#170 Original Sunshine: The Best Bagel You've Never Heard Of
Episode
50 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Productivity, Investing, Startups
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Stealth product validation: Founders served gluten-free bagels to VCs and guests for multiple days without revealing they were gluten-free, proving product quality matches traditional bagels before the pitch even began.
- ✓Distribution strategy: Securing Dot Foods distribution eliminates 15-20 weekly invoices, reduces shipping from LTL to truckload pickup, and enables single-case orders nationwide versus pallet minimums, dramatically improving margins from 37% to 44%.
- ✓Revenue trajectory: Company grew from $660K in 2023 to $1.6M in 2024, projecting $3.5M for 2025 and $10M by 2026 while maintaining profitability through food service focus over retail.
- ✓Proprietary technology moat: Three-layer defensibility includes custom ingredient sourcing, proprietary dry-blend flour formulation, and in-house conversion process to baked goods, making the gluten-free wheat starch formula difficult to reverse-engineer.
What It Covers
Original Sunshine founders Brad and David pitch their gluten-free wheat-based bagel company to investors, revealing $1.6M in 2024 sales and securing multiple angel investments at a $9M post-money valuation.
Key Questions Answered
- •Stealth product validation: Founders served gluten-free bagels to VCs and guests for multiple days without revealing they were gluten-free, proving product quality matches traditional bagels before the pitch even began.
- •Distribution strategy: Securing Dot Foods distribution eliminates 15-20 weekly invoices, reduces shipping from LTL to truckload pickup, and enables single-case orders nationwide versus pallet minimums, dramatically improving margins from 37% to 44%.
- •Revenue trajectory: Company grew from $660K in 2023 to $1.6M in 2024, projecting $3.5M for 2025 and $10M by 2026 while maintaining profitability through food service focus over retail.
- •Proprietary technology moat: Three-layer defensibility includes custom ingredient sourcing, proprietary dry-blend flour formulation, and in-house conversion process to baked goods, making the gluten-free wheat starch formula difficult to reverse-engineer.
Notable Moment
When Black Seed Bagels called wanting their product, founder David flew from Mexico City to LA on New Year's Eve, picked up bagels, and hand-delivered them to New York to fulfill the order.
Episode Transcript
Welcome to The Pitch where startup founders raise millions and listeners can invest. I'm Josh Muccio. And I'm Lisa Muccio. And on the show today, we have Original Sunshine. They are raising $1,000,000. This company was born to bring sunshine into everyday hearts and minds. The founders do it. The food does it. There's sunshine pouring out of everyone and everything to do with this company. And, yes, in case you're wondering, it's a bagel company. So Brad and David came into our lives, and we just knew that we had to have them on the show. Yeah. They served bagels multiple days leading up to their pitch. Like, at our event, they're serving bagels to all of the guests, the VIPs, the VCs, other founders, but they don't tell anyone that they are gonna be pitching on our show. And they don't tell anyone that they are gluten free bagels. Exactly. Most gluten free products are made with, like, a rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, whatever. The nasty stuff. Just, like, random ingredients that don't actually taste like bread. These bagels are made with wheat flour. They've removed the gluten, and Brad has been able to, like, recreate what gluten does in a bagel. Miraculously. I have never had a good gluten free bagel in my life until trying the original sunshine bagels. And I've been gluten free for years. So in the pitch you're about to hear is the reveal that these guys were making gluten free bagels for everyone, including the VCs, and they didn't know it. The question is, will the VCs like them enough to invest in the sesame seed round? The pitch for original sunshine is coming up after this. And Lisa and I, we're gonna be touring different cities, meeting listeners, and LPs over the next few months. We'll be in SF in October, Austin and New York in November because we're raising fund too. You can RSVP to join us at one of those meetups at pitch.show/events. It's true that some things change as we get older. But if you're a woman over 40 and you're dealing with insomnia, brain fog, moodiness, and weight gain, you don't have to accept it as just another part of aging. And with Mitty Health, you can get help and stop pushing through it alone. The experts at Mitty understand that all these symptoms can be connected to the hormonal changes that happen around menopause. And MiddI can help you feel more like yourself again. Many healthcare providers aren't trained to treat or even recognize menopause symptoms. MiddI clinicians are menopause experts. They're dedicated to providing safe, effective, FDA approved solutions for dozens of hormonal symptoms, not just hot flashes. Most importantly, they're covered by insurance. Ninety one percent of many patients get relief from symptoms within just two months. You deserve to feel great. Book your virtual visit today at joinmidi.com. That's join,midi,.com. Welcome back to the pitch for Original Sunshine. Let's meet the …
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“Original Sunshine founders Brad and David pitch their gluten-free wheat-based bagel company to investors, revealing $1.6M in 2024 sales and securing multiple angel investments at a $9M post-money valuation.”
“When Black Seed Bagels called wanting their product, founder David flew from Mexico City to LA on New Year's Eve, picked up bagels, and hand-delivered them to New York to fulfill the order.”
“Securing Dot Foods distribution eliminates 15-20 weekly invoices, reduces shipping from LTL to truckload pickup, and enables single-case orders nationwide versus pallet minimums.”
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