Nick Desai
Chairman and CEO
PeaTos
On a mission to upgrade America’s favorite snacks by replacing the old-school base of corn with powerful peas, PeaTos CEO and founder Nick Desai launched the revolutionary brand into the spotlight in 2019. In its first year, PeaTos generated more than seven-figures in sales with retail distribution secured in the produce section and snack aisles at more than 4,000 traditional grocery stores nationwide. Coupled with massive e-commerce growth, PeaTos quickly became the fastest-growing snack brand in its category.
With a reputation for challenging the status quo and a sought-after industry disruptor known for pushing boundaries, Desai is shaking up the category with his no-holds barred approach to revolutionize the $29 billion salty snack market monopolized by PepsiCo subsidiary, Frito Lay, in a classic David vs Goliath battle.
“PeaTos is delivering the taste, sensory experience, and feelings of comfort food nostalgia that snacks like Cheetos® and Funyuns® offer but without all the junk that comes with eating those snacks,” says Desai, “Honestly if customers don’t feel 100 percent satisfied, I’ll personally send them a bag of Cheetos.”
Assembling some of the brightest minds in snack manufacturing, Desai developed the popular PeaTos by using proprietary technology to extrude pulses instead of corn, replacing artificial ingredients with natural ones but mimicking the texture, sensory experience and taste profile of America’s most popular snack brands. PeaTos offers “junk” food snacks without the junk.
Prior to creating a breakthrough brand, Desai was an entertainment attorney before transitioning into investment banking and ultimately private equity. Leading the acquisition and turnaround of a snack food manufacturer in 2011, he entered the food and consumer space and in 2016 led the acquisition of World Peas Brand which resulted in the launch of PeaTos.
Today, Desai and the PeaTos line have captured the hearts of consumers and the attention of Vogue, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NBC’s TODAY show and more.
An undergraduate of the University of California, Irvine, Desai earned his advanced JD/MBA degrees from Loyola Marymount University and was a UC Regents Scholar at the University of California, Irvine.