Rule Breaker Snacks Before Shark Tank
For many vegans, finding good food that fits within one’s diet can be a challenge. Most good foods, like sweet snacks, contain something that gets in the way and prevents said person from eating it. Not to mention, going to restaurants can be a hassle when you want to know exactly what’s in the food you’re ordering. Fortunately, new vegan foods have been making a livelier appearance in the food industry each year. From snacks to full course meals, it’s becoming increasingly more adaptable to find good foods as a vegan. Many new companies are launching with an array of vegan and keto-friendly foods, and they’re making their debuts on Shark Tank. One company, Atlas Monroe, did it with their vegan-friendly fried chicken, but now, there is a new company looking to impress the sharks. That company is called Rule Breaker Snacks.
Rule Breaker Snacks is a company that manufactures gluten-free, vegan snacks that are free from GMOs and those unhealthy ingredients. Their snacks are made from natural, healthy ingredients, with chickpeas being the very first ingredient! Chickpeas are a great way of getting the protein and fiber needed daily, making Rule Breaker Snacks good for one’s consumption. In addition to that, the snacks are allergy friendly as well, thus meaning they don’t contain any seafood, wheat, sesame, soy, dairy, nuts, or coconut. Rule Breaker Snack cookies are available in a few different flavors like peanut butter chocolate chips, chocolate chunk blondies, deep chocolate brownies, and more. This is by far the kind of snack that vegans can enjoy without feeling bad about eating sweets.
The founder of Rule Breaker Snacks is Nancy Kalish. Before she started the company, Nancy graduated from Columbia University, where she received her master’s degree in Science in Journalism. Following her graduation, she started working as a health journalist. Her first journalism job was with the Cosmopolitan Magazine; she was their senior editor. At the same time, Nancy was working on her own project, which was called Nancy Kalish Consulting’s Healthy Restaurant Program. Though she was a health journalist, the founder had a sweet tooth herself; she loved sweet snacks and desserts, but she knew how unhealthy they were. Not wanting to wreak havoc on the daily nutrients she needed, Nancy found herself determined to create her own sweet snack. Something that still tastes sweet and savory but would also be healthy for her.
At first, Nancy started using black beans to make her snacks; however, they didn’t look as neat as she’d hoped after baking them. Nonetheless, she didn’t give up. Instead, she pushed through multiple tests of trial and error before concluding that chickpeas worked the best. They tasted the best as well. In addition to the healthy alternative of chickpeas, the founder didn’t want to incorporate dairy or nuts into her snacks either. After perfecting her recipe, she launched the Rule Breaker Snacks business in April of 2019. She kicked off her business with a Kickstarter campaign, which gained her a funding of $28,402. With that, she introduced a new product, Rule Breaker Cake Bites. Now, Nancy is interested in expanding her business and targeting a bigger audience. Considering she is the only founder of Rule Breaker Snacks, this will be a challenge; however, with the help of a shark, it just might be attainable. 
Rule Breaker Snacks on Shark Tank
Nancy Kalish appeared on Shark Tank during season 12 episode 8 to pitch her Rule Breaker Snacks business to the sharks. To start, she introduces herself and explains to the sharks that she used to work as a health journalist. During that job, she had the opportunity to conduct interviews with many health professionals. From them, she gained a lot of insight about health. She went on to tell them about Rule Breaker Snacks and how healthy they are. She’s visiting the Shark Tank because she is hoping to gain an investment with a shark, as well as some guidance in expanding her business further. She is seeking a deal of $400,000 in exchange for a 10% stake in her business.
Rule Breaker Snacks is currently valued at $4 million. When Nancy started the business, she had to take out a loan, leading her to be in debt for more than $2 million. Nonetheless, the founder goes on to share her recent sales data with investors. She states that she has done $1.3 million worth of sales leading up to her visit to Shark Tank. She then reveals that $500,000 of those total sales happened within just the past year. While those sales seem great for a newfound business, Nancy believes that the business won’t be self-sufficient until she has reached her goal of $1.7 million in sales.
Overall, the sharks seem to like the idea of this business; however, the food industry is a highly competitive industry. Not to mention the large sums of debt in this business; the sharks are concerned about this. Had they invested, it’s not guaranteed that they would be reimbursed; if they were, it may take longer than they’d like. Due to that, the sharks all begin to drop out of the deal. Ultimately, leaving Nancy and her Rule Breaker Snacks business of leave the tank without a contract deal. 
Rule Breaker Snacks Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
Nancy Kalish left Shark Tank without a contract in place for her Rule Breaker Snacks business. Nonetheless, the business is still in operation and, as of December of 2024, they seem to be doing good. At least, judging by the $2 million in annual revenue they’ve reached. As predicted, appearing on Shark Tank in season 12 did in fact give Nancy’s business in increase in sales after the episode aired. Additionally, Rule Breaker Snacks also got the attention of the largest bakery in the world, Grupo Bimbo. The bakery company works with their investment business, Bimbo Ventures, which recently finalized an investment in Nancy’s business. It has not been disclosed as to how much that investment was for, however. Nancy also began a crowdfunding campaign, which gained her company $170,000 in just two months. With this extra money, the founder was able to switch to doing direct-to-consumer sales in order to increase her profit margins. This was good advice on the sharks part, especially considering Rule Breaker Snacks is in competition with I Love My Guts Cookies, Pete’s Paleo, and Kind Healthy Grains Granola Bars.
