Tantos! Update | Shark Tank Season 17
Chef Joe Sasto was preparing to open his own restaurant in 2019 when COVID hit, leaving him out of work but still passionate about sharing his love for pasta. Around the same time, Sean Knecht was struggling to make pasta at home and reached out to Joe online. Together, they turned their shared frustration into Tantos!, a puffed pasta chip that lets anyone enjoy real Italian flavor anywhere, no fork required. Will the sharks bite on this crispy idea? Let’s find out in our Tantos! update and pitch recap.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Tantos! after
Sean and Joe entered
In terms of a Tantos! update, the company leveraged its
| Shark | Result |
| Daymond John | No offer |
| Kevin O’Leary | No offer |
| Lori Greiner | No offer |
| Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
| Daniel Lubetzky | No offer |
Shark Tank Tantos! Pitch
- Entrepreneurs: Sean Knecht and Joe Sasto
- Business: Snackable Pasta Chips
- Ask: $150,000 for 10% equity
- Result: No deal
- Shark: None
Sean and Chef Joe (a.k.a. Moustache Joe) introduced their product as the world’s first puffed pasta chip. Their idea was simple. They turned pasta into something you can crunch on the go without the usual mess.
Chef Joe told the sharks he spent over a decade in Michelin-star kitchens before finding his niche in pasta. He said the goal was to take the soul of Italian cooking and make it snackable for everyone.
They have four different flavors: Cacio e Pepe, Marinara, Alfredo, and Spicy Arrabbiata.
Barbara Corcoran said it tasted just like real pasta. Daniel Lubetzky liked the Marinara flavor best, while Lori Greiner compared the texture to a popped chip.
Sean explained that they were building a new category in the salty snack aisle. “No forks, no mess, just pasta flavor in every bite,” he said.
Daymond John asked why it mattered that the chips were made from pasta. Joe replied that it tied back to his background as a chef. He said he wanted to bring something authentic and familiar to a space dominated by potato and corn snacks.
Daniel then shared a story about his own failed pasta chip business from the 1990s, saying shipping costs had destroyed it. (This story created a sense of caution in the room among the sharks.)
Daymond wants to know how Tantos! could compete against snack giants like Frito-Lay and Pepsi. Sean said the product had already gained traction. Tantos! was in 1,000 retail stores, with two major regional chains set to launch next month.
Kevin O’Leary asked if they had met with Kroger. Sean said yes, adding that Kroger even wanted to create a white-label version. Daniel then asked what made Tantos! different from other chips nutritionally.
Joe explained that the product was plant-based, Whole Foods compliant, and packed with two to three grams of protein per serving. Each bag had 130 calories, lower than many other chips.
The sharks agreed it tasted great. However, Kevin reminded them that snacks are one of the hardest categories to break into.
When asked about margins, Sean said a four-ounce bag costs $1.24 to make, wholesales at $2.73, and retails at $4.99. In their first year, they did $500,000 in sales, with $54,000 in profit, and year-to-date in 2025, they were already at $300,000.
Barbara congratulated them on their growth but asked why they needed a shark. Sean said it was about acceleration. “We know the big brands could copy us, so we need to move fast,” he said.
Daniel liked the team but passed, admitting he had “pasta chip trauma.” Kevin also dropped out, saying that the category was too risky.
Barbara followed, citing her investment in Pipcorn as a conflict of interest. Daymond said he admired their hustle but believed the competition was too heavy.
Lori was torn but eventually stepped back too, saying the market was crowded (although we believe Daniel’s repeated references to his past failure played a big part in her decision to sit this one out, especially after Daymond called him out for it).
Unfortunately, Sean and Joe had to leave without any offer. On the bright side, after the post-pitch interview, we could see they were still upbeat. Sean said, “They loved it. This space is tough, but so are we.”
Let’s get a Tantos! update to see what happened after
Shark Tank Tantos! Update
Despite not receiving a deal on the show, Sean and “Moustache Joe” wasted no time taking advantage of their
Our Tantos! update found that shortly after airing, they launched a nationwide
As part of that push, they introduced a new Starter Pack priced at $23.92, featuring 8–12 bag bundles across four signature flavors — Marinara, Cacio e Pepe, Pesto, and Classico.
Our Tantos! update found they’ve also expanded retail availability, with Tantos! chips now listed on Amazon, stocked in select grocery chains, and open for wholesale orders directly through their website.
If you’d like to order their variety pack, you can buy directly from the Tantos! website.
We’ll be keeping an eye on how the guys continue to scale their retail footprint and online growth. We’ll share more progress when we have it in our next Tantos! update.
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Marvin Uzor
Marvin Uzor is a content contributor for Shark Tank Recap. He specializes in crafting engaging, well-researched content that delve into the latest Shark Tank stories, keeping readers hooked. He has a soft spot for his favorite Shark Tank companies, Bombas and Doorbot, known for their innovation and impact.