Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucas Prado.
Hi Lucas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We are Lucas and Nicole, founders, engineers, a couple on a mission to revolutionize high protein snacks using only real food.
BEEST started because growing up with diabetes in the family, a lack of alternatives to chips always felt personal. A family recipe became part of a university thesis on healthy snacks industrialization, which turned into a business out of our home kitchen, which Nicole and I scaled across Bolivia.
The Bolivia years were a fast education. We learned every step of meat snack production by doing every step ourselves. We landed our first retail account (a 7-location gas station chain) and built from there, until we had production employees, real volume, and a real business. Then COVID hit. Strict quarantines for almost a year, just us, keeping the company moving through it.
One day during that period, we walked in on my grandma at her desk to surprise her, and she yelped and knocked over a bag of chips she’d been hiding because she’s diabetic and shouldn’t be eating them. There was nothing on the market she could have. That moment stuck with us. It’s been one of the things driving us ever since.
From the start, we wanted to build BEEST into a global brand. Brazil was the first real option, but it would have required setting up a manufacturing plant from scratch. So in March 2023, we flew to Natural Products Expo West with samples in our backpacks to test US demand. The response was unanimous: how soon can you deliver, what’s the price. We left the show with the decision made: the next chapter of BEEST would be built in the US.
We researched cities across the country. Texas kept coming up, and so did Austin specifically, where 3 of the top 10 CPG startups of 2023 had launched. Dallas was our entry point thanks to a friend and a distant meat-packing connection there. From Dallas we made our way to Austin and the CPG ecosystem clicked for our stage. We flew back to Bolivia, wrapped things up, and moved on July 12, 2023, so Nicole could celebrate her birthday with family on the 9th.
The product that worked in Bolivia did not translate to the US shelf. The first version we launched here got described as “confusing.” So we went back to the kitchen. After hundreds of iterations, our process produced a true chip-like crunch. Different enough from anything in the category that we filed a patent on both the process and the product.
We relaunched the new format in January 2026. Retailers who had passed on the original started picking us up. Shortly after, we won KeHE’s Trend Finder competition, the Golden Ticket, which fast-tracks us into KeHE’s 12 distribution centers nationwide. We were also ranked in RangeMe’s Top 50 Brands in Food & Beverage. We’re now in Wheatsville Co-op and Royal Blue here in Austin, Parker & Scott, and a handful of California independents. Growing from there.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not even close to smooth. Plenty of struggles, and a few stand out.
In Bolivia, our first big retailer changed payment terms from 30 to 60 days without telling us. We only found out when we went to pick up the check.
A few months later, we’d just pulled 2000 lbs of meat out of the freezer to thaw for the next day’s production when the evening news announced a full national quarantine starting that same moment. Nobody could leave their homes. Our production team wouldn’t be coming in. So Nicole and I processed 2000 lbs of meat ourselves.
Around that same time, our only two production employees decided they wanted equity. They walked in one day with an ultimatum: hand over a piece of the company or they quit on the spot. We were two people running a business on the edge, with the next day’s deliveries already booked. We told them to quit. Nicole and I processed 400 lbs of meat the next morning and made every delivery on time. That moment pushed us to redesign the entire production process. The SOPs we built then are the same foundation we later used to train our US co-manufacturer’s team.
When we moved to the US, our timeline assumed we’d find a co-manufacturer in 6 months and be running quickly. It took over a year to find the right partner, then another year to get USDA approval, because our process was so different from anything they’d seen before.
Our US launch was meant to be a major event. We’d been told there would be 25,000 attendees, with buyers from major retailers. Around 500 people came over three days. Most of them were looking for furniture.
The product was the next surprise. The first version we launched in the US was a shredded jerky. People liked the taste and the texture, but the format was unfamiliar. The most useful feedback came from David, the manager at Wheatsville Co-op here in Austin. He summed it up in one word: “Confusing.” We went back to the kitchen, iterated for months, and ended up with the chip-like format we make today. The retailers who had passed on the original started picking us up.
You can’t plan around the surprises. Preparation just gives you a fighting chance when one shows up.
As you know, we’re big fans of BEEST Snacks. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
BEEST is built on three things: real food, real crunch, and unreal macros. We make snacks with clean ingredients, a true chip-like crunch, and the kind of protein-to-calorie ratio you’d expect from a supplement, not a snack.
We have three products. Our Charcuterie Trail Mix is a savory mix of Pork Jerky Chips, Parmesan cheese crisps, and roasted almonds. A charcuterie board in a bag. 52g of protein, 0g added sugar, and 7g of fiber per 4 oz bag.
Our Beef Jerky Chips are made with three main ingredients: beef, lime juice, and spices. 48g of protein per 2 oz bag, zero sugar, zero oils, zero additives. Not just a crispy first bite. Crunchy through and through.
Our Pork Jerky Chips use the leanest cuts of pork and the same simple seasoning. If you like chicharrones or pork rinds and have ever wished there was an alternative without the heavy fat, this is it. 46g of protein, 4g of fat per bag, no frying, no puffing.
What sets us apart is the crunch and the process behind it. Most “crispy” jerky gives you a crispy first bite that turns chewy by the third chew. Ours stays crunchy to the bottom of the bag. We’ve measured it in an acoustic lab, and there are decibels of difference. We filed a patent on both the process and the product, because both are genuinely new to the meat snack category.
BEEST started in our home kitchen in Bolivia and is now produced at a BRCGS Grade A+ certified, USDA-inspected facility in Texas. We’re also Go Texan certified.
The wins we’re proudest of brand-wise: winning KeHE’s Trend Finder competition, the Golden Ticket, which fast-tracks us into KeHE’s 12 distribution centers nationwide. Being ranked in RangeMe’s Top 50 Brands in Food & Beverage. And filing the patent, which was the moment we knew we’d actually built something new and not another label on the same shelf.
For your readers: we’re online at beestsnacks.com, and locally in Austin at Wheatsville Co-op, Royal Blue Grocery, and Parker & Scott. More stores coming as we roll out KeHE. If you’ve ever stared at the snack aisle and walked away unsatisfied, give us a shot.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck goes by several names. We believe God has plans. That said, both good and bad luck have been instrumental for us, and many times one has led directly to the other.
The clearest examples came when bad luck turned into something we couldn’t have planned. When our two production employees in Bolivia walked out on an ultimatum, Nicole and I had to process the next day’s 400 lbs of meat ourselves. Brutal at the time. But it forced us to rebuild the entire production process from scratch, with proper SOPs, documentation, and controls. That foundation is what we used later to train our US co-manufacturer’s team.
When COVID quarantine hit overnight, we had 2000 lbs of meat thawing and no production crew coming in. We processed it ourselves. Same lesson: hands on every step.
When we launched our first product in the US, the response was lukewarm. Retailers told us they didn’t get it. The most useful piece of feedback came from David, the manager at Wheatsville Co-op, who described it in one word: “Confusing.” Bad luck on a launch. But that conversation pushed us back into the kitchen, and what came out of it is the chip-like format we make today. Within months, the same retailers were carrying us, and we won KeHE’s Trend Finder Golden Ticket.
The other side is also true: good luck shows up but doesn’t always land. You’re not prepared, or you’re scared, or you don’t recognize it for what it is. We’ve been on that side of the equation more than once. What we keep relearning is that preparation is what lets you actually use the openings when they come. You can’t manufacture them, but you can decide what shape you’re in when they arrive.
If God has plans, our job is to show up ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beestsnacks.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/beestsnacks
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/beestsnack
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beestsnacks
