E1: Show me the wheatgrass! (Setting the stage)

Brian Hill: 0:05

This all stemmed from a personal desire for me to Hello, everyone. You're listening to making Mako,

Russell Hirshon: 0:27

Lucky me. Lucky, lucky me. And I'm Russell Hirshon.

Brian Hill: 0:32

And we're your hosts. In this episode, we will All right, Russ, since this is our first episode, I figure we over into startup and I've been in that field for probably what of things that I experienced along the way in different tricked you to join me on this this journey.

Russell Hirshon: 1:59

Lucky, lucky me, lucky, lucky me. It was it nights for many of the early years, until I realized I just then one day you brought me some samples, as well. It's also

Brian Hill: 3:13

It is crazy to think back and we're like, Okay, that

Russell Hirshon: 3:23

and strangely. I remember that well. Yeah, it's out. And I got to interface with you. And it was memorable. And

Brian Hill: 4:00

Yeah, which happened to be in a bar that you had just

Russell Hirshon: 4:10

But yeah, it was it's one of those moments one, and it certainly set the bar. And thankfully, leading

Brian Hill: 4:57

Well, at the same time and your marketing mind has

Russell Hirshon: 5:15

Well, that's, that's what makes us adventure go when you find someone with a numerous experience in, in

Brian Hill: 5:53

Absolutely. Well, let's, let's move on from the Mate, I use a tea within our first line, which is our juices, as well as Agave organic certified, it's a delicious, we're just gonna set the stage and bring you on that journey

Russell Hirshon: 6:58

I am, I am ready and rearing.

Brian Hill: 7:03

So as I had mentioned, this, this has been a incredible advisory network, which has really I would say

Russell Hirshon: 7:39

Yeah, and I would just say the advisory the any issues that could have popped up, I think I think they

Brian Hill: 8:07

Without a doubt without a doubt. And we're given given our product attributes, we've decided that decided that we're going to primarily target natural from me in to essentially a pitch competition for new items. I have to involve a few other people. But we're giving it to into, I would say almost national coverage in the natural and and some other great ones are almost exclusive to UNFI. So

Russell Hirshon: 10:41

prior to this amazing structure of

Brian Hill: 11:04

Well, that was six months all the way up until I

Russell Hirshon: 11:12

Yeah, there's still a couple stores that but loading up cars, in all sorts of weather, we're accepting ability to get into stores without having to physically

Brian Hill: 11:55

Yeah. But there's real, there's pros and cons to from the beginning. Yeah, absolutely. The the self yeah, there's a lot that we can dig into.

Russell Hirshon: 12:37

They would pick up your cans and say, give an dumbfounded, like, explain to me what again, wheatgrass. They

Brian Hill: 13:09

Yeah. And we're lucky because we do have a you in their own words how they want to be approached with a new

Russell Hirshon: 13:29

what they thought when one or both of us

Brian Hill: 13:33

yeah, I'm sure they're like, Oh, no. But

Russell Hirshon: 13:43

Another product vendor coming in,

Brian Hill: 13:45

built building on the story of like where we are is there's indicators that traction is occurring. We averages in most cases, MAKA is three to four times the category killer sampling program.

Russell Hirshon: 14:50

It's in store support as well, like the

Brian Hill: 14:56

Yeah. And that's part of the sampling program because typically you're outsourcing the sampling to a after after one and be like, I just sold 140 cans. So like that

Russell Hirshon: 15:38

very fortunate scenario. Again, it goes back to function and being energized with a trending category into look up and surprise and go, Wow, I didn't expect that. And

Brian Hill: 16:48

Yeah, it but this comes down to formulation, potential hiccups and headaches early on, just through the

Russell Hirshon: 17:26

you know, the irony is, is if you were looking Certainly someone who likely would have had been in the for someone like myself. And to the point, the irony of, of this

Brian Hill: 18:31

Yep

Russell Hirshon: 18:32

like, no problems, no barriers to

Brian Hill: 18:50

But our life experiences I think actually set

Russell Hirshon: 18:55

I would, I would say that's ironic. It's Individuals I typically associate with so it's just we

Brian Hill: 19:25

I do I probably should thank my wife for for I'm happy to share this because I do think it enhances people's

Russell Hirshon: 19:54

You've got me curious now because when you say that it was every conversation we had, it was an aspect of the inconvenient, and expensive. And I'm like, I'm not that healthy. any startup, if you're if you're doing it, this is what it takes.

Brian Hill: 21:19

entrepreneurship looks beautiful and sexy from

Russell Hirshon: 21:30

emotional, yeah. emotional commitment. And And I think we've talked about this that this journey is, is an positively will occur.

Brian Hill: 22:14

Yeah, yeah. And that's important. It's how you, is a long term issue that short term, just figure out how to get

Russell Hirshon: 22:41

I think I think anyone would say you have to still have things that aren't resolving. But actively, we're

Brian Hill: 23:07

these are all things we're going to dig into deeper. And because of that, we've been able to pick up important it's going to be very difficult to build that traction, the picked up some amazing accounts out there. Erewhon, Bristol Fredericksburg Co Op. That's that's a funny story that we'll Coast if you can't do that, do not try to launch two coasts, it actually the Midwest. Plum market, we just we launched a launching wild by nature in New York, another phenomenal working with the cooperatives. And there's two main ones to that have come together, they account for 550 Plus stores approximately it accounting for just over 200 to 220 stores. And though, because you have to go pretty much store by store.

Russell Hirshon: 26:57

I'd add that the stores the employees that

Brian Hill: 27:14

Yeah

Russell Hirshon: 27:15

yeah, some of the larger stores are kind of short distance. And with Dawson's It was exactly that

Brian Hill: 27:52

they are incredibly passionate, they are strong us launch in the market and will continue to continue to be I Our mission here at MAKA is wheatgrass for all one can at a Okay we are back and quickly running out of time. So we're because of that, but what we're doing is we're building a very

Russell Hirshon: 29:11

I've had I've had people literally start auspicious level of effort to to single handedly for the first created, it tastes amazing. And you're the happiest you've ever what the future holds. But we have this gut feeling that they say, um, I feel different, I'm happier, I feel better. And it requires the support of stores that requires customers feel emotionally compelled by a beverage or a story. I just I which is incredibly important will be crucial to our success

Brian Hill: 31:55

I can tell you that, that I have shed a tear or two,

Russell Hirshon: 32:05

Right? Right. It's even, I gotta tell you, you know, you guys are onto something, and I'm so glad to two people on a very, very lean budget.

Brian Hill: 32:50

That's, that's for sure, it will definitely share entrepreneurship in general, you just have to have good practices this, like I'm gonna make a lot of money. No, you need to really

Russell Hirshon: 33:29

Yeah, it just, it just can't be it found a way part and parcel. But you need to have an absolute passion and be

Brian Hill: 34:00

So over the over the next several episodes, you can into our business. So we're inviting you as a listener

Russell Hirshon: 34:34

and join us on our adventure.

Brian Hill: 34:36

Also along the way, what we're going to do is learn different things and different tactics from them that That brings us to the end of this episode of making MAKA. If listening platform. On behalf of MAKA, thank you for joining us on this journey.