Tantos Shark Tank Update — Shark Tank Season 17
Tantos brings chef-crafted, pasta-inspired flavors to the snack aisle with the world’s first pasta chips, blending culinary artistry with crave-worthy crunch.
Celebrity chef Joe Sasto and Sean Knecht stepped onto the stage of “Shark Tank Season 17 Episode 6” with their amazing snack product. They pitched their brand, Tantos, the world’s first pasta-flavored snack wrapped in a pack.
However, the question that loomed was, will the Sharks go on a journey of tasting this amazing snack, or will they decide to pass?
About Tantos
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Tantos |
| Founders | Joe Sasto and Sean Knecht |
| Industry | Food & Beverages |
| Product | Pasta snacking chips |
| Investment Asked | $150,000 for 10% equity |
| Deal Status | No deal |
| Valuation | 1.5 million |
Tantos isn’t just another snack company; instead, it is the culmination of a culinary journey built on passion, precision, and pasta. Led by Sean and chef Joe, whose formative years were spent behind the stoves of legendary Bay Area kitchens.
He worked under some of the region’s most respected and honor-driven chefs and contributed to the ascents of two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear and three-Michelin-starred Quince.
It was at Quince in San Francisco where Joe’s passion for pasta truly ignited. The rolling, shaping, cooking, and seasoning of fresh dough became more than a technique. Thus, in 2019, he thought of starting his own restaurant; however, COVID hit, and he was out of work.
That was the year when he met Sean Knecht, who saw him on the television show Top Chef and directly contacted him. Together, they started this crunchy pasta chip journey, building their brand, Tantos.
Their ultimate goal is to bring this pasta-based innovation from the restaurant kitchen to the snack aisle.
Let’s have a closer look at the pitch of the two founders and how the Sharks reacted.
Tantos Shark Tank Pitch
Joe and Sean entered the Tank seeking a $150,000 investment in exchange for 10% equity to scale Tantos. They presented the four jaw-dropping signature flavors of Tantos to the Sharks, including pesto, cacio e pepe, classico, and marinara.
Daniel Lubetzky praised the marinara-flavored pasta chips, and the other Sharks, including Lori Greiner, liked the snack.
Since Chef Joe Sasto has a large public following, he endorses his brand himself. He gets over 7 million expressions in a week and 500 million likes across all of his social media channels, which created a ‘wow’ moment on the Tank.
Daniel took the plunge and shared his investment journey in pasta chips with the founders to make them aware of the challenges. The product is available at more than 1000 retail stores at the time of launch. Moreover, they had a word with Kroger, which is offering to launch a white-label version.
Daniel questioned them about their advantage, as the pasta chips mostly contained carbs. Hence, Chef Joe responded that they offer 2 to 4 grams of protein per serving, containing 130 calories per serving. Moreover, they are compliant with the rules set by Whole Foods.
The founders also shared with the Sharks that the landing cost of the big pack was $1.24 and the smaller one was 44 cents, which were sold to the distributors for $2.73 and $1. Furthermore, the product retails at $4.99.
They generated a revenue of $500,000 within the 12 months of launch, earning a profit of $54,000. Until mid-2025, they made $300,000 with a $96,000 profit.
When Daymond asked about why they even need a Shark, Sean answered that they want to scale their operations and spread the word among the retail stores.
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What Makes Tantos Unique?
There are several things that make these classic pasta snacking chips unique. Let’s look at some of those:
- Italian-inspired flavors: They offer four unique flavors like pesto, cacio e pepe, classico, and marinara. This brings the Italian culinary experience in the form of snack chips.
- Chef-made innovation: The brand is built by celebrity chef Joe, who is widely known for his work in Michelin-starred kitchens. Thus, the product reflects restaurant-level flavors and precision.
- Nutritional value: Unlike the traditional snacking chips, Tantos offer 2–4 grams of protein along with 130 calories per serving. That further appeals to health-conscious snackers.
Did Tantos Get A Deal On Shark Tank?
Instead of an amazing product and presentation pitched by the two founders, the Sharks were skeptical about the product, especially Daniel Lubetzky. He mentioned that he personally liked the two entrepreneurs; however, he had already run a pasta chip company from scratch and knew the challenges of the industry.
Though Barbara Corcoran asked him to reconsider, he bowed out of the negotiations.
Kevin O’Leary said a clear ‘No’ to the founders. Though he did not mention the reason, his expression reflected disappointment and uninterestedness.
Barbara Corcoran was initially interested because of Daniel’s experience in this industry. However, later, she too refused to offer a deal. Additionally, Lori Greiner liked the flavors, mentioning, “It’s my cup of tea.” She stood at a fence while making the decision to offer a deal.
In the meantime, there was a toe-to-toe conversation between Daniel and the founders. He knew that the distributors in this industry are sometimes ruthless. Thus, Lori too bowed out, as she was unaware of the journey.
Joe and Sean had high hopes for Daymond John, and all eyes were on him and Lori, but he also decided to stay out of the negotiations. Consequently, Tantos was not able to secure a deal on the tank.
Tantos Shark Tank Update
Though Tantos were not able to secure any deal from the Sharks, after the episode aired on Hulu, they have received more visitors on their website looking for the pasta chips. Moreover, due to the Shark Tank appearance, they can now convince the big retail chains to consider their product.
Where Can You Buy It?
You can purchase the product either directly from their official website, or they are even available in more than 1000 stores in the United States. Also, you can check their Instagram page for more updates.
Quick Summary
- Celebrity chef Joe Sasto and Sean Knecht stormed the stage of Shark Tank Season 17, pitching their product. Tantos, the world’s first pasta snacking chips.
- They sell the product in four different Italian flavors, among which the best-seller was cacio e pepe. The chips are low in calories, containing 4 grams of protein in each serving.
- The founders were seeking $150,000 in exchange for 10% equity. However, because of the competitive space, all the Sharks backed out.
