TRIBALI Foods Triumphs During NOSH Live Pitch Slam

TRIBALÍ Foods cooked up a victory at the Winter 2017 NOSH Live Pitch Slam.

The California-based company brand of frozen, grassfed and finished beef and chicken patties won the third annual Pitch Slam based on what judges said were strong flavors and intuitive packaging design that served as a “road map for the mind.”

“I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished thus far,” TRIBALÍ founder and CEO Angela Mavridis told NOSH. “I’m just happy to see people found value in what I’m producing and giving to the world.”

TRIBALÍ was not the only brand to grace NOSH’s stage. Other competing companies included Dream Pops, which produces a line of “superfood ice cream” popsicles; Go Roam Free, a 100 percent bison cut meat snack brand based in Montana; Funny Farm, a goat milk focused brand with lines of cheese popcorn and mac and cheese; and One Culture Foods, an Asian inspired cooking sauce maker that recently extended its offerings to include Asian noodle cups.

Sponsored by ADM, this year’s judging panel included ADM brand manager of food marketing Stephanie Edgecombe, Twin Cities Co-Op Partners CEO Josh Resnik, VMG Partners co-founder and managing director David Baram, and Foodstirs COO and co-founder Greg Fleishman.

“The winner was the one that had the most uniqueness, and looked like it had market potential and could resonate with consumers — that was important,” Fleishman told NOSH. “TRIBALÍ has ancestral recipes that they modernized to a format that people are consuming every day right now, so bringing that to a dinner party or a lunch party was awesome and that hadn’t been done before today.”

TRIBALÍ’s line of meat patties are paleo certified, Whole30 approved, and Non-GMO Project Verified. Current flavors include Mediterranean Style Beef, Umami Beef, and Chipotle Chicken, made with free range chicken. The products retail for between $11.99-$13.99 per box of four patties and have secured placement in the South Pacific region of Whole Foods, Lassens, and Erewhon.

On stage, Fleishman questioned the whether TRIBALÍ’s package clearly labeled attributes such as “organic.” Speaking to NOSH, Fleishman noted that his concerns are not difficult fixes.

But the road to victory was not a straight shot. NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg said this year’s competition saw the longest deliberation yet among the panel of judges, who were “literally going back and forth” to decide this year’s winner.

With her victory, Mavridis took home a $5,000 prize. She told NOSH she plans to give some of the money to her children, who were integral to her Pitch Slam application and preparation. She added that her kids have also helped with the brand’s self distribution efforts.

“The brand is developing a more educational component right now,” Mavridis said. “We want to teach people that we do have a choice to eat in a more healthy way, in a more delicious way, and in a more mindful way.”

TRIBALÍ’ joins past NOSH Live Pitch Slam winners Bronx Hot Sauce, and YuMaMi’s Go-Dip Snacks.