Taste Radio

Biena was at a crossroads. Five years ago, the brand’s popular roasted chickpeas were widely distributed at natural and conventional grocery chains, including Walmart, Whole Foods and Target, and the brand was making significant headway in travel retail stores. That year, Biena also completed an $8 million Series B funding round and launched an innovative line of chickpea puffs that helped establish the company as a snacking platform.  The pandemic, however, forced founder Poorvi Patodia to adjust its growth strategy. Biena was faced with declining margins and retail channels that were once promising but now unprofitable. Patodia had to make, in her words, “risky decisions.” Biena may have changed course, but its focus on financial fundamentals and mainstream consumer appeal helped the brand remain on a sustainable and long-term growth path. In this episode, Poorvi talks about how Biena navigated the challenging period and how a “build to win” philosophy influenced key decisions during the process. She also d