722 Lorissa Link: Founder of LK snacks

0:00Kara Goldin:I am unwilling to give up, but I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be. You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin Show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders. We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to The Kara Golden Show.

0:44Kara Goldin:Super excited to have my next guest. I was not familiar with this incredible brand that actually just went through a rebrand, but I am so excited that I've learned about it. It is absolutely delicious. The founder is Larissa Link, and she's here with us here today. It's a brand called LK, also known as LK Snacks, the first and only meat snack brand on the market that is free from the top nine allergens, making high-protein, delicious snacks that everyone, including her own family and my family, can safely enjoy. So inspired by her son's severe food allergies, Larissa set out to create an inclusive allergy-free meat snack without compromising on taste or quality.

1:35Kara Goldin:And what started as a deeply personal mission has grown into quite a respectable brand. So I can't wait to hear more about how Larissa and her team have built LK and what she's learned about turning her personal mission into a thriving business and how she's challenging the norms of a legacy category with clean and inclusive and delicious products. So Larissa, welcome to the show. So excited to have you here. Oh, thank you for the wonderful introduction, Cara. I really appreciate it. Excited to be here with you today. Absolutely. So for those who, like me, hadn't heard of this brand before. What is LK?

2:20Kara Goldin:And I know you just rebranded it. So people may know it as LK Kitchen or LK Snacks before. But what makes it different in the crowded snack category of meat snack? This message is a paid partnership with AT &T Business. Hey, everyone, Kara here. Let's get real about those early days of building a business. Not the highlight real, the actual day-to-day, the friction, trying to manage everything across time zones, across teams, across locations, and realizing how much depends on staying connected. I remember those days at Hint, a retailer call, an order, a decision, all of it. And you realize quickly, connection isn't a nice to have.

3:07Kara Goldin:It's the lifeblood of your business. As a founder, you don't want to think about your connectivity. You just need it to work every time. That's why AT &T Business matters. AT &T Business is the reliable provider for small business owners. And when you have that kind of reliability behind you, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward. Powered by AT &T Business, built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. So LK is the first certified free from the top nine allergens. So that means that we are testing all of our ingredients. We're testing our equipment. We're never releasing any of that product into the market until we get that third-party certification back that it is free from the top nine allergens.

4:01And it was born from my son's food allergies. When he was diagnosed with a laundry list of food allergies and I started going shopping for snacks, I kind of stopped in my tracks and I was like, oh gosh, I've always been a label reader, but this is like a whole new level of reading food labels to keep him safe. So it was just, it was, we were already producing meat snacks. We knew we wanted to deliver high protein snacks, but we wanted to make sure that there is no cross-contamination in any of our spices or our equipment and just making sure that those with food allergies can really truly snack fearlessly.

4:46Because a lot of times you'll see things like allergen friendly and it's just, it's not a regulated term. So So it's not like a manufacturer has to do X, Y, and Z to put allergen-friendly on their package. We go through the certification, and we are held to very rigorous protocols. We do additional safety trainings. We really go above and beyond, but we didn't want to forget about the flavor. A lot of times allergen snacks, sometimes people without food allergies might associate, oh, that might taste bland, or it might not have that great flavor. So we really wanted to make sure we went above and beyond on that and really delivered on it.

5:29So regardless if you have food allergies, everybody's busy today. Everybody needs a high-protein snack that's going to fuel them through their busy days. So we're really excited to be able to share this certified free from the top nine allergen snacks. I mean, there's growing problems with celiacs and food intolerances and all of this. And we didn't want to just be allergen friendly. We really wanted to be the gold standard of the safest snack if you have any of those restrictions in your diet.

6:03Kara Goldin:So I won't make you go through all nine, but I'm so curious. Is there one that really stands out that is like a common allergen that a lot of people have that they just either have avoided snacking on meat snacks to date because everything had it in there? I'm so curious what you found. Well, I would say gluten was probably the most interesting to me because when you are purchasing spices, they can be cross-contaminated or they could be diluted with a gluten in there through a spice manufacturer. And then I'm receiving those spices and I'm making our delicious snacks, not knowing that a spice manufacturer, how they handled it or if they could have diluted their spices.

6:51This way, I know it's certified. It's tested before it's ever brought into any of our facilities. It's tested after it's produced. So it's just, it's the normal consumer that's trying to avoid gluten or has a gluten intolerance or an allergy or celiacs, it's easy to get cross-contamination. It's really hard to know that your product is truly without gluten. So that's what we're most excited about because it does affect quite a few people. and there are 33 million Americans living with food allergies today. So it's not necessarily just a niche market anymore. It is a growing problem. And we're really excited to shine that light on food allergies, bring more awareness to it, help downbreaking some of these like marketing claims that I think the consumer has the right to know about and that it's not regulated.

7:48Yeah, definitely.

7:50Kara Goldin:I founded a company called Hint, and I'm allergic to coconut. And so, coconut is a class one allergen. And so, that was one of the first things that I realized coming from being a consumer and being fearful that, you know, it could be the cross-contamination of, you know, the bottling plant running a coconut water or coconut drink right before. and it really, the lines have to be cleaned. The same with peanuts. You know, I'm not allergic to peanuts, but I know a lot more about the allergies. And then the real tricky thing now is that, especially in, I think it happens in food, but especially in beauty is that, you know, there's 14 different terms for coconut.

8:39Kara Goldin:I mean, it's insane. And, you know, it's the tiniest, tiniest type. So I literally am snapping a photo of it and then blowing it up because it's so scary. So I can only imagine being a mother and trying to, you know, deal with this because, you know, you just you feel so responsible, right? It's not just about you, but it's like another another level of that. What were you doing before you started LK? So originally we started Larissa's Kitchen in 2016. and with that it was all ingredients that you would use within your own kitchen and then and that was kind of spurred on by the birth of my daughter and just really becoming very ingredient aware and then our new rebrand within this last year into LK so I've been in the food space for quite some time now really enjoy it fitness and health and nutrition all of that is a huge interest in a big part of our family's life.

9:43Kara Goldin:So when you launched LK Kitchen, were you focused on the snacks similar to what you have today? Or have you looked at shifting away from and putting more focus on the meat snacks? So the main focus right now is all meat snacks. So we find that busy families need fuel. like they need that protein boost throughout the day. Meals are not quite the same as what they used to be. You know, you're running from after work to quick soccer practice with kids to picking up another one. It's like you're constantly in the car and busy is just like the norm for everyone now. So staying high protein is our main focus now.

10:30But yes, just being able to listen to the allergen community and figure out what their next need might be, I think would be really important in making sure that we're listening to our consumers and understanding what they want.

10:44Kara Goldin:So how many SKUs did you start with and how many SKUs do you have today? So today we have four SKUs. We have Herbalicious, which is our turkey stick. It's free range, non-GMO certified. So that one tastes like a Thanksgiving day dinner all wrapped into like this super easy stick to eat on the go. That one I love because it's easy to share with the whole family. It's a nostalgic flavor. And then we have our Chickaboom, which is our chicken, also free range, non-GMO certified. And that's kind of our fun pop of flavor. I don't know if you've ever put chili crisp on anything, but that was our kind of take on a chili crisp trend that we saw happening in the market.

11:34Our smoke show is our original. And then our jalapeno heat seeker is our one that has a little bit more kick to it where you actually see like the pieces of the jalapeno when you bite into it. But we wanted kind of our labor names to come across fun and bold just because we don't want, just because it's an allergen snack or certified allergen free, it comes with all of that flavor that I think we kind of need to break through on. Because sometimes people just have, you know, I don't have food allergies. I don't know if this is for me. So we really wanted to break through with some fun flavor names.

12:16I love it.

12:17Kara Goldin:So when you first started out, I guess, so what were you doing before you started out Cake Kitchen? Were you in the food industry before that? It feels like it's been forever, but no, I was not in the food industry prior to that. I was doing corporate events, real estate, lots of, I would say, more visual type of things. I was very creative and doing things like that. So now I've shifted that creativity more into food, and it's been a fun challenge. Was there anybody who, or any brand that inspired you, thinking back when you decided to launch the brand that was really like, I can go do this. I mean, I need to go and do this because you didn't have the contacts to go and co-pack.

13:09Kara Goldin:I mean, I didn't even know what that term was when I started. And I always share with people, you have to start somewhere, right? And you keep asking around. But was there any brand in particular that you remember or people you knew that kind of inspired you to say, maybe I can go do this? And, you know, again, I'm really passionate about it. My son has this issue. But maybe to really kind of help you say, I need to take that next step. So my husband's family has been in the meat stack industry for 40 years. So through what he built with his father and still own to this day, that's where all of the passion for meat snacks came through.

13:57And then it was kind of like, well, I want to do something a little bit different that meets the needs of our family and the families that are changing. Like the market is shifting and changing. I see this need and I really want to make my own brand towards those needs of consumers in the natural channel, people with food allergies, people that are wanting to have grass-fed and finished beef, that want the poultry that's free range. and I would say that you brought up a good point of a co-manufacturer. I didn't have to go to a co-manufacturer. We got to go to our own family-owned facility where I get to bring the kids to work with me.

14:40They get to be involved in the business. This isn't a build and sell model for us. This is a long-term legacy brand that hopefully someday our kids will work in and be very passionate about. Any opportunity that they have to come to work with me, they love because they get to snack and try new flavors and, you know, they just love being involved in it. So it's been a really amazing journey for our family and hopefully for generations to come.

15:10Kara Goldin:That's so interesting. So building a values-driven brand is not easy. And clearly, you know, you, it's almost like if you're inside a family business, we've had a few people on this podcast that are similar, but it's like you, you almost can't, you have to separate out your marketing, right? And your messaging and, you know, what you're trying to build. But how have you done that? Like, how, how have you done that? I mean, have you literally like sat in a different room because naturally, right? It's challenging. Like I'm trying to do something different, right? We want to be mission led and we want to be able to go and help those with food allergies and shine more light onto it.

15:59So we're working with FAIR, who's Food Allergy Research and Education Foundation, and they've been a wonderful partner to help, you know, guide us. And hopefully we will continue to always build into our mission statements and what we're going to continue doing of how we partner with them and what we can do in the community and how we can bring that forward where, you know, we live in the LinkSnacks global community, but their missions and what they're doing is separate. So trying to still build and kind of carve out my own, you know, little section And it comes with its challenges. It truly does, Caro.

16:43But it's been really fun. And like I say, it's that legacy brand that we want to build for our children to come. And they get to see this brand being built as they grow older, whereas Link Snacks was already created before they were born. So now it's really fun to make sure that they are involved in the business along the way.

17:04Kara Goldin:That's awesome. So what's been the most rewarding part of your journey? I mean, you talked about your family and being able to, you know, kind of mentor your kids. I don't think that that's often when people start businesses. You know, I certainly didn't think about, I'm going to go do this for my kids. But it was much later I started to really see I have four kids and they're all sailed. Now, my youngest is 20, but there's this entrepreneurial spirit that I think ended up going along with them being the kids of a founder. And I mean, my kids aren't afraid to walk in the back room at Target, for example, and pull boxes out of the back and they know they have to start somewhere.

17:55Kara Goldin:Right. And, you know, and don't it's like, you know, take the garbage out if you need to. It doesn't matter what your title is. Like, it's just like lots of things. And now I'm seeing now that they're launching into their careers, you know, being able to see exactly what I was doing in the build, I think, is like such a powerful message to send to your kids. So, but I'm so curious, like, what you've seen. Yeah, I mean, they see a lot of it. They've gone to trade shows with me, which has been really great for them to be able to see what that looks like. And then, of course, they're in the manufacturing plant with me frequently working on the line or seeing how a product is being made.

18:46They're our number one taste testers. So if it doesn't pass far with them and their friends and our friends' families, it doesn't go any farther. But they will always give you honest feedback. You know, it's just there's no filter there.

19:06Kara Goldin:Yeah, that's so true. So you rebranded in the last year. I guess what was the point that made you decide it's time to rebrand? So when we decided to be certified free from the top nine allergens, we knew we had to rebrand because we needed to be able to stand off shelf compared to what was happening in the meat snack category. We wanted to have our flavor names be bold and fun, and we wanted to bring in colors that would attract people into the category. Maybe stop and take a double take of, oh, maybe I will try that. Look at that. That's high in protein. It has clean ingredients. We really wanted to get their attention.

19:52And we felt that having bolder branding, changing from Larissa's Kitchen to LK would make Google searches a little bit easier. I know my name is kind of long. So we were just trying to make it more convenient and really stand out in the grocery store aisles.

20:08Kara Goldin:We all have these moments as founders where we see somebody eating our product or drinking our product in my case. And, you know, it's something, especially when they're physically holding something, right? Like it's super fun. And I'm sure you've had that where, you know, you're walking in the grocery store or you're at school and all of a sudden you see somebody enjoying your product. Can you talk to me about sort of like how that felt more than anything and maybe the experience? Yeah, it felt so great. It was a total stranger. Somebody that I didn't know came up to me at a trade show and they were telling me about how they finally feel safe because they go on a lot of airplanes and adventures and, you know, they finally felt safe eating a snack and bringing it with them.

21:00And that was just so heartwarming to hear that somebody else feels safe. So if I can give that piece of comfort to someone else, it's just so rewarding. And then walking into Walmart and Air One to be able to see product on the shelf, it was just like, oh my gosh, we're here. I was so excited. It was just, I still get goosebumps. It's just, it's really, really exciting. And like I say, I bring my kids with for a lot of that. So they get to see firsthand the excitement and be there with me, making sure everything looks good on shelf. So.

21:38Kara Goldin:Has there ever been a situation in the build where you were pretty sure something was going to do great and it didn't do so great? Oh gosh. I feel like there's lots of those moments like, okay, are we going to meet the deadline? I think deadlines are the biggest challenge for us because we have so many processes and procedures in place and retailers have dropped deadlines. Like you gotta make it. And if our menu Trinfo third-party supplier is running behind on getting all of our things tested, it's like, I can't ship you products. I have to keep consumers safe first. So I think our biggest challenge is always managing those timelines, deadlines, making sure that we are as efficient as possible, making sure we're staying on top of costs and all of that.

22:36So yeah, it's just like, I think our deadlines are probably the biggest challenge, right? Everything has to come together perfectly.

22:46Kara Goldin:That's awesome. Do you have one of the four SKUs that's like a runaway bestseller? Smoke Show, our original beef stick that's grass-fed and finished, clean ingredients, but still has the great flavor. Everybody's like, yep, I can eat it. My kids can eat it. I can pass it back in the car. You know, it's just, it's a super easy protein pack snack. So that's been the golden winner. So what's a trend that you see in like food and or wellness that you're super excited about? Like finally it's happening. I mean, you talked about how you just got into Walmart and you're going into gluten-free section.

23:30Kara Goldin:I always laugh because I think I remember when Hint first launched in the early 2000s, they wouldn't put us in the beverage aisle because we were gluten-free, which sounds crazy to people that a drink is gluten-free, but exactly the issues that you talked about. but they would almost separate it out. So I'm curious, like if you've seen, you know, some sort of shift in kind of welcoming you more into kind of the mainstream because you're mission-driven, healthier, allergen, all of those things. But do you see a trend there that is, has really been taking off? Well, it's been great to see that the better for you options are becoming more mainstream.

24:19It's not just at your natural retailers. It's definitely at more of your mass retailers that they're taking a bigger approach to better for you options. I am all for great, clean, labeled foods. So I love all the trends that are happening right now. There's a lot of focus on gut health and high protein. And just it's becoming more widely known about the ingredients in our food. And it's been great to see that shift.

24:54Kara Goldin:So when you look at LK 10 years from now, what do you hope for the brand overall? What is success? Success to me is being able to help those that truly need allergen-free snacks that are safe and being able to deliver on that flavor because it's so important that you're still feeling like you have the same snack as everyone else does. just becoming that inclusive snack for all and that we deliver on the flavor. And I say inclusive snack for all because there is this social emotional thing that happens with food allergies. Food is such a time of camaraderie. You know, you're getting together for a celebration.

25:46You're going to a friend's house. You know, it's just especially for children, you know, not being able to have that cake or that pizza or sitting at a peanut table. Like we want to break all those barriers down. No more peanut tables, please. Like these kids don't let these food allergies attach to their personalities as they're growing. So just really bringing more, shining a light and bringing grace to understanding families that are challenged with these food allergies.

26:18Kara Goldin:definitely well larissa lk is awesome and uh congratulations on the rebrand too it's uh it looks terrific and for everyone listening definitely check out lk uh lk snacks at larissa's um it's still larissa's kitchen though is the is the website right would just do larissa's kitchen.com yeah larissa's kitchen.com and obviously in lots of great stores uh retail stores, as you mentioned, everything from Air One to Walmart and follow them on Instagram and Larissa on LinkedIn too. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend. But Larissa, thank you so much for joining us and talking about the brand and the journey and best of luck to you.