In 2017, enterprise companions Rip Pruskin and Marco De Leon walked right into a manufacturing facility in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, with smiles on their faces. They have been there to flip the ceremonial change on the manufacturing line for his or her cookie firm, Rip Van. It was an enormous second. Not solely would the transfer ship Dutch stroopwafel cookies crusing down the road’s conveyor belt, however it might additionally take Rip Van’s manufacturing to a brand new stage.
The companions counted down with their fingers on the change: “Three…two…one…BOOM!” Flames leapt up from the equipment in entrance of them and smoke poured into the air.
The Hearth That Modified The whole lot
“The whole lot began smoking, the hearth brigade got here—it was like my worst nightmare and I used to be dwelling it firsthand,” Rip instructed The FruitGuys later.
That manufacturing facility fireplace was a turning level for Rip Van, and finally turned it into the snack firm it’s in the present day. Seven years later, Rip and Marco make tasty, low-sugar snacks like Dutch Caramel & Vanilla Stroopwafels and Chocolate Hazelnut Wafers. Right here at The FruitGuys, we’re proud to characteristic their snacks as our Snacks of the Month for Hispanic Heritage Month in September in a nod to Marco’s Brazilian and Dominican heritage.
Rip Pruskin (left) and Marco De Leon (proper)
To totally respect how the manufacturing facility fireplace modified Rip Van’s enterprise, we have to rewind to the start and make a journey to Brown College—the place its story started.
A Dutch Cookie Like No Different
Rip Van began out as a ardour mission for Rip. He was born within the US however grew up in India and The Netherlands, the place he fell in love with stroopwafels: a standard Dutch dessert constituted of two waffle-shaped cookies with candy, caramel-like filling sandwiched between them.
“I feel the distinctive factor a few stroopwafel is its style and texture,” he defined. “From a texture standpoint, it’s crispy, then chewy, then crispy. That’s a extremely distinctive expertise by itself. From a style standpoint, stroop—a Dutch type of caramel—is made otherwise [from American caramel]. So it additionally has a distinct taste, texture, and consistency than the ‘regular’ caramel you’d discover in a Snickers bar or a Twix.”
When Rip moved again to the US for school at Brown College in 2006, he couldn’t discover a good stroopwafel within the grocery retailer. So, he determined to make his personal.
The Recipe for Success
Rip began tinkering with cookie recipes and requested his engineering professor for assist designing an meeting line. Then, he met Marco at a university celebration. Each have been finding out economics and making ready for careers in finance, however Marco had at all times wished to observe in his entrepreneurial father’s footsteps.
The pair talked about cookies over a sport of beer pong and Marco was intrigued by Rip’s concept. In 2010, he turned down a job supply at Morgan Stanley to affix forces with Rip and begin Rip Van (then known as Van Wafles) collectively.
Marco (left) and Rip (proper) within the early days of Rip Van
They offered their first cookies to fellow college students, then slowly constructed as much as native cafes, then grocery shops throughout the nation. The pair drove retailer to retailer in a Volvo station wagon and slept within the automobile at evening to save cash. In 2016, Forbes positioned Rip and Marco on its 30 Beneath 30 record.
The long run appeared brilliant. A 12 months later, it caught fireplace.
Rising From the Ashes
Nobody was harm within the 2017 manufacturing facility fireplace, however Rip and Marco almost misplaced their enterprise when their manufacturing line short-circuited. Within the technique of rethinking how they’d make stroopwafels with out the fitting gear, they ended up rethinking Rip Van utterly.
“That cataclysmic occasion made us assume existentially,” Rip mentioned. “… We began asking ourselves, ‘Are we having an influence? Sure, we’re impacting the lives of our staff by treating them effectively and having aggressive salaries, however what are we doing for society?’”
Rip and Marco went again to the drafting board. They dug deep to discover a area of interest for Rip Van, the place their cookies might truly assist society—they usually found America’s sugar dependancy.
Identical Cookie, Much less Sugar
In keeping with the American Coronary heart Affiliation, the common American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day, which provides as much as over 60 kilos per 12 months. That’s nearly twice the really helpful restrict for males (9 teaspoons) and 3 times the really helpful restrict for girls (6 teaspoons).
About 28% of that sugar comes from desserts, candy snacks, and sweet. When Rip and Marco discovered that, they noticed a possibility. In the event that they turned their stroopwafels into low-sugar snacks, they might assist individuals make a more healthy dessert swap, decrease their sugar consumption, and defend their well being. So, they set to work on a brand new recipe.
“We labored with a lot of meals scientists and PhDs to determine find out how to use plant-based elements as an alternative of artificial fillers and sugar alcohols, which have loads of destructive well being penalties. We thought, ‘How can we obtain the style and low sugar?’ It took us a very long time. We designed a lower-sugar stroopwafel in increments. Our recipe went from 12–13 grams of sugar, to eight–9 grams, to three grams,” Rip mentioned.
Need to attempt Rip Van’s snacks?
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A Actual-Life Fairytale
Whereas updating the stroopwafel, Rip and Marco realized they might use the identical meals expertise to make extra candy, low-sugar snacks. Rip Van expanded to promote sandwich cookies (3 grams of sugar) and wafers (2 grams of sugar) in flavors like Cookies and Creme and Chocolate Hazelnut.
Rip and Marco additionally modified their firm identify from Van Wafels to Rip Van in honor of the fairytale.
“Funnily sufficient, the story of Rip Van Winkle is a few man who fell asleep, and when he awoke, the world had modified. That’s how we really feel concerning the meals business. It’s been sleeping for a really very long time and nobody has come round to essentially disrupt the business and convey about significantly better, low-sugar snacks. Rip Van is an awakening to shift that historical past,” Rip mentioned.
The identify caught on, a lot in order that shoppers and companions stopped utilizing Rip’s Indian identify, Abishe, and began calling him Rip as an alternative.
Why Minority-Owned Issues
Although Abishe is glad to go by Rip within the enterprise world, he and Marco are each happy with their heritage as first-generation People. Rip is Indian and Dutch, and Marco is Dominican and Brazilian.
“I feel we each grew up with the mentality of exhausting work and the American Dream,” Rip mentioned. “I needed to do it first-hand myself, and ever since Marco was a child, he noticed his dad wrestle to begin his firm, which he has since grown. I feel that’s why being a licensed Minority Enterprise Enterprise is necessary to us. Whenever you come to this nation with out sources and connections and whatnot and have to determine it out, that may be actually exhausting.”
Marco (left) and Rip (proper)
Rip and Marco recurrently communicate at range conferences just like the Starbucks Provider Range convention and the Nationwide Minority Provider Improvement Council (NMSDC) Annual Convention & Change to share their story.
“We consider it’s necessary to pay it ahead and encourage the following era of entrepreneurs,” Marco mentioned.
We at The FruitGuys are proud to characteristic Rip Van’s Dutch Caramel & Vanilla Stroopwafels and Chocolate Hazelnut Wafers as our Snacks of the Month for Hispanic Heritage Month in September 2024. The month means so much to Marco as a first-generation Hispanic American.
“It’s a celebration of our individuals and group within the US. It says that we, like another group of individuals, have the fitting to pursue the American Dream and contribute to our society and nice nation,” he mentioned.
Find out how to Begin Snacking
Yow will discover Marco and Rip’s low-sugar snacks among the many number of treats in our Considerate Snack Packing containers all month lengthy, or organize them by the case. Shopping for a case is a good way to assist Rip Van and share their snacks along with your crew once you have fun Hispanic Heritage Month. Cross them out whilst you hearken to a Hispanic speaker or talk about a e-book by a Hispanic writer. Nonetheless you have fun, sharing Rip Van’s story will make it much more significant.
Need to attempt Rip Van’s snacks?
We have you lined.
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