What Pulp Pantry does

Pulp Pantry, operating commercially under the brand "Trashy Chips," is a Los Angeles-based food upcycling company that transforms vegetable juice pulp and other produce byproducts into fiber-rich snack chips. The company's core process captures vegetable pulp — primarily from local juicing operations — and through dehydration and minimal processing converts it into a finished chip that retains 95% of the fiber and up to half the nutrients of fresh vegetables. Each serving delivers 5-6 grams of dietary fiber (5x the average chip), under 150 calories, and uses nearly 100% organic ingredients across an 8-ingredient formula that includes romaine, spinach, kale, okara flour (upcycled from tofu-making), chia seeds, and cassava. The company holds Plastic Neutral Certification via rePurpose Global and is Upcycled Certified through the Upcycled Food Association.

The business operates a hybrid distribution model. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce runs through a Shopify-hosted storefront (pulppantry.com) with subscription options, free shipping over $39.99, and nationwide FedEx/USPS shipping from a Southern California warehouse. Wholesale distribution covers hundreds of natural and specialty grocery retailers — Whole Foods Market, Fresh Thyme, Erewhon, MOM's Organic Market, Central Market, New Seasons, Bristol Farms — supplemented by Amazon Prime, Instacart, and the Faire wholesale marketplace. Only one SKU is commercially active at present (Sea Salt, $31.99 for an 8-pack, currently sold out), with branded merchandise (Trashy Hat at $29.99, TRASHED Tee at $34.99) rounding out revenue. Customer segments center on health-conscious, eco-conscious, and specialized-diet consumers (vegan, gluten-free, grain-free).

Pulp Pantry was founded by Kaitlin Mogentale in 2019 and bootstrapped through pitch competitions before its 2022 appearance on Shark Tank Season 13, which generated celebrity endorsements from Mindy Kaling and Emma Chamberlain and earned media in NPR, goop, and Byrdie. The company has raised approximately $150,000 from Orgain (2020) and undisclosed 2023 angel rounds from Branch Venture Group, 37 Angels, and Roya Capital, supplemented by an active WeFunder crowdfunding campaign. With 1-10 employees, a single active SKU in persistent sold-out status, and no disclosed institutional funding rounds, the company remains a micro-CPG brand at an early commercial stage.

Name

Pulp Pantry

Legal name

Pulp Pantry LLC

Website

https://pulppantry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pulp Pantry, operating as Trashy Chips, upcycles vegetable juice pulp into fiber-rich, gluten-free snack chips (5-6g fiber per serving), selling DTC via pulppantry.com and through hundreds of natural grocery retailers including Whole Foods, Erewhon, Fresh Thyme, and MOM's Organic Market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthy Vegetable Chips

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Potato & Vegetable Chips Manufacturing (AFAKAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE), Fresh-Cut & Value-Added Produce (Washed, Peeled, Sliced, Packaged) (AFAKAFAA)

Keywords

• Upcycled vegetable chips
• Plant-based snack foods
• Fiber-rich veggie chips
• Food waste upcycling
• Organic healthy snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online sales through pulppantry.com selling chips, merchandise, and bundles directly to consumers. Ships within USA from Southern California warehouse in 1-7 days via FedEx or USPS.
2. Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution through grocery stores and natural retailers including Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, Erewhon, and hundreds of other locations across the United States.
3. Wholesale B2B: Wholesale orders through Faire platform with 50% off first order, 60-day payment terms for eligible retailers, and free returns on first orders.
4. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including hats ($29.99) and t-shirts ($34.99) sold alongside food products.
5. Cash Back Rewards: VTAGZ cash back rewards program where customers earn rebates on purchases through the VTAGZ application.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pulp Pantry transforms upcycled vegetable juice pulp, peels, and other produce scraps into crunchy, fiber-rich vegetable chips sold under the brand "Trashy Chips." The company produces limited small-batch flavors in Los Angeles using nearly 100% organic, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO ingredients, and also sells branded merchandise (hats and tees) alongside its core snack line.

Product overview

Pulp Pantry, operating under the brand Trashy Chips, is a food upcycling company that transforms vegetable scraps and pulp (from juicing and food processing) into nutritious snack chips. The core product line consists of Trashy Chips in various flavors, made from upcycled organic vegetables including Romaine, spinach, kale, collards, green leaf, green chard, cucumber, parsley, celery, carrot, and okara flour (upcycled from tofu-making). The company also offers merchandise including branded hats and apparel. All products emphasize high fiber content (5x average chip), organic ingredients, vegan and gluten-free formulations, and a mission to combat food waste and climate change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trashy Chips: Very Good Veggie Chips - upcycled vegetable chips made from leftover veggie scraps, currently featuring Sea Salt flavor with limited edition drops.

Products and services

• Sea Salt Trashy Chips Upcycled vegetable chips made from organic veggie scraps (juice pulp, peels, and imperfect produce) that would otherwise go to waste. Each serving contains 5x the fiber of average chips, is 100% vegan, gluten-free, and made with nearly 100% organic ingredients. Sold in 4-pack, 8-pack, and 16-pack bundles.
• Trashy Hat Embroidered branded Dad hat with RealTree camo design, sold as limited-quantity branded merchandise to fans of the Trashy Chips brand. Priced at $29.99.
• TRASHED Tee Branded apparel crewneck t-shirt available in Small, Medium, and Large sizes, sold as branded merchandise alongside the Trashy Chips snack line. Priced at $34.99.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5x more fiber per serving than average chips
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• rePurpose GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlastic Neutral Certification partnership where rePurpose Global verifies that Pulp Pantry removes and offsets an equal weight of plastic from the environment for every bag of chips sold, addressing environmental impact of packaging.
• CARPE, IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise partner in India that employs and empowers waste pickers to collect and process low-value plastic waste from oceans and landfills. A percentage of every product purchase funds their plastic collection operations.
• Local Juice ShopscoreOthersSupply chain partners who provide vegetable juice pulp that would otherwise go to waste. Pulp Pantry captures this nutrient-rich byproduct for use in chip production.
• SmallholdminorOthersSupplier of Lions Mane mushrooms referenced in recipes on the brand blog. Partnership for specialty mushroom ingredients.
• FairecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale marketplace platform enabling independent retailers to order Pulp Pantry products directly. Provides 50% off first order, 1 year free shipping, and 60-day payment terms for eligible retailers.
• VTAGZminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCash back rewards program administrator allowing customers to earn rebates on purchases. The VTAGZ application processes cash-out payments via Venmo for accumulated rewards.
• Content Creators / AmbassadorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity ambassador program partners who create content, receive products for gifting, and promote the brand through social media in exchange for affiliate rewards and discount codes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Barnana: Direct peer in the upcycled/better-for-you snack space, making plantain-based chews and chips from upcycled ingredients. Comparable in mission (food waste reduction), retail channel mix (natural grocers, D2C), and certification posture (Upcycled Certified).
• Spudsy: Direct peer producing upcycled sweet-potato-based snacks and puffs, similarly focused on imperfect-produce upcycling and natural grocery D2C distribution. Closely comparable in target customer, product format, and upcycled narrative.
• Uglies Chips: Upcycled potato chip brand made from cosmetically rejected potatoes; directly comparable category (chips), distribution (mass and natural grocery), and sustainability positioning through imperfect-produce sourcing.
• Caulipower: Better-for-you snack brand (cauliflower-crust pizzas, tortillas, and now chips) competing in the same natural-grocery and mass channels with a similar cleaner-ingredient narrative, though with broader category scope.
• Popchips: Established better-for-you popped chip brand; comparable in core product (chips), channel mix (D2C, grocery, mass), and target consumer (health-conscious snackers), though without the upcycling thesis.
• Terra Chips: Vegetable chip brand (root vegetables, sweet potato) competing directly in the vegetable-chip segment at grocery retail with similar clean-ingredient positioning; less focus on upcycling but same product category.

Emerging players

• ReGrained: Upcycled snack/bar brand using spent grain from brewing; comparable in upcycling thesis, Upcycled Certified status, and D2C/retail snack positioning, though with grain rather than vegetable feedstock.
• Renewal Mill: Upcycled food company producing baking mixes and flours from byproducts like okara; closely aligned on the upcycled narrative and use of okara flour (also an ingredient in Pulp Pantry chips), though in baking rather than chip format.

Broad incumbents

• Bare Snacks: PepsiCo-owned baked fruit/vegetable chip brand sold in natural and mass grocery. Comparable in chip category, retail footprint, and clean-label positioning, but operates at vastly larger scale as an incumbent CPG.
• Late July Snacks: Organic, non-GMO snack brand owned by Amplify Snack Brands (formerly Hershey); comparable in better-for-you/organic chip positioning and broad natural-grocery distribution, though as a much larger incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pulppantry
• Facebookfacebook.com/pulppantry
• Instagraminstagram.com/trashy_chips
• TikToktiktok.com/@trashy_chips
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pulp-pantry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pulp Pantry