesn't — more protein, more fiber, and none of the sugar crash.
Chiara shares the full story: how she and co-founder Izzy started mushing chickpeas in their college dorm room after realizing their morning oatmeal was leaving them hungry and crashing an hour later, how they applied to every pitch competition at Expo West instead of paying for a booth, and what it felt like to walk into a room of 200 people and a panel of top retail and distribution judges expecting eight.
Daniel and Chiara walk through the entire Pitch Slam experience — from the application strategy to the five-minute pitch, the surprise questions from the judges, the tight deliberations, and the moment ChiChi was named the winner. A huge thank you to Advantage FDM Sales for making this possible by awarding ChiChi Foods their FDM Brand Accelerator Program — a $150,000 prize package designed to help emerging brands build velocity in retail through demos, field support, and brand-building services. They also get into exactly how ChiChi plans to use the prize — primarily for in-store demos as they head into new regional retail launches this summer and fall — and why demos are the single best marketing tool for a product people need to taste to believe.
Listen in as they cover:
- How ChiChi Foods started in a college dorm room and why chickpeas beat oatmeal on every nutritional metric
- The strategy of applying to every Expo West competition instead of buying a booth — and why it paid off
- What the judging panel looked like: Sprouts, Whole Foods, Hannaford, UNFI Up Next, and Advantage FDM Sales
- What it felt like to pitch in front of 200 people when you were expecting eight judges
- The honest answer Chiara gave Sprouts about organic and non-GMO certifications — and why it didn't hurt them
- Why ChiChi won: product differentiation, a genuine origin story, and grit that came through in every moment
- How the FDM Brand Accelerator Program could translate to thousands of in-store sampling events across new retail doors
- Why founder-led demos create a different kind of consumer connection — and why it matters for early-stage brands
- The long game of building relationships at shows: why the people you meet now might change your business three years later
Whether you're an early-stage brand wondering whether to spend money on a booth, a founder about to pitch to retail buyers for the first time, or someone who just needs a reminder that applying for everything is always worth it, this episode is for you.
Episode Links:
ChiChi Foods Website: https://chickpeaoats.com
Chiara Munzi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiaramunzi/
ChiChi Foods on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chichifoods/
Advantage FDM Sales: https://www.advantagefdm.com
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
- Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
- Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
- Follow @startupcpg
- Visit host Daniel's Linkedin
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
