This installment of the Side Hustle Spotlight features Seth Goldstein, a 29-year-old who decided that being a vice president at a private equity fund focused on healthcare wasn’t enough excitement for him. So, naturally, he and co-founder Steven Rofrano commenced a journey into the crunchy world of chip production with their snack brand, Ancient Crunch, because who wouldn’t want to dive into a sea of frying oil and seasoning? Responses have been finely tuned for length and clarity, like a good artisanal chip.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Ancient Crunch
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What was your primary vocation before embarking on this crunchy side gig? Oh, just a typical day of being a vice president at a private equity fund catering to the fast-paced healthcare sector. You know, everyday stuff that ensures you’ll never have a dull moment.
When did this entrepreneurial escapade begin? A light-hearted roast from Steven about Seth’s snack choice of Tostitos during a Miami hangout ignited the spark. He didn’t even know what seed oils were back then. But alas, such is the journey from casual snacking to becoming the proud maker of MASA chips—a true rags-to-snacks story!
Financially, what did it take to get this crispy venture off the ground? The duo managed to cough up about $250,000 of their own precious funds—thanks to Seth’s savings from the high-stakes finance world and Steven’s uncanny ability to time Florida real estate during the COVID boom. Sweet deal! They’ve since raised $14 million, which begs the question: when do they get to hire a team of well-trained squirrels to handle their finances?
If Seth could travel back in time, what would he change about his journey? Turns out he wishes he had figured out the magic of email marketing sooner. Who knew that “latent demand” for chips was a thing? Apparently, subscriptions for snack chips are all the rage now. If only he had known, he’d be comfortably lounging with a much bigger empire rather than hustling for that next fry.
As if the chaos of making chips wasn’t enough, he soon discovered that most consumer packaged goods companies are essentially glorified marketing firms that procure, brand, and sell. Their path was different—what with frying chips in beef tallow and having to build their own factory. That’s right; they didn’t just slap their logo on a bag and call it a day—they decided to get their hands greasy in the actual chip-making process. And spoiler alert: it’s tougher than it looks, possibly more difficult than avoiding eye contact with your ex at a party.
In a recent twist of fate, their potato chip line, Vandy Crisps, experienced a bit too much success, leading to a delightful three-week stock outage. Talk about the cruel irony of “we’re too popular for our own good.” Unfortunately, while they were out of stock, they couldn’t market to new customers. Nothing like a shortage to provide a fresh take on the customer experience—Seth and his team rolled up their sleeves, got new fryers, and eventually got back on track, probably while sheepishly messaging their loyal customers with “please bear with us.”
