Bimbo-backed Rule Breaker sets its sights on $2.2m in 2022

30-Mar-2022 - Last updated on 30-Mar-2022 at 10:00 GMT

The rules speak for themselves. Pic: Rule Breaker Snacks

Rule Breaker Snacks – a Grupo Bimbo-backed brand of allergen-free plant-based brownies and blondies – has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign to meet runaway demand sparked by a Shark Tank appearance last year.

Founder and CEO Nancy Kalish is not afraid of pushing boundaries.

The first rule broken by this female founder was to produce better-for-you snacks that taste great.

Typically, foods that are good for us are usually flavour-challenged, but Kalish – a certified health coach and former health journalist – leveraged all-natural plant-based ingredients to deliver a line of guilt-free and moreish snacks.

Founded in 2015, Rule Breaker produces plant-based brownies and blondies formulated with chickpeas and dates. The products are free from wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, fish, shellfish, coconut, sesame, preservatives and artificial flavours.

The treats are also certified gluten-free, Non-GMO Project Verified and kosher certified by KOF-K.

Consumer approval

The second milestone followed an appearance on Shark Tank last year.

Although her pitch did not garner a deal from the panel of multimillionaire and billionaire investors, it did spark massive consumer attention – sending sales skyrocketing to $1.3m in 2021 compared to $444k in 2020.

Shortly thereafter, the Brooklyn-based producer secured its first external funding from Bimbo Ventures, the venture arm of the Mexican bakery giant.

Now, Rule Breaker is projecting sales to tip over $2.2m in 2022.

Going further

Not stopping there, Kadish has launched a second fundraiser, with a goal to raise between $25,000-$1.07m through an equity crowdfunding campaign on republic.com.

The company completed a highly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020, obtaining its $10,000 goal in under three hours, eventually closing at $28,000 from 403 backers. The funds were used to develop and commercialise a line of soft-baked bites.

Rule Breaker will use the new funding to again develop new products, but also to increase digital ad spend and expand national and global distribution.

Its snacks are currently sold in more than 3,500 retail stores, set to expand to 4,800 by the end of the year. Frequently listed on Amazon’s ‘Top Choice’ in free from, direct-to-consumer sales account for nearly half its revenue.

Breaking rules is a sweet sales tactic and it’s working for Rule Breaker.

If history repeats itself, investors are encouraged to move quickly to explore this investment opportunity while it’s still open.