TikTok Provides Boost for 100-Year-Old Food and Beverage Manufacturer

Summary

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Bloomberg Businessweek – Episode Summary

Episode: TikTok Provides Boost for 100-Year-Old Food and Beverage Manufacturer
Date: February 25, 2026
Hosts: Carol Massar & Tim Stenovec
Guest: Ken Wagner, President of Gel Cert Company

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Episode Overview

This episode explores how a century-old, family-owned food and beverage manufacturer, Gel Cert Company, is innovating in today's rapidly changing business environment. President Ken Wagner discusses how the company has weathered historic economic cycles, adapted to modern supply chain challenges, and is now leveraging social media—especially TikTok—to drive product innovation and explosive growth in powdered drink mixes and "Water Talk" trends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Company’s Legacy and Current Climate

[03:40] – [05:08]

• Gel Cert Company was founded in 1926 by Ken Wagner’s grandparents in Chicago and is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
• The company has survived through economic upheavals including the Great Depression, multiple wars, recessions, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ken attributes their longevity to adaptability and resilience:

  "It’s made us a tougher company, one that is capable of handling up times and downtimes."
  — Ken Wagner (05:56)

• The company is compiling its family and corporate history as part of its centennial reflection.

Modern Supply Chain Realities

[06:42] – [09:09]

• All Gel Cert products are made domestically in suburban Chicago with a workforce of about 1,400.
• While most supply sources are domestic, key ingredients and packaging elements must be imported, making the company sensitive to global supply chain disruptions and tariff changes, especially after COVID-19.
• Significant cost increases are traced mostly to imported ingredients and some packaging.
• Only real cost increases are passed on to consumers, reflecting a commitment to fair pricing.

 > "The most impactful cost increases that we’ve experienced have been from ingredients, certain ingredients that come from overseas."
 — Ken Wagner (08:11)

• On the latest political developments (e.g., proposed tariffs from President Trump), Ken admits there’s uncertainty and the company is still evaluating future impacts.

 > "There’s such uncertainty right now... I think it’s too early for us to really have any kind of a judgment on this."
 — Ken Wagner (09:09)

Product Evolution and Social Media’s Influence

[09:36] – [13:27]

• The fastest growth area is powdered drink mixes in “singles to go” stick format for water bottles and tumblers—driven by consumer wellness trends and on-the-go convenience.
• Functional enhancements (electrolytes, energy, immunity, protein) are a big driver.
• Major product launches have been influenced directly by TikTok and social media:
  • Example: Licensing and launching Duncan Refreshers (Dunkin' brand), which became Amazon’s #3 powdered soft drink mix within six weeks and one of TikTok Shop’s fastest-growing items.

    "In six weeks of launching that item, it became the number three powdered soft drink mix on all of Amazon and it became TikTok Shops, one of the fastest growing food and beverage items that they have ever seen launched on TikTok Shop."
    — Ken Wagner (11:23)

• The “Water Talk” trend on TikTok (users film their elaborate water recipes using flavoring powders and enhancements) has been a huge growth lever.
• The company’s Wyler's Light brand has released 25 new flavors in just a year, all heavily influenced by social media trends and influencers.

 > "In the past year, we launched 25 new flavors of our Wyler’s Light brand that were all social media influenced... flavors like cotton candy, peach ring, even pickle lemonade."
 — Ken Wagner (12:22)

• The trend away from alcohol among Gen Z has driven demand for mocktail-flavored drink mixes (e.g., Margaritaville, Pina Colada, Margarita) for water.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Resilience Across a Century:

  "We’ve been in this nation for 100 years. It’s 40% of the nation's existence. So we’re very excited about that, very proud of that, proud of our employees and proud of everything we do in the food and beverage space."
  — Ken Wagner (03:57)

• On Supply Chain Disruption:

  "I kind of look at it as a very precision watch—what was the global supply chain... it kind of broke. Cogs got out of line... I think we’re still struggling to put a lot of that back together again."
  — Ken Wagner (06:09)

• TikTok’s Power:

  "The influencers on WaterTalk have just absolutely gone crazy over it."
  — Ken Wagner (13:06)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 03:40 | Introduction to Gel Cert, its history, and legacy | | 05:08 | Historical challenges and how they shaped the company | | 06:42 | Domestic manufacturing, workforce, and supply chain | | 08:05 | Rising costs, tariffs, and passing on costs to consumers | | 09:09 | Response to current political uncertainties/tariffs | | 10:14 | Explosive growth in drink mixes and changing consumer habits | | 11:23 | Duncan Refreshers launch, TikTok/Amazon success | | 12:22 | New flavor development driven by TikTok/WaterTalk | | 13:27 | Episode wrap-up |

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Tone and Language

• Friendly, conversational, and accessible, with practical examples and real-world business insights.
• Ken Wagner provides concrete anecdotes and uses clear, engaging language; hosts guide the discussion informally to keep the focus on business experience and adaptation.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a compelling window into how a traditional manufacturer has not only survived but thrived by leaning into social media and rapidly responding to new consumer trends. Gel Cert’s story illustrates the power of digital platforms like TikTok to revive and reimagine classic product categories, the importance of domestic supply chains, and the enduring value of resilience in American business.

Transcript

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[Carol Massar]

In the meantime, we continue to talk about the Friday decision by the Supreme Court pushing back on President Trump's tariffs. We know over the weekend and since President Trump seems to be figuring out some workarounds. Right. And is not done in terms of imposing tariffs. So we're kind of finding our way through that. In the meantime, it's great to talk with business owners, some public, some private, some smaller, some bigger in terms of how they are thinking about this business environment. And for that we do head to Chicago and to Ken Wagner, president of the family owned business, the Gel Cert Company. He by the way, is the grandson of the founders and has worked at the company since 1985. If you're not familiar, you will be when he starts talking about the company. They are makers of dessert mixes, drink mixes and freezer bars and more and do some really interesting collaborations. Ken, great to have you here with Emily and myself. We're broaden out for us and tell us a little bit about your company. You've been around for a while. You've seen some different business cycles. But tell us exactly what you guys do.

[Ken Wagner]

Thank you both for having me on. I really appreciate it. Very excited about this opportunity. As you said, the Jelser Company is a family owned business. My grandparents started the company in 1926 and we have always been based in the Chicago area and are in the suburban part, the western suburbs of Chicago. We are 100-year-old company. We're celebrating our 100th anniversary this year and we're very proud of the fact that that we've been able to achieve 100 years. And when you look at us on, you know, from a national perspective in this Nation celebrating its 250th anniversary. We've been in this nation for 100 years. It's 40% of the nation's existence. So we're very excited about that, very proud of that, proud of our employees and proud of everything we do in the food and beverage space.

[Tim Stanovec]

Right. So a lot has happened in this country since 1926. There's been a lot of economic cycles. I know that you were not around in 1926, but the company was. Can you talk about like this moment in time, how uncertain is it as a business owner compared to just previous economic cycles that the Gelsert company has gone through?

[Ken Wagner]

Yeah. I look at the history, we're compiling a history now of our family and the company and it's amazing what my Grandparents and my, My parents went through. In running the business. And just from an economic perspective, from a national and global perspective, they went through the Great Depression, they went through wars, they went through recession. We went through Covid. So, so much has happened, and there aren't always challenges. And business is a challenge. And so we've done, I think, a tremendous, just tremendously well in coming through so many challenges over the decades. And I think it's made us more resilient. It's made us a tougher company, one that is capable of handling up times and downtimes. And right now we're certainly. There are challenges. Right. We're coming out of a. A Covid situation that led to a real kind of a breakdown of the global supply chain. And when you look at. I kind of look at it as a. As a very precision watch what was the global supply chain and global commerce. And it kind of broke cogs, got out of line, and it just kind of. It kind of got broken. And I think we're still struggling to put a lot of that back together again. Will it ever be exactly the same? Probably not.

[Carol Massar]

So talk to us about your supply chain, because you guys do all your manufacturing, correct?

[Public Ad Narrator]

In.

[Carol Massar]

In Chicago. And I'm just curious. Yeah. So. But do you, Are you pulling stuff into. What, what do you import in?

[Ken Wagner]

Well, I mean, let me, let me address what you, what you mentioned first. We're very, very proud of the fact that we make 100% of all the products that we sell here in the United States and here in suburban Chicago. That's a very important element for us. We have about 1400 workers that help us manufacture those products. We formulate everything in house. And our supply chain, as much as possible, is a domestic supply chain. But certainly there are ingredients and items that we buy from overseas that we are very good at sourcing. And we're able to deal with the ups and downs of some of the tariffs that we're experiencing now. And we're able to. It's very important for us to have fair pricing for our consumers. And the only thing that we passed along to the consumers of our products have been true cost increases that we have incurred.

[Carol Massar]

But what, but what things in particular? Is it just packaging or what. What has actually gone up for you guys?

[Ken Wagner]

Yeah, the, the. The most impactful cost increases that we've experienced have been from ingredients, certain ingredients that come from overseas. There are certain elements of packaging that get manufactured overseas as well, that come in here and are converted into finished packaging that we utilize, but ingredients are the biggest element that we see where there have been some issues evolving impact from tariffs.

[Tim Stanovec]

So the latest news on the tariffs then that, you know, there's potentially the tariffs under IPA are not legal, but Trump is floating 15% tariff on all imports, you know, using a different kind of legal basis. What's your reaction to that? Is there a way that you can prepare as a company or have you taken steps to prepare?

[Ken Wagner]

I think there's such uncertainty right now on exactly where this is all going to go. I think right now the benefit to us may be positive down the road. So we're still evaluating it. I think it's too early for us to be able to, to really have any kind of a judgment on this until things really, really settle in with the suppliers and the people that we work with overseas.

[Carol Massar]

We're talking with Ken Wegner, he's president of the Gel Cert Company joining us from Chicago. Ken, tell me though, go back to your business because I'll be honest with you, I'm like, wait, powdered drinks? Exactly what is this? And I grew up making powdered iced tea and that kind of a thing. But, but I'm just curious. Tell us about, you know, dessert mixes, drink mixes, freezer bars. Tell us about like where the growth is in your business. And I'm just curious about how it evolves, especially when people think more about wellness and what's going into their mouths or their kids mouths. Tell us a little bit about the growth in the business and where it's going or where you're seeing it.

[Ken Wagner]

Absolutely. All of our categories that we're in have been growing and the category that's growing the most right now is in powdered drink mix and it's in a single, a singles to go format. So it's in a single stick format that goes into a bottle of water, a tumbler, a glass of water. It's really, really an on the go way of, of taking, you know, the powder drink mix and modifying your water on the go. So whether it's for flavor, whether it's for, for function, function is really fortification of, of some type, whether it's putting electrolytes into your water, whether it's putting energy of some kind into your water or it's putting immunity into your water or protein. So we're very strong in the functional space in modifying water. And I'll give you, if I can, a quick example. Yeah. Is we just launched a licensed item under a brand, under the Duncan brand. Yeah, Duncan Refreshers. And we're very Excited about that product coming into the marketplace. In six weeks of launching that item, it became the number three powdered soft drink mix on all of Amazon and it became TikTok Shops, one of the fastest growing food and beverage items that they have ever seen launched on TikTok Shop.

[Carol Massar]

I know I'm looking peach, passion fruit, strawberry dragon fruit, right? And some of the flavors, I have to say I said, I'm like, who's doing this stuff? And I look at Emily and she's like, I'm doing it like big time. And she said TikTok, it's big.

[Tim Stanovec]

On TikTok, there's something called Water Talk where people film themselves, Carol, like making their water of the day. And so they put like different powdered mixes in there and proteins enhance it. I'm wondering how much of the growth is coming from declining alcohol consumption. Like Gen Z doesn't drink alcohol as much. Are they turning towards flavored water instead?

[Ken Wagner]

I think that that is definitely part of it. And one of the fastest growing brands that we've aligned with is Margaritaville. And we have basically mocktail flavors, a powdered drink mix to modify your water, pina colada flavor, a margarita flavor and so on. And those items are just really doing very well at this time. And I will, going back to the water talk that you just mentioned, we in the past year and since the beginning of 2025, we launched 25 new flavors of our Wyler's light brand that were all social media influenced. So we listened to social media, we listened to the flavors that, that people were looking for. You know, flavors like cotton candy, peach ring, even pickle pickle lemonade. So we have, we were very responsive to social media and the influencers on WaterTalk have just absolutely, we gone crazy over it.

[Carol Massar]

Wow, great stuff, really fun and look forward to talking with you again. Really interesting to hear what you guys are up to. Ken, thank you so much. Ken Wagner, he's president of the family owned business the Gelsert Company. Joining us from Chicago.

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