Catalina Crunch: Krishna Kaliannan. From Homemade Keto Cocoa Puffs to Breakfast Aisle Breakthrough
About this episode
Krishna Kaliannan shares his journey from health challenges to creating a successful low-carb cereal brand.
Krishna Kaliannan wanted to start a tech company but failed at every attempt. On the side, he was teaching himself how to cook with high-protein, low-sugar ingredients. Not just out of interest, but out of necessity. As a teenager, Krishna had been diagnosed with diabetes and epilepsy, meaning he adopted a keto diet long before it was trendy. Krishna’s home experiments with pea powder and monk fruit eventually became Catalina Crunch, one of the country’s most popular high-protein, low-carb breakfast cereals and snacks. In this episode, Krishna shares how a life-changing health condition sparked an obsession with healthy baking— and a brand that reimagined snacking. What You’ll Learn How to turn a health challenge into a business opportunity The art and science of baking with esoteric ingredients When to trust partners and when it’s best to take charge yourself Why the DTC model is great for some industries and disastrous for others Timestamps: 00:06:16 - Dealing with diabetes and epilepsy as a college student 00:12:38 - What Krishna learns from his early failures in tech 00:22:43 - The first, low-sugar cocoa puffs: “Rocks that tasted like…
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