We often talk about how building a business to last requires finding and solving an acute pain point for core consumers through your products. For Dave and Nadine, co-founders of Revol Snax, they felt their pain point directly. Two life-long athletes who were in search of a healthier lifestyle met in 2014 and quickly bonded over their love of food and nutrition and frustration at current snack options. They decided to take things into their own hands and founded a snack bite brand committed to offering keto-friendly options you’re actually excited to eat. Intrigued by Revol Snax already? Us, too! Read on.
Dave earned a degree in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Melon University, where he also played football. Nadine similarly studied engineering in her home country of Colombia and was a competitive cheerleader. The two met in 2014 while Dave was working as a biomedical engineer at the Food and Drug Administration and Nadine was training to become a certified yoga instructor. They hit it off immediately, and quickly realized that their shared passion for eating healthy would be a cornerstone of their relationship.
They started exploring healthier lifestyles to maintain higher energy levels, enhance cognitive function, and promote longevity, ultimately landing on the ketogenic (keto) diet. A keto diet involves eating foods that are low in carbs and high in healthy fats.
After witnessing the amazing effects of the diet for themselves, they got to work designing their own snack due to the lack of options in the market. “We began experimenting in our kitchen, although we didn’t know much about cooking at the time. We wanted to keep it simple with clean ingredients,” the co-founders told us. Ultimately, they settled on sweet, bite-sized coconut truffles, a guilt-free treat that still met the rigorous standards of the ketogenic diet.
What posed the biggest challenge to Dave and Nadine was scale. They knew they’d created something they really enjoyed from their home kitchen, but how could they make this product at volume while maintaining the integrity of a clean product? The two will be the first to admit that it took many long nights (and lots of taste testing!) at Union Kitchen to perfect the taste, texture, and shelf life they would need to grow the business. After a few months of hard work, though, what we now know as Revol Snax was finally ready.
And boy are we thankful! Revol continues to establish itself as a significant player in the ketogenic snack market. They’ve expanded their reach in the Greater Washington DC area through major stores like Whole Foods Market and Compass Coffee, and are in the process of expanding nationally.
“Entrepreneurship can feel like a maze with no clear path at times. It’s important to realize sometimes you just need to experiment your way forward with an open mind.” - Revol Snax
Comments