SNACKLINS was founded by Samy Kobrosly, a former morning show radio host of 8 years. Samy was at a bar with some friends when the concept of a meat-free pork rind came up. At the time, Samy had a reputation for making innovative concoctions in the kitchen, so he made a bet with one of his friends that he could create a vegan version of the classic snack — one that he himself could consume as a Muslim. Samy went back home, gathered a bunch of different ingredients, and began to experiment. Several months later, he successfully created the first SNACKLINS prototype using just three healthy ingredients: mushrooms, onions, and yuca.

Samy started to realize the potential of what he had created when he began to hand out samples of the product. While passing around samples at a friend’s brewery, someone suggested that he could sell them if he just put the crisps in real packaging with a nutrition panel. As word of the vegan pork rinds spread, a local grocery store reached out and offered Samy 15% off groceries if he allowed them to sell SNACKLINS in their store. Soon, the city was buzzing with enthusiasm for Samy’s creation, and Samy knew that he needed to turn it into a company and focus on scaling. He decided to hire a business-savvy and full-time CEO in Kevin Blesy, former Head of Strategy of fast-casual restaurant chain &pizza. Together, Samy and Kevin launched new flavors, opened a massive manufacturing facility (where SNACKLINS are produced in-house today), and hired dozens of new employees. From a bar bet among friends to a now multi-million dollar company, SNACKLINS has become a nationwide success and a cult-favorite among vegans and non-vegans alike.