Funky Mello marshmallow creme soars with aquafaba

CPG founders, especially rookies, don’t always know when they’re heading in the wrong direction. When your vegan gourmet, allergen-free Rice Krispies treat-on-a-stick falls off and slumps to the ground within minutes of being served, it’s obvious that something isn’t right. But accepting an invitation from Sprouts to launch a novel plant-based marshmallow creme across the country for the holidays? That’s an opportunity any emerging brand would jump on, right?

It turned out to be a big mistake for Funky Mello, co-founder Delisa Harper says.

“Don’t grow too fast,”, says Harper, who with husband Zach, created the first refrigerated, plant-based marshmallow creme, Funky Mello. Made from upcycled aquafaba, the leftover brine from cooked chickpeas, the boldly branded tiny tubs are packed with whipped gooey goodness—and none of the top eight allergens. Fluffy flavors include Vanilla, Hazelnut, Cookie and Vanilla Chai. Ideal for vegan fluffernutter sammies and fruit toppings, the cremes also make scrumptious coffee stir-ins. When Funky Mello dissolves, it creates a froth on top: instant latte.

“If I could do it all again, I’d push the Sprouts launch a year,” says Delisa, who counts the chaotic nationwide holiday launch as the fledgling company’s biggest mistake so far. At the time, in 2022, Funky Mello was selling well in seven local Whole Foods around hometown Austin, Texas. “And it was very manageable,” she says. But scaling up so quickly became a logistical nightmare: big distributors, big distributors’ fees, freight companies, middlemen and margins melting away like a marshmallow over a campfire. “Your eyeballs get big very early, especially when you have a really good product and you are an attractive brand, and you're new, and you're fun and you're hip, and so it's easy to say yes, because you think you might miss out on an opportunity,” she says.

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From the experience, they learned to “always think about your strategy and how you want to grow sustainably,” Delisa says.

Funky EDM brought them together

The seeds of that growth were sown just a few months after Delisa and Zach met to the funky soundtrack of an electronic dance music festival. They shared a love of good beats—and good eats. But the two foodies faced challenges. Zach is allergic to corn and peanuts. Delisa is lactose intolerant and gluten sensitive. Craving sweet desserts they couldn’t find in forms they could enjoy, the two started experimenting in the kitchen.

The couple knew next to nothing about aquafaba, apart from having heard of its use in vegan and dairy-free foods as an egg-white substitute in baking items or whipped to top drinks. But their scrolling through Pinterest recipes inspired more experimentation.

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“We were looking for a very classic treat, something very nostalgic and fun,” Delisa says, “because a lot of time people who have allergies don’t get to experience them.”

They developed gourmet flavors of vegan, allergen-free Rice Krispies treats-on-a-stick and, six months after they met, began selling them as a hobby as Krispy Pops at farmers markets, where people loved them.

There was, however, that impossible-to-ignore issue: “It just didn’t stay on the stick. It was really just sad to watch,” she says.

As they developed flavors like strawberry champagne and white chocolate, they also worked on creating a marshmallow fluff-type product. As more Rice Krispies treats hit the floor, their interest in the creme  grew and they pivoted to pursuing the perfect vegan incarnation of a product traditionally made from pig and cow collagen.

At least 20 blender whisk attachments died in a mangled mess in their quest for the fluffiest creme .

“Production is forever a live-and-learn situation, especially when you’re a product that hasn’t been done before,” says Delisa. “There is no playbook. We had to learn everything from the ground up.” They learned to keep five extra whisk attachments on hand for every session. They named their product Funky Mello, a perfect name of a brand born from their shared love of beats and eats.

“It’s not just a product, it’s a vibe,” she says, which was obvious as the couple danced through demos in brightly branded merch, grooving to contagious club music. The two focused lessons learned from their previous careers on their new venture. Delisa, who has an MBA, worked in corporate events. Zach worked in pharmaceutical sales.

The Harpers dove into two accelerator programs, SKU and Impact Ventures. On Shark Tank, they got exactly what they asked for: $50,000 for 15% equity in the company. Ubiquitous Texas grocery chain H-E-B picked up the brand. Whole Foods Market offered it in 20 stores.

Funky Mello debuted at seven Whole Foods Market locations around Austin, Texas, in 2022.

Fun tastes with clean ingredients

Funky Mello’s on a three-pronged mission. “We want to replace the toxic snacks we grew up on and make sure this generation has tasty and clean dips, desserts and snacks,” says Delisa. They’re helping the planet and minimizing food waste by using upcycled aquafaba. And, they’re fighting food insecurity by giving a portion of profits to a nonprofit that helps hungry kids.

The company recently launched a line of Dippsterz, segmented snack packs that nod to 1990s Dunkaroos nolstagia. Flavors include Dulce de Leche, with pretzels and caramel marshmallow creme; Caramel Apple, with apple chips and caramel marshmallow creme ; and Tropical, with plantains and mango marshmallow creme. They all are plant based, top 14 allergen free, nut free, soy free, dairy free and gluten friendly.

Delisa and Zach also are working on a new cake jar grab-and-go dessert product as they expand online sales.

Funky Mello gets a kick at Newtopia Now

The couple exhibited at the inaugural Newtopia Now event in Denver. “The way the event was laid out to have more intimate moments with the buyers, was really spot on,” Delisa says. “We were able to have really good conversations. We also got some great leads we’re still talking through to see what pans out.” She appreciated the event’s inclusivity of new and emerging brands. “This show painted all the brands in a great light on a level playing field. When you go to Expo West, it’s a huge show and amazing, but you can definitely tell who has the big budget!”

The New Hope Network content team chose Funky Mello as one of four exhibiting brands that will enter the 2025 NEXTY Awards competition as a finalist. The Awards will be presented at Natural Products Expo West in March.

Juggling so much with such tight bandwidth, the couple hadn’t even considered applying for the awards until possibly next year. Being selected “was incredible. We’re forever grateful you found us and chose us,” says Delisa, adding, “That was the best cherry on top that I could have ever thought of!”