The brainchild of serial entrepreneur Jerry Bello, Pasta Chips first hit shelves in September 2013, and are now in scores of retailers from Safeway to Costco and Walmart.
The baked snacks – which are made with durum wheat semolina flour – also include the higher protein grain farro, said Bello: "We are recreating the pasta aisle in snack form using only fresh pasta dough and quality ingredients for a crispy, better-for-you dip and chip option."
ACAP is a $154.5 million fund, licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC). The fund is a partnership between Advantage Capital and nine Farm Credit organizations.
'Trademark ‘Pasta Chips’!'
Bello - the founder of Veggie straws maker Sensible Portions (sold to Hain Celestial in a multimillion dollar deal in 2010) - remembers the exact moment when he stumbled across something he reckoned could be an even bigger snack food hit.
Sitting down to a meal at a restaurant in Tuscany, Italy, with his wife in 2011, instead of the usual bread, olive oil and vinegar, he was served some chips with a very unusual texture.
His entrepreneurial instincts on high alert, Bello asked what they were.
Pasta, said the chef, who had some offcuts of fresh pasta dough left after making ravioli, cut them into squares, lightly baked them, drizzled them with olive oil and sea salt and served them up as an appetizer.
'The Pasta Chips idea just hit me like a lightning bolt'
Bello thanked him, grabbed his phone and rushed outside to make a call to his attorney. “Trademark ‘Pasta Chips’!” he instructed, before re-joining his wife.
“I’m always looking for idea when I travel in Europe and South America and I often get inspiration for things that I think will work in the US but just need ‘Americanizing’,” Bello told FoodNavigator-USA in 2014. “The Pasta Chips idea just hit me like a lightning bolt.”
The chips - available in eight flavors: Marinara; Rosemary; Garlic Olive Oil; Alfredo; Spicy Tomato Herb; Roasted tomato and red pepper; Spinach, broccoli, kale; and Mediterranean Sea Salt - are satisfying but low in fat (60% less fat than a regular potato chip and 20% less fat than a pita chip, with 4g fat, 120 cals and 4g protein per 1oz/28g serving).
They also have a lighter texture, meaning you typically consume around 16-18 at a time instead of eight pita chips, said Bello.