DIRTY GUT
Babson College
Industry: Food & Beverage
Founding Student Name(s): Daniel Berlin
Brief Description of Solution: DIRTY GUT is on a mission to be the world’s healthiest chocolate company. Our delicious chocolate has more fiber, less sugar, and billions of live probiotics.
Funding Dollars: $200k
What led you to launch this venture? I grew up overweight and addicted to sweets. Eight years ago, I decided to get in shape and spent that summer losing forty pounds. This weight loss journey completely changed the trajectory of my life and helped me develop a burning passion for healthy living. Then, a year-and-a-half ago, after learning about the innate health benefits of cacao, I searched online for a healthier chocolate and realized nothing existed. The chocolate our great-grandparents bought 100 years ago is the same we buy today: cacao, highly processed cane sugar, and a slurry of unnecessary additives. I started DIRTY GUT to bridge the gap between delicious chocolate and a healthy life. I wanted to prove that the foods we crave most don’t have to be the foods that hurt us.
What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? Our biggest accomplishment has been our success in retail stores since launching in April. We currently sit in 13 stores around Boston and 53 stores in Northern California, with some much larger national launches planned for 2026. More important than the store count, DIRTY GUT has been selling at above-average sales velocities.
How has your business-related major helped you further this startup venture? From the moment I stepped foot into a Babson classroom, I felt like I was being prepared for the startup world. In my first year, I learned accounting and foundational principles of business law, and even started a real business as part of the Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship course. Besides the in-class curriculum, Babson’s business professors have advised me in challenging situations and helped me develop skills that can only be learned on the job. I owe a lot of my success so far to professors like Brad Johnson, Vini Onyemah, and Len Green.
Which business class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? While it is tough to pinpoint one course—Professional Sales Practicum taught by Professor Vini Onyemah was incredibly valuable. I was paired up in an entry-level sales role with David Marks, Babson class of ’75 and CEO of Medtrition. Coincidentally, I took this course at the same time I was launching DIRTY GUT in the Spring of 2025, a time in which I was trying to sell our chocolate online and into retail stores. David and his team taught me how to sell. The biggest lesson I learned from David is that selling is not about getting someone to buy your product, but about solving real problems and building deep, lasting relationships. I’ve carried that lesson through to every part of DIRTY GUT, from the way I approach retail store buyers, to calling customers, to building a community on social media.
What business professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Professor Brad Johnson has tremendously supported my success with DIRTY GUT. He taught me how to build a financial model and forecast production, helped me navigate tough situations with suppliers, showed me how to make a winning pitch deck, and has been an amazing advisor whenever I need help. If I have a problem, Professor Johnson has sound advice or someone with whom he can connect.
What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? Mike Repole inspired me. It was not because of his success, but because of how he approached building brands in categories dominated by legacy giants. With Vitaminwater and Bodyarmor, he proved that you can take on incumbents by deeply understanding the consumer, telling a culturally resonant story, and refusing to accept that “the category is already decided.” I see many parallels in the chocolate industry. His story motivated me because it proved that it does not matter what you know now, but how much discipline you have to never give up short of your goals. I had the opportunity to meet Mike during his visit to Babson last Spring, and I left wanting to run through a brick wall. My favorite quote was, “Think big, dream bigger.”
What is your long-term goal with your startup? My long-term goal with my startup is to take on Hershey’s. I want to be the modern chocolate brand that brings health and your gut back to the chocolate aisle. I envision walking into any grocery store in America and seeing our bars or bites line the shelves and having a direct impact on the lives of millions of people. Nearly 40% of Americans suffer from digestive issues. While chocolate won’t fix everything, I hope that DIRTY GUT can be a great first step in giving people a healthy treat with the delicious taste they deserve.
How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? The Boston startup ecosystem has been incredibly welcoming. First, local retail stores like Volante Farms (owned by a Babson alum) took a chance on me to become my first retail customers. Their willingness to work with DIRTY GUT gave us the credibility needed to go to more stores. Through Babson’s programming and CPG industry-focused events in Boston, I have met a plethora of other Founders who have advised me, made fruitful connections with other industry members, and even invested in me to support my success. The great thing about Boston’s startup ecosystem, from my perspective, is that it is very friendly – not competitive. I feel like everyone I meet wants to see me succeed, even those in competitive businesses.
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