Naman Shrestha
Given her love for olive-eating, Nikki Seaman, the CEO and Founder of Freestyle Snacks, has been operating the brand, which makes flavorful olives. In order to get a deal or partnership with the Sharks, she presented her company to them in the fifth episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 17. She also explained the story of how it came to be and her future plans regarding the same, hoping that at least one of the Sharks would join and take Freestyle Snacks to another level.
Freestyle Snacks: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Before establishing Freestyle Snacks, Nikki Seaman had several years of corporate experience after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics. In July 2014, she co-founded Freshmen15, where she continues to work. In 2017, for a few months, she interned as a Brand and Innovation Finance Analyst at PepsiCo. For the next three years, Nikki was employed at Bain & Company as a Senior Associate Consultant. In May 2020, she also became the Manager of Special Projects at Whisps until March 2021.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone inside, that’s when Nikki got the idea to establish Freestyle Snacks. After trying out a few canned and jarred olive options, she was disappointed that none of them lived up to the type of experience one finds at a restaurant. On top of that, she also found the experience to be inconvenient because of the brine spilling here and there and the jar being too narrow. She explained in an interview with Entrepreneur, stating, “I found inspiration during the pandemic, as olive bars in grocery stores shut down, and I was forced to get my olive fix from the traditional olive aisle. The “eyeballs” in a jar just weren’t cutting it for me in terms of quality and convenience. So I decided to create an easier, more enjoyable way to eat olives.”
Being an avid olive eater at the time, Nikki founded Freestyle Snacks in January 2022. During a conversation with LetsHighlight, she explained, “We are an olive snack product. We reimagine olives as we know them to bring together high-quality, marinated, delicious olives from Greece with convenient liquid-free packaging.” In the initial stages, she ran several surveys to ensure that there was enough demand for the product. For that, she stood in the olive aisle at grocery stores and interviewed hundreds of olive-lovers. “After calling over 200 co-packers, I was able to find a partner to bring my vision for Freestyle Snacks to life. Including our packaging design, materials and first production run, I spent around $50,000 in savings to get to market,” she revealed.
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Freestyle Snacks: Where Are They Now?
Freestyle Snacks lives up to its name as it comes in a wide variety of unique flavors, including Classic Dill Pickle Chips, Garlic Dill Mini Pickles, Kickin’ Picks Pickle Chips, and Mediterranean Herb Medley. Meanwhile, there are also multiple olive-based snacks, such as Green Olives – Hot & Spicy, Green Olives – Lemon Garlic, Original Green Olives, and Kalamata Olives – EVOO. The products are priced between $24 and $30. All these products are available for purchase on the company’s official website, where you can also buy merchandise and snacking accessories like Olive Sweatshirt, On The Go Dirty Martini Kit, and Cocktail Stirrers. First-time buyers receive a 15% discount on their first order.
When asked where Freestyle Snacks are available, Nikki said, “I would say the best place to find our products would be our website or on Amazon as well. Also, on our Shopify site, you can sign up to purchase through our text channel, which will give you an initial discount as well.” When it comes to retailers, you can find them in more than 5,000 stores across the nation, like Central Market in Texas, The Fresh Market, Market District, Erewhon in California, CVS, Target, Hyvee, Fresh Thyme Market, Schnucks, Harris Teeter, Market Street, and Whole Foods Market. Given the impact of Freestyle Snacks on the market, it has been featured on Nosh, Forbes, Foot Network, The Beet, The Quality Edit, and Southern Living.
In December 2024, Nikki Seaman, the founder of Freestyle Snacks, was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Food & Drink for 2025. At the Harris Teeter store, Freestyle Snacks ran a Buy One Get One Free special offer between September and October 2025. In late September, they also hosted a pickle party at a Whole Foods store, where they served their snacks to potential future customers. The brand also frequently collaborates with other food brands, such as Poco Bero, BEZI, and more.
