Sydney Chasin, Chasin' Dreams Farm

What’s the inspiration behind the Chasin’ Dreams Farm name?

Chasin’ Dreams Farm was named after the Chasin Family Farm that I grew up on. For me, it was a magical place that always inspired innovation and creativity from simplicity. At 7 years old I was diagnosed with celiac disease and I’ve been crafting alternative snacks out of necessity for as long as I can remember. Gluten-free and healthy snacks are so often boring and uninspiring. We’re creating a better-for-you, more fun-for-you, clean-label snack platform!

The Chasin family

How do you handle risk and competition?

We take calculated risks often and go into the new and unknown with our eyes wide open. We spend a lot of time understanding where our exposure lies and always have a plan A-Z.

As for competition, we are innovative well beyond product and brand, We take a creative approach and challenge the status quo in our route to market, channel strategy, gorilla marketing, and who we are as a team!

What’s been the #1 challenge you’ve faced while launching your company?

Scaling production! Taking our small commercial kitchen recipe from a tiny countertop to a massive production kitchen was no small feat. I am so very proud of what we’ve created and our ability to scale a unique product with excellent gross margins.

First production run

You’ve participated in Mondelez International’s CoLab by SnackFutures accelerator. What was that experience like? What did you gain or learn?

Chasin’ Dreams Farm was 1 of 9 better-for-you snacking brands to be selected for the first-ever Mondelez CoLab accelerator program this summer (Mondelez owns brands like Oreo, Ritz, Chips Ahoy!, and Swedish Fish). We have been able to accelerate our development through leveraging and navigating consumer insights and working with industry experts on things like product development, branding, food styling, packaging, food science—the list goes on and on. This program has been rocket fuel. It’s also the start of a long relationship with Mondelez International, one of the largest snack companies in the world.

CoLab acceptance post by CEO of Mondelez International, Dirk Van de Put

Why did you decide to raise from the crowd via Republic?

I’ve met so many brilliant people over the years as I’ve been growing Chasin’ Dreams Farm—people that truly believe in what we are doing and want to be a part of it all. There have been many “how can I invest” moments, but many interested people were either not accredited investors or not able to invest our minimum check size. Being on Republic has allowed our community and superfans to get involved in a real, meaningful way. It’s so exciting to have them officially along on the journey!

What’s your team culture like?

As a fully remote company, we make sure that we go above and beyond to create a positive, upbeat team culture. If we’re spending so many hours working on something, it best be a little fun! We work hard to bring the dream to life and celebrate every win together, no matter how big or small. Even though there is never a shortage of business to discuss, we spend time getting to know each other, laugh a ton, tell wildly unrelated stories, and hang out on zoom as organically as possible.

Virtual meeting with some team members

What is your superpower?

Being a creative operator. I’m naturally a super creative, out-of-the-box thinker, yet I operate a tight ship! I’m able to use this strength and thinking process to solve logical problems and reach successful and sometimes unconventional solutions.

Do you have any unusual routines or habits?

I dance in front of the mirror to the same song every morning when I wake up.

If you could give yourself one piece of advice 5 years ago, what would it be?

TRUST 👏 YOUR 👏 GUT 👏! Founder’s intuition is real, and it’s quite remarkable. It sounds so simple, but it is powerful!

Forbes article announcing investment from Kathleen KingAny advice for women looking to start their own company?

Lead with a female heart—empathy, humility, openness.

Do you have a mentor? If so, what have they taught you?

Kathleen King, founder of Tate’s Bakeshop. She taught me to lead with intuition and surround myself with really bright people!