Truff's Founders Want to Be the Ciroq of Hot Sauce. Daniel Lubetzky Advises:- The founder of the multibillion-dollar snack company Kind is helping Truff co-founder Nick Ajluni turn his condiment brand into a market leader.
Inc.|September 2024
Nick Ajluni's first company was fueled by partying 20-somethings. As a college student, he launched a line of powdered beverages meant to be mixers and chasers for alcohol. The product never took off, but after graduating, Ajluni teamed up with a former classmate who was claiming Instagram handles that might come in handy for businesses. One of them, @sauce, amassed tens of thousands of followers, prompting the pair to start their own sauce company. They drew inspiration from Ciroq vodka, a wildly popular brand thanks in part to its promotion by hip-hop artists.
By Kevin J. Ryan - Photography by Tyler Dane Hansen
Truff's Founders Want to Be the Ciroq of Hot Sauce. Daniel Lubetzky Advises:- The founder of the multibillion-dollar snack company Kind is helping Truff co-founder Nick Ajluni turn his condiment brand into a market leader.

Nick Ajluni's first company was fueled by partying 20-somethings. As a college student, he launched a line of powdered beverages meant to be mixers and chasers for alcohol. The product never took off, but after graduating, Ajluni teamed up with a former classmate who was claiming Instagram handles that might come in handy for businesses. One of them, @sauce, amassed tens of thousands of followers, prompting the pair to start their own sauce company. They drew inspiration from Ciroq vodka, a wildly popular brand thanks in part to its promotion by hip-hop artists.

We wanted to create the Cîroq of hot sauce, says Ajluni, 30. To do that, we knew it needed to be luxurious, and not just because we said it was, but because it actually had an ingredient that made it luxurious.

That ingredient is truffles. In 2017, Ajluni and co-founder Nick Guillen launched Austin-based Truff, a hot-sauce brand that incorporates truffles in every product. The company's signature black truffle sauce, made with red chili peppers and agave nectar, quickly became Amazon's top-selling hot sauce. Last year, Kim Kardashian's private equity firm, Skky Partners, made its debut investment by acquiring a minority stake in the business, which also makes mayonnaise, olive oil, and pasta sauce. The deal valued Truff at $250 million, Axios reported. Ajluni's next goal? Turning Truff into a household name (as Kardashian has done for her own company, Skims-see page 164).

Daniel Lubetzky is helping guide that growth. The founder of the multibillion-dollar healthy snack company Kind, Lubetzky has served as a mentor for Ajluni since Truff's early days. When I was getting started, a lot of people gave me advice and helped me enormously, so mentoring is a small way to give back, Lubetzky says. But honestly, with innovative people like Nick, I learn as much as I give.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2024 de Inc..

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2024 de Inc..

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE INC.Ver todo
Karen Dillon
Inc.

Karen Dillon

I moved my wedding to attend a company offsite. It was a terrible decision, but a vital lesson on balance.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Ultimate Home-Based Business
Inc.

The Ultimate Home-Based Business

Thirty years since her breakout on Friends, Courteney Cox is taking on a new role-entrepreneur.

time-read
8 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
An Uphill Battle
Inc.

An Uphill Battle

Zwift has been through layoffs and a leadership change in 2024, but co-founder and CEO Eric Min says he's learned that building a startup, like cycling, is an endurance test.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
The GLOW UP
Inc.

The GLOW UP

How Glossier broke free from DTC, survived the skeptics, and finally achieved profitability.

time-read
8 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Snack That Gives Back
Inc.

The Snack That Gives Back

With a new partnership, SkinnyDipped is supporting women founders worldwide.

time-read
2 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
A New Path to SuCCESS
Inc.

A New Path to SuCCESS

AllTrails may have achieved the impossible-an app that truly helps you get away from it all.

time-read
8 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Back-lash Survivors
Inc.

The Back-lash Survivors

Don't challenge Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Rodz to a game of highs and lows. The Hello Alice co-founders will win-by a long shot.

time-read
6 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Spa Surge
Inc.

The Spa Surge

Prime IV Hydration & Wellness has successfully weathered stormy waters.

time-read
2 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
Riding the Waves
Inc.

Riding the Waves

With Beehiiv, Tyler Denk built a buzzy newsletter platform and a brash online persona. Both are lucrative.

time-read
8 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025
Home Economics
Inc.

Home Economics

How Chairish brought the circular economy to furniture.

time-read
2 minutos  |
Winter 2024/2025