Nilou Shahryari: From farmers market to nationwide brand

After being laid off during the pandemic, San Diego State University alumna and San Diego native Nilou Shahryari (‘17) decided to follow her passion to become an entrepreneur.

After meeting fellow Aztec alumnus Jason Weilenmann (‘15), the pair wanted to help transform the breakfast space and experimented with combining oats and protein powder. Unimpressed with the taste, the pair spent time researching, taste-testing, and trying out different flavor profiles for what would soon become an overnight oat recipe.

With no funding, Shahryari and Weilenmann built the concept of this product from scratch all by themselves. What started as a theoretical marketing project soon became ONO Protein Oats, a delicious, high-protein, and convenient overnight oats breakfast.

After choosing the name, logo, color scheme, and packaging, all that was left was launching their website. Once they launched online and actual invoices began coming in, Shahryari realized this idea was gaining real traction.

"It was the first wait-a-minute moment like maybe this could be something bigger,” said Shahryari. “The resume gap filler ended up being my next career move into a full-time entrepreneur.”

An entrepreneurial foundation she built during her time at SDSU.

SDSU was the foundation

Becoming an entrepreneur was something that was always in the back of Shahryari’s mind, but it didn’t seem attainable as a young girl. Attending SDSU and studying marketing, Shahryari became involved in organizations that would help broaden her business network.

“What I really enjoyed about the American Marketing Association was getting to hear firsthand from people working in all different aspects of business weekly, helping me guide where I wanted to land after graduation.”

As her passion for business developed and her skillset grew, Shahryari leaned into her entrepreneurial spirit, launching a French macarons business called MacBar to sell at the SDSU Farmers Market.

As fun as the side quest was, she was still unsure how a full-time career in the food space would work for her. So, after graduating in 2017 with her Bachelor’s in Marketing, Shahryari went to work for NBC Universal in a more corporate role.

“I felt like I was applying my studies from SDSU but eventually realized I was in an industry I was not very passionate about,” said Shahryari.

Shahryari wanted to find a role where she could apply the skills and knowledge she gained from SDSU in a way that combined her love for creativity, food, and growth. That is when she landed her next role at Halo Top Creamery.

“This was a job out of my dreams,” said Shahryari. “I was working at a hyper-growth food company that was growing because of its phenomenal marketing. I worked in their international sector and was surrounded by brilliant minds.”

However, in 2020, Shahryari would find herself out of a job due to Halo Top's acquisition amid a global pandemic. Leaning on the marketing and entrepreneurial skills she had learned at SDSU, Shahryari overcame these challenges and followed her heart to create something truly special: ONO Protein Oats.

Unreal flavors, unreal convenience

Officially launching ONO Protein Oats with her co-founder Weilenmann in 2020 was just the beginning. The small company has now evolved into a brand that can be seen in select stores nationwide.

But with any company come unexpected struggles and challenges. For Shahryari, who had only worked in the food space for a year prior, every aspect of operations, supply chain, and sales was new to her.

“The lack of experience and knowledge was a challenge, but I never let it be a roadblock,” said Shahryari. “I've always had the mindset that if I don't know how to do it, I can find someone to help guide me.”

By leaning into her networking and social media skills, Shahryari has been able to build relationships with brokers and market her brand more organically.

Inspired by nostalgia, Shahryari says some of the oats' flavors are a fun play on some of people’s favorite snacks from childhood. With cinnamon oat crunch, cereal milk, mocha chip, blueberry muffin, and cookies and cream, there is something for everyone.

Available on Amazon, the Vitamin Shoppe, and now select Costcos, Shahryari hopes that over time, ONO will be in the breakfast aisle of all major stores. With their recent expansion into Costco, Shahryari had the opportunity to bring the people who mean the most to her to see her product in the well-known store: her parents.

“I have so much respect for them, and to be able to do anything to make them proud and somewhat make their struggles back then worthwhile is so special,” said Shahryari.

The video of Shahryari with her parents seeing her product on the shelves went viral on TikTok with over 3.2 million views and may have brought ONO some new customers and promotion, but for Shahryari, the best part was reading the sweet comments with her parents.

Growth never stops

In 2023, that joke became a reality. Shahryari and co-founder Weilenmann were named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the food and drink category, a massive moment of validation for the pair.

“It reminded me that growth never stops. No matter how big the goal, once you reach it, there’s always another horizon to chase.”

Shahryari remains involved with SDSU by giving back to the place that helped shape her career. For the past three years, ONO has offered an internship class at SDSU, where students can act as brand ambassadors and gain experience in marketing, sales, operations, and more.

As a proud Aztec, Shahryari hopes to inspire any young women out there who may have that entrepreneurial spirit, just like she did as a student. Her advice is to never let that go.

"The answer to every question you don't ask is no,” said Shahryari. “Being pleasantly persistent has led me to some of my best accomplishments and continues to be my guiding philosophy.”