These chips give you zip. As an undergrad, Phillip Tran, ’23, MA ’23, noticed a pattern. Whether he was noshing at the Axe & Palm or the Market at Munger, students—himself included—leaned on the same basics for an energy boost: a caffeinated drink and a bag of chips. When he spotted the same habit at his first job on Wall Street, a business idea was confirmed. Why not combine the two?
Behold Bangers Energy Chips, billed as America’s first caffeinated potato chips. The snacks come in barbecue, paradise, and hot mamba flavors, and each 2.5-ounce bag contains 200 mg of caffeine, roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee. “We say it loud and proud,” says Tran, founder and CEO of Bangers Snacks. “Energy does not have to live only in drinks.” Time will tell if consumers embrace the synergy, but the idea has given Tran’s profile a boost. Forbes recently named him to its “30 Under 30” list in the food and drink category.
Sam Scott is a senior writer at Stanford. Email him at sscott3@stanford.edu.
