MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business.They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.
Summary
Guy Raz interviews Nima and Salma Fotovat, siblings who built Made Good, a major organic snack brand. After losing their family’s co-packing business, they leveraged their manufacturing expertise to create allergen-free, kid-friendly snacks. They financed a new factory through loans and family support, overcoming early production errors to launch a successful brand now sold in thousands of stores.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: Function, Vanguard, and SoFi
Introduction to Made Good and the Fotovat siblings
Childhood in Iran during the war and immigration to Canada
Starting life in Canada and the family's nougat business
Transitioning to fruit and nut bars and joining the family business
Building the Taste of Nature brand and growing the company
Being bought out by partners and the shock of losing the business
Sponsors: Apple Card, Ramp, and NetSuite
Identifying the allergen-free snack gap and naming Made Good
Building a factory with family money and securing a Costco contract
Sponsors: Framer and Gusto
Launching Made Good in Canadian stores and achieving profitability
Expanding to the US, Costco, and launching the Good To Go brand
Product diversification: Cookie Pal and puffed snacks
Managing a product recall and reflections on success
Outro and credits
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