Guy Raz hosts the Advice Line with Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali, co-founders of grass-fed meat stick brand Chomps. The duo previously appeared on How I Built This in 2023, sharing their journey from a CrossFit gym partnership to building a major protein snack company over 13 years.

The episode covers the booming protein market trend, with Chomps riding the wave of increased protein consumption driven by GLP-1 medications and doctor recommendations. The founders discuss their challenging 2024 product recall experience, where they proactively removed products due to potential metal contamination despite finding no actual issues.

Three callers seek advice: Yadi DeRees from Yadi's Artisanal Empanadas wants to expand beyond her successful college campus location, Zachary from Noble Pies aims to break into major retailers like Whole Foods and Target, and Josh Shrinko from Achigan brand considers going full-time with his smallmouth bass lifestyle business.

Protein Market Boom and Product Recall Crisis

The protein market expansion benefits Chomps, but founders anticipate eventual consumer fatigue from 'proteinification of everything' including water, ice cream, and popcorn

Chomps faced a major recall in 2024 after identifying potential metal contamination at one facility on one packaging line during an evening Friday shift

'It was one of the hardest times in the business... we were not going to put any of our consumers at risk' - Rashid, describing their decision to expand recall scope significantly

The recall cost 'a painful amount of money' with ongoing financial impact, but no metal was found and no adverse reactions occurred

Yadi's Empanadas: Campus Success and Expansion Strategy

Former teacher Yadi DeRees built $700,000+ annual business selling authentic empanadas on SUNY New Paltz campus, averaging $3,000 daily sales

Business faces seasonality challenge with 4-month summer closure and winter break, creating profit gaps despite strong performance

Advisors recommend focusing expansion within 45-mile radius, suggesting Connecticut colleges like New Haven for second location

Distribution model recommended over additional brick-and-mortar: 'commissary model' delivering to coffee shops and bookstores within 20-mile radius

Noble Pies: Breaking Into Major Retail Chains

Noble Pies generates $2.2 million from three retail stores plus $200,000 wholesale with FreshDirect, producing 10,000 pies weekly

All-butter crust and New York State sourcing differentiate from mass-market frozen pies with lengthy ingredient lists

'Getting into the retailer is honestly the easiest part... it's staying and performing' - Pete, emphasizing velocity and repeat purchase importance

Four-month frozen shelf life requires proving strong velocities to buyers, with store managers as key advocates over cold-calling corporate

Advisors recommend regional focus over national expansion: Northeast region or store pockets to build performance story before scaling

Achigan Brand: Niche Fishing Lifestyle Business

Josh Shrinko built $100,000 smallmouth bass lifestyle brand through 100% organic Instagram growth, selling apparel and fishing lures

Lures generate higher margins than apparel and sell faster than production capacity, requiring contract manufacturer for scaling

'Success is rooted in focus' - Rashid, advising concentration on highest-revenue products rather than expanding SKU portfolio

Pete went full-time at Chomps around $400-500K revenue while Rashid joined full-time years later at $20 million, showing flexible partnership timing

'When doing this part-time feels riskier than going full-time, you'll know' - Guy, describing the decision point for entrepreneurial leap