Ep 106: How Vincent Kitirattragarn Built Dang Foods, an Award-Winning Asian Snacks Company, From Scratch

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my 20th high school reunion.


And while I was there, I had the chance to catch up with lots of
old friends, but I was especially excited to chat with Vincent
Kitirattragarn.


I’ve been watching his journey building Dang Foods from afar for
the last ten years. Those delicious coconut chips at the end of
the aisle at Whole Foods? That’s Dang Foods.


So today, we’re sitting down to dig in further to his journey
from popup restaurants to having shelf space in over 10,000
grocery stores.


Vincent Kitirattragarn is the founder and CEO of Dang Foods, the
largest healthy Asian snack company. Dang’s coconut chips, rice
chips, and nutrition bars are found in over 10,000 grocery stores
and have earned many industry awards including the coveted SOFI
“best snack” award multiple times. 


A Cornell Graduate, Vincent is a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee, and
Gold List A100 awardee. His journey was featured on NPR’s “How I
Built This” podcast in 2022. 


Vincent has been an active member of the Asian-American community
for decades, organizing an annual Thai-American youth camp,
supporting local organizations advancing justice for
underrepresented ethnic communities, and supporting Bay Area food
banks. 


In the natural food industry, Vincent advocates for Asian issues
like the recognition of lunar new year and AAPI heritage month.
He is also a board member to JEDI Collective, an industry group
promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. 


Tune into this episode to hear:


How Vincent went through several business models, from food
trucks to popups, before landing on snack foods

The growing pains of a rapidly scaling business and how they
found out the hard way about following someone else’s playbook

How they leaned in to their family story and found their
positioning

Why Vincent says focus groups aren’t worth it

Why he’s not a growth at all costs entrepreneur



Learn more about Vincent:


Dang Foods



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