Dinos Stamoulis is the Co-founder and Chief of Awesomeness at Paleonola, a company dedicated to crafting delicious grain-free products made from real food ingredients. Under Dinos' leadership, Paleonola has grown from a local Rhode Island farmers market favorite into a nationwide brand and pioneer in the grain-free movement, maintaining its original values for over 14 years. He is passionate about helping consumers rediscover the power of real food and often shares insights on entrepreneurship and marketing with other founders in the food space.

In this episode…

Food trends come and go, but every now and then, a conversation cuts through the noise and gets back to what actually matters. When labels get louder and ingredients get stranger, how do you decide what "real food" really means and who's willing to stand by it?

For Dinos Stamoulis, the answer is simple: real food should stay real. Drawing from his experience as an early pioneer in grain-free eating, Dinos explains that you don't need labs, shortcuts, or trend chasing to make something great. He points to the discipline of saying no — no to diluted ingredients, no to fast growth at the expense of integrity — as the reason trust compounds over time. That mindset doesn't just shape products; it builds brands people believe in.

On this episode of the Firebelly Social Show, Duncan Alney is joined by Dinos Stamoulis, Co-founder and Chief of Awesomeness at Paleonola, to discuss building a grain-free brand rooted in real ingredients and real values. They unpack what it's like to launch before a trend exists, why educating consumers matters as much as selling, and how staying focused protects a brand's soul. Dinos also gives advice on avoiding trend chasing and making long-term decisions that actually last.