Lotus Chips on HBO’s Silicon Valley Season Premiere

Did anyone else spot our lotus chips on HBO’s Silicon Valley season premiere? For our team, our product’s appearance on the show was an exciting moment. Because Pied Piper represents more than just a fictional company on a show – it is the quintessential startup in the tech industry.

Of course, it comes as no surprise that this techiest, geekiest, most disruptive company would be snacking on Good Roots Lotus Chips. What else would make the cut?

For a small food brand, it was a dream come true. Good Roots on HBO? Yes!

Wonder how we did it? Here’s the story of how it happened…

We had been contacted by Silicon Valley’s set designers in early 2019 prior to the filming of the much anticipated final season of the popular HBO series. We get our fair share of unusual messages from different self-identified influencers and entertainers (we’re not talking A-Listers here) who are seeking to insert lotus chips into their social channels in exchange for something or other. In general, we’ve turned down these opportunities and try to keep focused on our customers and our chips.

But the communication with the set designers at Sony Picture Studios, who provide the stage to HBO, was different. The staff that reached out to Good Roots was really authentic, patient, and accommodating, despite the fact that they were only dealing with a scrappy food startup. Fans of the Silicon Valley series know that their sets are great replicas of the actual startup scene … everything from the post-it notes, white board renderings, displayed software, and yes, even the snacks at Pied Piper represent life at a tech startup.

We all know that lots of free food and cool snacks are a big part of tech startup culture. As a result, our Lotus Chips find their way into more progressive tech firms who are seeking snacks that are above all natural, healthy, and unique to appeal to their discriminating tech workers who are mindful about what they consume.

So the set designers did their research and toured multiple tech firms to refine their own design concept. We were fortunate that they had seen Good Roots Lotus Chips at some tech companies and then required access to some Lotus Chips for the set. We of course were happy to oblige.

Wondering about the actual companies where they saw Good Roots products?

It happens that Tinder was one of the firms offering Lotus Chips to its employees. So a big Swipe Right, make that a Super Like, from Good Roots to Tinder for their support!

There it is … Tinder hooked up Good Roots with HBO.

So that’s our little chip’s journey to stardom. Yes, for the normal viewer, the brief, fuzzy appearances of Lotus Chips in the background of the occasional kitchen shot might not mean much. But to us it means a whole lot. As in a lot of things in life, it isn’t just about the end result or the appearance on the show. We find joy in the journey itself and are happy that our customers provided all the evidence and validation that led to the nice outcome.

So a lot of thanks go along with this little story …

I am so grateful to Sony Picture Studios, HBO Silicon Valley, and Tinder for their support of a small, woman-owned and operated food startup. I’d also like to thank my agent, parents, husband [INSERT PLAY-OFF MUSIC HERE] ..

Be good,

Miki