Paying it Forward

The Natural Products Expo (“Expo West”) is where Chobani really got going, only a few months after we sold our first cup of yogurt in 2007. Me and our sales guy Kyle O’Brien set up and took down the 10x10 Chobani booth ourselves. It was away from the main floor next to the bathrooms & was so small.

The show was a lot smaller back then too & there were not that many yogurt companies.

Although we didn’t have a lot of resources, it was important to me that Chobani not only stand out because of our product, but by the way we treated everyone.

At Expo West, I had two rules: ignore the title on someone’s badge and treat everyone the same. And #2, give them all full cups of Chobani instead of tiny samples.

It felt like everyone we met appreciated these small but important gestures. Their eyes lit up when we handed them the full cup. I remember it so well.

Small acts of giving and treating everyone equally have always remained a big part of what Chobani’s about. It’s what got people believing in us before they knew who we were—and it’s what’s kept them with us over the years.

This new way of business – where companies focus on people and not just profits, try to make the world a little bit better – is at the heart of who we are. I actually think it should be at the heart of every modern company.

Last fall, I wanted to fulfill a dream I had for a long time: paying our success forward.

We started the Chobani Food Incubator to help startups who are passionate about making better food and shaking things up. There were no strings attached—our only interest was seeing them succeed.

At Expo West last weekend, the Chobani team went back with the six awesome food companies in our incubator’s first class.

There’s magic in starting small—and for a lot of food companies, it all starts at Expo West. Being with them reminded us about our early days, when we were first starting there too.

Each of the entrepreneurs presented at a “demo day” we hosted for investors, customers and distributors, and you could feel the fire in the room. Since they became part of the Chobani family last fall, they’ve increased distribution 60% on average & revenue in 2017 is already almost three million dollars.

Their products, passion & stories made them really stand out. But what was most special was listening to their own visions for a better world.

They’re not just committed to making better food for more people. They want to make a real difference in their communities.

I couldn’t be more proud of Banza, Chops Snacks, Cissé Cocoa Co., Jar Goods, Kettle and Fire, and Misfit Juicery and can’t wait to see what they do next.