Brian Goldberg - Co-founder, Mr. Bing Chili Crisp. Tracked across 36 mentions in podcasts and expert conversations analyzed by Sonic.

Brian Goldberg

Co-founder and spokesperson for Mr. Bing Foods / Mr. Bing Chili Crisp

Claims

As speaker

Mentioned in

Key positions and views

The U.S. food service channel is the primary driver for establishing chili crisp as a mainstream condiment and is the key to the company's claimed market leadership.

Product adaptation for the American palate, such as creating a popular mild version and versatile BBQ sauces, is essential for mass-market adoption beyond niche Asian food aisles.

Strategic partnerships with established food industry leaders like Kikkoman and Hormel are a critical lever for innovation, scale, and penetrating major restaurant chains.

Domestic U.S. manufacturing is a core operational advantage that insulates the company from tariff issues and ensures supply chain stability.

A diversified, multi-channel approach—simultaneously growing in food service, retail, and e-commerce—is the foundation for building a profitable and resilient business.

Timeline

Late 1990s

The concept for Mr. Bing originates from the co-founders' experience with Jianbing street food while studying abroad in Beijing, China [33].

c. 2010 - 2020

The founders operate jianbing food trucks in Hong Kong and New York for nearly a decade, developing the sauces that would become the basis for the CPG product line [7].

Pre-Pandemic

The company focuses on B2B food service, operating pop-ups in corporate cafeterias for clients like Goldman Sachs and Google, in partnership with providers such as Compass and Aramark [25].

Post-Pandemic

The company capitalizes on a 700% growth in 'chili crisp' menu mentions, expanding aggressively into retail and food service channels with its packaged sauces [9, 35].

Present

Goldberg reports that the company is profitable, operates at a $12 million annual run rate, and has achieved significant market penetration with distribution in over 10,000 retail stores and a leadership position in the food service sector [3, 16, 14, 15].

Podcast consensus on Goldberg

Points of consensus

▶Both sources confirm that Mr. Bing Foods is operating at an approximate $12 million annual revenue run rate and is a profitable company.May 2026

▶Both sources state that the company's products are available in over 10,000 retail locations nationwide, with the barbecue sauce line specifically in over 2,500 locations.May 2026

▶Goldberg consistently claims in both appearances that Mr. Bing is the leading chili crisp brand in the U.S. food service sector, which accounts for nearly 50% of the company's revenue.May 2026

▶Both sources highlight strategic partnerships with major food companies, specifically mentioning collaborations with Kikkoman on a hoisin sauce and with Hormel to develop concepts for restaurant chains.May 2026

Points of debate

▶The company's origin story is framed slightly differently across sources. One mentions the founders sold jianbing from food trucks in Hong Kong and New York for nearly 10 years [7], while the other traces the origin to the co-founders studying abroad in Beijing in the late 1990s [33].May 2026

▶There is a minor inconsistency in the company's name used by the speaker, referring to it as 'Mr. Bing Foods' in the Bloomberg podcast [1-18] and 'Mr. Bing Chili Crisp' in the other appearance [19-35], suggesting a possible branding evolution or differing emphasis.May 2026

▶The Bloomberg source explicitly notes that the 'squeezable' Asian barbecue sauces are the 'fastest-growing product category' [4], a specific detail not mentioned in the other source, which focuses more broadly on the overall business segments.May 2026

▶While both sources mention pre-pandemic corporate clients, the Bloomberg source provides a more detailed list, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, and LinkedIn, and names the food service partners as Compass, Aramark, and Sodexo [Quote], whereas the other source is slightly less specific [34].May 2026

Key themes

▶Food Service as a Strategic MoatMay 2026

Brian Goldberg emphasizes that the food service channel is the cornerstone of Mr. Bing's strategy, accounting for nearly 50% of revenue and establishing the brand as the claimed leader in the U.S. market. This B2B focus involves direct collaboration with chefs and large corporate clients, which drives both volume and brand visibility.

By entrenching its product in professional kitchens and on menus nationwide, Mr. Bing creates a powerful marketing flywheel where consumers first experience the product in a restaurant, subsequently driving demand in the retail channel.

▶Market-Driven Product InnovationMay 2026

The evolution of Mr. Bing's product line is consistently portrayed as a direct response to market needs. This includes reformulating chili crisp for a broader American palate by incorporating Mexican and Korean flavors, and developing squeezable barbecue sauces after a pizza chain requested a stickier, more easily applicable product.

The company's growth is not just from riding the chili crisp trend, but from its agility in adapting its core product into new formats that solve practical problems for food service clients, thereby opening new revenue streams.

▶Leveraging Strategic Partnerships for ScaleMay 2026

Goldberg details a strategy of partnering with established food industry giants to accelerate growth and innovation. Collaborations with Kikkoman for co-branded sauces and Hormel for integrating products into concepts for major restaurant chains demonstrate a sophisticated approach to scaling the business.

These partnerships grant Mr. Bing credibility and access to distribution and R&D capabilities far beyond what a company of its size could achieve alone, positioning it as an innovation partner rather than just a supplier.

▶Building a Diversified, Profitable CPG BrandMay 2026

Goldberg consistently reports that the company is profitable with a $12 million revenue run rate, attributing this to a balanced, multi-channel business model. The company experiences growth across food service, retail (in over 10,000 stores), and e-commerce, with all products manufactured domestically in the U.S.

The company's profitability at this stage suggests disciplined operational management and a successful strategy of balancing high-volume food service contracts with higher-margin retail sales, de-risking its reliance on any single channel.

Source episodes

Suggested prompts

How does Mr. Bing's B2B food service strategy create a competitive moat against other chili crisp brands in the retail sector? &nearr;What are the key risks associated with Mr. Bing's reliance on chili crisp for 85% of its sales, despite the growth of its barbecue sauce line? &nearr;How do partnerships with established giants like Kikkoman and Hormel impact Mr. Bing's brand identity and long-term strategic autonomy? &nearr;Given the 700% growth in menu mentions, what is the total addressable market for chili crisp in the U.S. food service industry, and what is Mr. Bing's realistic potential market share? &nearr;

Key concepts

Food Service Strategy 2 ep Retail Distribution & Sales 2 ep Company Financials (Revenue & Profitability) 2 ep Product Development & Innovation 2 ep Corporate Partnerships (Kikkoman, Hormel) 2 ep Chili Crisp Market Trends 2 ep Brand Origin Story 2 ep US Manufacturing 2 ep Product Sales Mix 2 ep

Notable quotes

“We're basically the leading brand in the country in food service Chili Crisp.”

Brian Goldberg · A Taste of Pan-Asian Street Sauces | Bloomberg Businessweek

“we're at about a $12 million run rate right now.”

Brian · Mr. Bing Chili Crisp Aims to Reach Restaurants, Retail

“With Hormel, we work with them with their proteins, like really complementary companies where they'll use it to ideate with the biggest restaurant chains in the country, right, on how to integrate our sauces with their products.”

Brian · Mr. Bing Chili Crisp Aims to Reach Restaurants, Retail

“And that was developed because chefs wanted to squeeze the chili crisp. They wanted to be able to apply it to pizza or to wings more easily. You needed something sticky, like a binder, right? And that, like, Topper's Pizza in Wisconsin was the first one that really did that with us.”

Brian · Mr. Bing Chili Crisp Aims to Reach Restaurants, Retail

Report last updated: Jul 28, 2026

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