'Hardbite potato chips' picks up 350.000 CAD capital in Canadian TV show Dragon's Den

Could specialty potato chips—with roots in Ladner—snag the interest of wealthy Canadian business moguls?

Sepp Amsler was willing to find out—amid the glare of national television.

He pitched his Maple Ridge-based business, Hardbite Potato Chips, to an experienced and skeptical panel of experts on the CBC show Dragons’ Den. The “dragons” critique about eight business pitches an episode, and few entrepreneurs are fortunate to get the investments they came for cap in hand.

Dragons Robert Herjavec (who started the multi-million dollar technology company BRAK systems) and Jim Treliving (founder of Boston Pizza) offered $350,000 for 50 per cent of the company.

The thought of giving up such a large chunk of his company left Amsler looking shocked, but he decided to take the offer.