Chipsplosion: 14 Chip Brands Taking You on a Flavor Trip – One Bag at a Time

We love a familiar format for exploring new things – so we present you…chips! “Chipsplosion” was dubbed by our founder and CEO, Daniel Scharff, and is a tour of flavors from around the world – or even very simply – cities – using chips as the vehicle for exploration.

We are HYPED to celebrate these brands and get them on your radar – see something you like? Buy them, stock them, support them!

Think you’re a brand we should know about? Join our Slack channel, introduce yourself in the introductions channel, and join our Brand Database! The possibilities after you do those 3 things are endless – it unlocks the doors to the Startup CPG universe!

Cheers!

CACTUS CRUNCH TORTILLA CHIPS

Cactus Foods creates innovative, better-for-you snacks powered by cactus, delivering bold flavor, clean ingredients, and a healthier twist on classic favorites.

Founder: Diana Gonzalez

Why we love it: Cactus has been a staple ingredient across Mexico forever, but these chips are so versatile, it will make you wonder why you weren’t eating them before!

Flavors: Jalapeno; Sea Salt

Distribution: Kroger family of stores (Ralphs, King Soopers, Fry’s, Mariano’s, and more – 500+ locations), Bristol Farms, Lassen’s Natural Foods, Lazy Acres Market, 25+ independent specialty retailers, upcoming Costco LA roadshows. Distributed through KeHE, UNFI, Whitestone Natural Foods.

EL NACHO

Generationally inclusive premium tortilla chip snack with bold flavors.

Founder: Joe Cassinelli

Flavors: The “OG” Sea Salt; “The Queen” Ms. Mango (hot honey mango); The “Heat” El Diablo (chiles & lime); “El Primo” Yo Pina (pineapple barbeque); The “OG” Blue Corn (blue corn & sea salt)

Why we love it: These flavors POP – and without added flavors – just pure ingredients. We’ve lovingly described them as blackout-worthy when they won a 2025 Shelfie Award because that’s exactly what happens when you’re eating El Nacho – you’ll forget about everything aside from what’s in the bag. The restaurant-to-retail pipeline is strong here – you can even find the plain chips in founder Joe Cassinelli’s restaurants in Massachusetts!

Distribution: KeHE, UNFI, Rainforest.

GREEN SAHARA

Potato chips seasoned with flavors from North, West, and East Africa.

Founder: M. Derin Raji

Flavors: Sweet Peanut – West Africa (ginger, garlic); Savory Spices – North Africa (turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon); Barbecue Chili – East Africa (hot pepper, paprika)

Why we love it: Green Sahara is pulling from a whole continent’s worth of flavor traditions – our founder’s favorite is the East African-inspired Barbecue Chili (hot pepper, paprika).

Distribution: Retailers: Kroger, Central Market. Distributors: KeHE and US Foods dropship.

HOLA MIJA CHIPS

Hola Mija is a family-founded snack brand crafting premium tortilla chips made the traditional way with nixtamalized organic corn tortillas, grass-fed beef tallow, and Celtic sea salt. They believe simple, real ingredients create better flavor, delivering a crunchy, seed-oil-free tortilla chip inspired by Mexican tradition and made for today’s table.

Founder: Jesse Suarez

Flavors: Organic beef tallow corn with Celtic sea salt

Why we love it: You truly can taste the difference with these chips – tallow is not the exception or a trend here, it’s the rule – they deserve a seat at your table.
Distribution: Foundation Foods (distributor); Thrive Market, Mother’s Market & Kitchen, Jimbo’s Naturally; 90+ specialty stores via Faire (CA, NY, HI, and more).

KEYA’S SNACKS

Built on flavor, backed by culture — leveraging global flavors on beloved American snacks.

Founder: Keya Wingfield

Flavors: Golden Ranch; Black Salt; Bombay Spice

Why we love it: a 2025 Shelfie Award winner – need we say more? This is a CPG case where the flavor matches the branding (delicious in every way and does not disappoint) – so good you’ll find yourself searching for local retailers ASAP. The flavor combos are exploratory yet authentic and we know consumers will be delighted (addicted) with every bite.

Distribution: KeHE, UNFI, Rainforest, DSD, Faire, Airgoods. In 1,800 doors nationwide.

KIMPOPS

Ancient Korean fermentation meets the snack aisle — a better-for-you snack built on a Korean grandmother’s traditional kimchi recipe, transformed into a crunchy, snackable, fiery bite.

Founder: Simon Glaza

Flavors: Grandma’s Original; Truffle Bulgolgi; BBQ Pineapple; Ghost Pepper

Why we love it: We’ve never had something like this before. Besides…you know…kimchi! But this is the next best thing – we’re picturing ourselves eating them straight up, sprinkling on salads, adding to savory trail mixes…are you with us?

Distribution: none yet – they haven’t even launched – will you be their first retailer?!

LITTLE LATKE

The first shelf-stable potato crisp inspired by the golden, crispy edges of a traditional potato latke. A modern take on a timeless family favorite. Gluten-free, seed oil-free, and full of crunch.

Founder: Taylor Blue

Flavors: The Original; Garlic Parm; Spicy Honey Dijon

Why we love it: Everyone fights over the crispy edge pieces of a latke – Taylor made an entire bag of them! And – we love a founder with a good sense of humor.

Distribution: Wrapping up onboarding with UNFI. Currently in ~50 specialty grocers (Foxtrot Market, PopUp Grocer, Meadow Lane, and more). Launching in 2026: Central Market, Met Mart, Gelson’s, Fresh Market, Target.

LOCAL STYLE

A taste of Chicago on a chip — kettle-cooked potato chips that taste exactly like Chicago’s famous foods: Chicago Hot Dog, Deep Dish Pizza, Hot Giardiniera, Italian Beef, and more.

Founder: Laura Gardner

Flavors: Deep Dish Pizza; Italian Beef; Hot Giard; Hot Dog; Classic Salted

Why we love it: Travel doesn’t have to mean international – Local Style proves a hyper-specific regional food culture is its own kind of exotic to everyone outside it. If you know, you know, and if you don’t, this is a genuinely fun way to find out.

Distribution: Food service focus (delis, corner stores, hotels, stadiums, attractions in Chicago). Recently entered grocery via Mariano’s and World Market; currently on a Costco roadshow.

MAMAME

Mamame Tempeh Chips are a functional, salty snack, packed with nutrients from our house-made black-eyed pea Tempeh (a superfood).

Founder: Liz Kang

Flavors: Hot Chili; Original; Rosemary; Sea Salt

Why we love it: Tempeh is no longer just your star protein in a veggie dish – it’s a star snack! We cannot get enough of these – we’re in love with the format and flavor.

Distribution: UNFI (Moreno Valley, Ridgefield, Rocklin, Twin Cities, Hudson Valley coming soon), KeHE (Aurora, Dallas, NE Maryland, Miami, Chino, NorCal, Douglasville, Romeoville), Pod Foods (Erewhon), River Valley Foods (Wegmans), Vistar/PFG (1oz). Retailers: Erewhon, Foxtrot, Lunds & Byerlys, Berkeley Bowl, Mother’s Market, Metropolitan Market; Wegmans, Hy-Vee, Earth Fare coming soon, plus 50+ independent doors. E-retail: Thrive Market, Fresh Direct.

NAMS SNACKS

Wontons, snackified — a clean-label, highly dippable, seasoned crisp.

Founder: Andres Siman

Flavors: Kung Pao; Sea Salt

Why we love it: This is a first for us: we’ve had wonton strips…but…wonton chips?! We love the innovation – and we love that the flavor matches the expectations in the best way.

Distribution: Very small DSD, Northeast.

NANTUCKET CRISPS

Premium, better-for-you potato crisps made with avocado oil and high-quality ingredients. Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, and Kosher certified, delivering bold flavors with a clean-label approach.

Founders: Hayden Arnot

Flavors: All Time Low’s Bay Spice; Sconset Sea salt; Steps Beach Salt & Vinegar; Madaket Sweet Onion; Polpis Pickle; Cisco Beach BBQ; Hummock Hot Honey; Stubbys Jamaican Jerk; Whale’s Tale Beer Cheese

Why we love it: Nantucket Crisps screams New England – and they’re making their way to channels all over to make themselves known. Yes, we love the chips – but we also love the heart behind the brand – founder Hayden Arnot has worked to keep the island alive with the sound of music – creating the Nantucket Music Foundation to bring “world-class artists to the island while ensuring the experience remains accessible, inclusive, and rooted in community”. The sound of chips crunching goes really well with your favorite music – just saying!

Distribution: Retailers: Winn-Dixie, Stop & Shop, Roche Bros, MOM’s Organic Market, Wakefern/ShopRite, Market Basket, Grocery Outlet, Raley’s, King’s/Balducci’s, Central Market, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Burlington, Macy’s Backstage, Ross Stores, Ocean State Job Lot, 7-Eleven, Cumberland Farms. Distributors: Atlantic Beverage, Baldor, Black River, Bozzuto’s, C&S Grocers, Chex Finer Foods, Chef’s Warehouse, Davidson, Gold Coast, J Polep/NCD, Nassau Candy, NY Snacks (Yorkshire), Rainforest, River Valley, Sysco (BOS/CT), TJ Maxx Group/Burlington, US Foods, WB Mason.

S’NOODS

Born from winning Netflix’s Snack vs. Chef, S’NOODS is building the noodle snack category by transforming globally beloved noodle dishes into chef-driven chips made with real ingredients, real flavor, and real culinary nostalgia.

Founder: Lauryn Bodden

Flavors: Spicy Miso Ramen; Rigatoni Basil Pomodoro; Cavatappi Carbonara

Why we love it: This is the first noodle chip we tried. Loved. Needed more. THANKFULLY Lauryn has created a variety of flavors for everyone to enjoy – spanning savory and sweet noodle chips! Get these into your snack rotation immediately.

Distribution: 215+ retail doors across the Eastern U.S. Current distributors: Chex Finer Foods, Rainforest Distribution. UNFI UpNext onboarding for West Coast; pursuing new KeHE distribution for Texas. Also DTC via eatsnoods.com, Amazon (Prime-eligible), and Faire wholesale.

TOZI SUPERFOODS

Tozi Superfoods is an Austin-based Mexican-American food company making clean-label tortilla chips with heirloom blue corn and amaranth — an ancestral grain that’s been part of Mexican foodways for generations, here cooked in avocado oil for a clean, better-for-you chip. Inspired by six generations on our family’s ranch in Jalisco, Mexico, they’re reintroducing ingredients like amaranth to modern consumers, blending cultural heritage with nutrient density. 

Founders: Rocio Leon / Charlie Edwards

Flavors: Blue Corn Totopos

Why we love it: Tozi is introducing Amaranth through a format everyone already knows how to eat – and one thing’s for sure: once you get your hands on Tozi, you’re going to help keep the magic of a six generation ranch alive. Do it.

Distribution: 140+ H-E-B stores and all Central Market Texas locations. Also specialty/independent retailers, foodservice and hospitality accounts (The Well Westlake, W Austin Hotel), GoPuff, and Faire. Works with KeHE, Chef’s Warehouse, and self-distributes.

UTSAV

UTSAV is dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle through nutritious snacks made with clean, wholesome ingredients. They bring traditional Indian grains into modern everyday foods, making better-for-you snacking both delicious and accessible.

Founder: Anuja Kadu

Flavors: Jowar Classic Masala; Oat Cream Cheese & Onion; Quinoa Peri Peri

Why we love it: UTSAV’s chips are strong as a standalone product, but we know they are full of potential for snacking and meals alike – the flavor profiles are authentic and the crunch is addictive.

Distribution: ~9 Indian grocery stores and a few wellness stores in the Bay Area, CA making this brand destined to find new favorite customers!

About Startup CPG

Startup CPG is the biggest CPG community on the planet with over 30k members. We believe in the massive potential of small consumer brands — and have made it our mission to empower them along their journey. Startup CPG connects emerging brands to resources, industry partners, and the most supportive community in the industry.

Through our online community on Slack, our in-person events, and our media and resources — podcast, databases, webinars, and more — Startup CPG brings major opportunities to emerging brands at NO COST.