← The Bossticks
The Bossticks
From Stable Career To Creator: What It Really Takes To Build A Brand From Scratch Ft. Matt & Nora Kramer Of Sunny Fine Foods
00:58:01
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- [00:00]
A
The following podcast is a Dear Media production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostick are bringing you along for the ride.
- [00:16]
B
Get ready for some major realness.
- [00:18]
A
Welcome to the Skinny Confidential, him and her. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Skinny Confidential, him and her show. Today we have Nora and Matt Kramer, who are the co found and CEOs of Sunny Fine Foods. This episode was a fun one because Matt Kramer also used to work with me over here at Dear Media, which we get into. And his wife Nora, I met obviously through that relation. And while this story is mainly focused on their business and the brand they're building, especially for young entrepreneurs out there, even any aspiring entrepreneur, and focus on the dynamics between working together as husband and wife, we also talk about what it was like for two individuals to make the leap coming from the corporate world. Even though I hate to call Dear Media corporate, coming from a. I'll just call it stable job environment company, to actually going out on their own, becoming entrepreneurs, starting their own thing and what that transition looked like. So this one was a little personal also because we had a working relationship before and a friendship with that. Nora and Matt, welcome to the Skinny Confidential, him and her show. This is the Skinny Confidential, him and her.
- [01:26]
B
By the way, the ranch is genius because the ranch that I was giving my kids I literally noticed had sunscreen in it.
- [01:36]
C
What?
- [01:37]
B
I hope you got that on air.
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A
Sunscreen.
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B
The ranch that I was giving my kids had sunscreen in it. Titanium dioxide. Isn't that sunscreen?
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C
Oh, my God.
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B
Am I not. Am I wrong? Someone looked this up.
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C
This is the perfect transition.
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B
Well, I. So I. So I switched to your ranch because my kids love ranch. They like to put it on their pizza and their carrot sticks and all these things. And I switched to yours. And that one I'm the most excited about.
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C
Amazing.
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A
Just so you know, before we jump in, Nora, I'd like to give you a warm welcome. Matt, I've been waiting to get you in here because you betrayed me. And you're not going to get a warm welcome because of that betrayal. So I'm very excited to talk to Nora. But Matt, little pissed off at you still.
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B
Why? Because you miss him?
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A
No, I'm just kidding. No, it's good to see you again.
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C
I miss you too.
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A
I know. I know you do.
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C
And this is a great reunion.
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B
It's a little reunion because Matt, just to give the audience context, used to work With Michael and I at Dear Media and the skinny confidential early days.
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C
Yeah.
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B
And we felt it was really cool to bring you guys on the show because you guys broke out and did your whole own entrepreneurial thing. And I think that that seems to be a theme lately of people going to work at a great company like Dear Media.
- [02:51]
A
It was the best company.
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B
And then going off and creating their own brand. And I think there's a real story in that. So I guess we'll just lay the land and start. Start out from the beginning. How did you guys even conceptualize this? And were you doing it while you were working with us?
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C
Yeah. I'll let Nora kind of kick it off, because she's really the brainchild of the brand. But I'm super excited to be here and see you guys again.
- [03:14]
D
Yeah. I mean, Sunny really started in our home kitchen even before Matt was at Dear Media. And, I mean, going way back, I was the kid who was, like, running home from school to watch the Food Network. And in preschool, I was inviting my little friends over for dinner parties instead of play dates. And so food and cooking for me has always just been, like, the number one way that I take care of myself and the people that I love. And what I was finding was, once I started working, I was coming home from work exhausted. I had this really physically and emotionally draining job, and I was so hungry, and I really did not want to doordash another chipotle bowl for $40. I really was craving, like, a nourishing homemade meal, But I needed some shortcuts to make that happen. And I've always been a big sauce girl. Like, I was probably a ranch kid, like your kids. And for me, sauce has this magical power to transform food from feeling just like ingredients on a plate into a complete dish.
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C
And.
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D
And so what we started doing every Sunday was making a bunch of our favorite sauces and then keeping them in the fridge to carry us through the week. And as silly as it sounds, like just having those three or four jars of sauces in our fridge changed everything for us. It made it possible to have this, like, homemade, easy, delicious meal in minutes. On a Wednesday night. When we were exhausted, we went to the store to try and find some sauces. And it was truly, like you were saying, it was astonishing to see the ingredients. They were all full of canola oil and sugar and preservatives and ingredient lists so long you couldn't even believe. Or they just tasted awful, and they had this, like, weird gloopy texture, and I just wasn't willing to compromise on either flavor or ingredients. And so that's what led us to make our own.
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C
Yeah. And I kind of had been working through your media and like kind of observing what Nora was doing and always had like a little bit of like an itch to do something entrepreneurial and like wanting to start our own thing, but never quite found the right, you know, opportunity to chase. And these sauces were just so great. And we had like already had the problem of like trying to find them in the store and not being able to find ones that met the check the box on flavor and like ingredient integrity. And so that's where I was like, wait, like this might be an opportunity. Like we should dig into this a little bit more and see like if there's a there there and like look to build something.
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B
If someone's listening and they're working at a job that they absolutely hate, like you or Nora, which was not Dear.
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A
Media, so you better not say Matt.
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B
And they, they see an opportunity like that.
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D
Yeah.
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B
What is the advice you would give them and how, how did you go about it? Did you quit your job right away? What would you tell them to do?
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D
Yeah, I mean, I think waiting, I don't know. I think I'm such a perfectionist at heart and I. My tendency the biggest learning from the business has always been like that. I've always checked that by the business. So I think it was a plunge for me. And thankfully, you know, Matt had a great job and I was able to at that time in our lives, take a little bit more of a risk. And then we came up against whether or not to take a risk again. When, you know, we found out they got into Whole Foods, we had started self manufacturing them. I was driving to 2am Production runs and physically mixing the product by hand for like 10 hours in a 40 degree room. And in the same month we found out we got into Whole Foods and then also that I was pregnant. So we were again faced with this like this moment where we had to decide whether or not to take the plunge.
- [07:03]
A
Yeah, I think it's important though, because people, they always ask like we got asked this question the other day from an audience member. It's like, when is the perfect time? And I was like, basically there is.
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C
Never a, there's never a perfect time.
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A
And it's always going to feel like a risk. And it's always like at some point you just have to take the plunge. Right. Like you have to leave the safe, stable thing, which was like the safest, most stable thing ever for you, Matt. But no, what I think people will resonate with and will understand is it's not ever going to be a sure thing and it's never going to be the perfect moment. You just. But you have to make the leap.
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C
Yeah. No, and I think, like, a lot of people think there's this, like, magic formula, like, I need to raise a bunch of outside capital, I need to hire a flashy branding agency if I'm building a consumer products business. And while those things are great and that formula can work for a lot of founders, I think it's also really valuable to just, like Nora said, not wait for the perfect moment, kind of get the minimum viable product out there, to. To really see if there's, you know, something resonating with shoppers and with consumers, build a community that way and kind of like, you know, look to support the business in as much of an efficient way as possible to be able to get those early learnings and then see if there's more of a there there and something really worth, like diving, you know, headfirst into what were the.
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B
Things that you both learned in your jobs that you were able to apply to your entrepreneurial journey when this launched?
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C
I mean, I could go on forever, but I don't want to stroke Michael's ego too much. But no, I think, like, in my time here at Dear Media, like, I really saw sort of the value of community. I saw how powerful the audience was that you guys had built. And the rest of the talent on the network also learned a lot of just operational things, things that I had had experience with in the past but had more ownership of here, like really owning a P and L and really working to stand up, you know, the skinny Confidential in a lot of ways, operationally, from the early days and like, taking those kind of like, problem solving mechanics and strategic, you know, like, lanes of thinking into helping Nora establish Sunny was like, really critical for me to feel like I had, you know, the capability to. To do so.
- [09:07]
A
No, you're underselling yourself a little bit. In the early days of Dear Media, Matt was critical in the business, and we looked at a lot of deals together that Dear Media invested in. We saw things that worked, and we also saw a lot of things that didn't work. And so I think that's super helpful. And I think the message there is that for anyone that's, you know, wondering if they should be an entrepreneur right out the gate, like, I think starting in an organization where you get to see a lot of things like you did. And in a lot of ways, like, I wish that I was. I wish I did a version of that because a lot of the early stuff that I did was, like, stumbling around in the dark without that. But for you, like, we got to look at a lot of interesting businesses early on and you were able to see things that work, things that didn't. And then. So I imagine you guys launched this. It was super helpful. Yeah.
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C
And I think one thing that I observed there and have observed since is like, the first product you launch is maybe not the one that you're going to, you know, stick with long term. And we've iterated a lot of ways and we're just so excited now. We've launched these new dressings nationwide in sprouts. They're also coming to a platform called Hungry Root in January. And so we're really looking to, you know, really grow this business and, you know, cater to people that are looking to check the box on like, healthy, better for you and not sacrifice on flavor and convenience. And that's something that we're really passionate.
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A
About for people that want to get into the consumer space. And as it relates to food in particular, what are some of the things you guys have learned to avoid and what are some of the things that you would maybe tell people to lean into?
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D
I think for us it has been. I think sometimes it made us feel a little bit self conscious that we were like industry outsiders. But I think it's actually ended up being such a strength because I feel like for us at least, it's kept us really true to why we started the product. Like, we really just wanted a product that tasted great and had simple, real food ingredients. And we have been offered like the craziest things along the way of, like, ingredients we could add to thicken it or, you know, natural preservatives and natural flavors. And I think as outsiders, it's. It's like shocking to hear those options. And you're just like, what? No, we would never do that.
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C
There has to be a better way.
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A
But imagine that's what happens to a lot of people that enter the space is they start compromising their product because of those efficiencies.
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B
What is the sickest, most disgusting thing that are in some of these condiments that you guys iterated on?
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D
Well, maybe the one that you just said titanium dioxide.
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B
Did I make up? I don't start a rumor.
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C
I'm not sure.
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B
I feel like I did it.
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D
I want to look this up.
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C
I just looked it up. It is in Some ranch dressings.
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D
Wow, that is crazy.
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A
Do they do that to get the white flavor? Is that or the white color?
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C
So everyone dipping so you can put ranch on when you go to the beach. I guess this is why you have.
- [11:48]
B
To try this ranch, you guys, if you have kids, switch to this ranch. So. So what are some gross ingredients that we need to be aware of, like, for. I'll give you one that I can think of. Like, I know they put so much sugar and ketchup.
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D
Yeah. Sugar is surprisingly in, like, everything. Yeah, like, there's sugar in everything.
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B
You guys use dates, which is genius.
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D
Yeah, yeah, we do use dates in the ones that have a little bit of a. So sweet sweetness. And I think, like, there's so many preservatives and even natural ones that have sort of, like, names that you wouldn't recognize, and you're like, I don't know what that is, but I'll just keep reading. And so, like, cultured dextrose or natural flavors, which I feel like thickening stuff, like. Yeah, it's all pretty nasty.
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A
People just want that kind of texture on their. So they're used to.
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D
Yeah, I think from a brand perspective, it. It. It can help it not separate. You know, it can help it.
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C
And it's cheaper.
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D
Super, super consistent. It's a lot cheaper.
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C
Yeah, but all of our products are formulated with, like, whole food ingredients that you would have access to in a home kitchen, because that's how we make them at home. And these are literally homemade recipes that we, you know, been able to manufacture and thankfully scale. And, you know, we're just super excited that we're able to bring them into more households now.
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A
What do you think the biggest challenge has been since launching the business?
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C
It's not one specific challenge, but for me, at least, like, I've had to really develop a skill around compart, compartmentalizing, like, being able to kind of, like, take the good with the bad and, like, not let setbacks that are inevitable in any sort of entrepreneurship or startup pursuit kind of derail you. And there's so much that's out of your control, and you have to be patient, but also maintain a sense of urgency and be able to kind of, like, put things over here when they're not going right and, like, refocus and reprioritize onto the next thing. And so for me, that's been, like, a huge skill that I've had to develop over the last few years.
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D
Yeah, I mean, I think it's such. I'm sure you guys know too. It's like such a roller coaster. And it's so crazy because I feel like something very challenging and then something really exciting often happens at the same time. Like, you know, finding out I was pregnant while we had this, like, big opportunity for the business to launch in Whole Foods. Like, it was terrifying and thrilling and being able to ride that wave and, like, stay calm and focused on your goal. I think it's taken us a lot of practice to be able to, like, ride that steady state.
- [14:18]
A
Well, the thing is, with that particular stuff, you can't learn it until you do it, and you can't explain it to someone until they've done it. Does that make sense?
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B
Totally.
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A
Like, I always tell people when you work in a company, and there's a lot of people that work at companies that do a lot better than all of us. Right. Let's just put that out there. Like, there's number twos, threes and fours that are doing just fine and making a lot of money and a great living, but it's. It's different when everything stops with you and when there's nobody to look up to and say, like, hey, like, what do I do in the. You're the. You're the final person. You're the. You're the person that. The people now that right or wrong, good or bad, like, it's on you. And I think it's a different level of stress and a little in a different level of, I guess, anxiety that comes with that role that you have to manage in a different way. And the problem is, is, like, it seeps over into your personal life. Like, if you're in an organization, you go home. Like, I'll. I'll deal with the work tomorrow. But when it's your thing like that, that doesn't. Yeah, it doesn't leave.
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D
Yeah. And I think there's even more intensity that comes when it's like your. Your co founders, your spouse. But.
- [15:29]
E
One of my best hacks to losing weight, especially after three babies, is protein. But you have to be strategic about how you get your protein. And Peter Attia came on this show and gave me the best tip. It is a tip that I do every single day, and it helps me feel full. So there's these sticks that he's obsessed with that now I'm obsessed with, and they're by this brand called Maui Nui. Okay. And they make the cleanest, most nutrient dense red meat snack sticks on the planet. They're made from wild deer in Hawaii. These are so good, you guys. There's 10 grams of protein in them. I throw them in my handbag when.
- [16:10]
B
I'm running to the office.
- [16:11]
E
Sometimes I'll have two at once because that's 20 grams of protein and there's just 55 calories in it and there's no added stuff. Okay. It's the highest protein to calorie ratio of any red meat stick. More protein per calorie than wild salmon and grass fed beef. I like this brand specifically because it's packed with bioavailable nutrients from Hawaii's volcanic soils, which is amazing. So they have two flavors. They have the peppered and the original. I personally like the peppered. I like a little, a little savory, you know, a little spice, a little kick. Sugar free. Nothing artificial. No msg, nitrates, artificial preservatives or fillers. Just pure wild nutrition. Honestly, this is the hack. You got to have protein. I do it every three hours. I have two of these, usually a day. I have them on hand. They're absolutely delicious. Right now, Maui Nui is offering a free 12 pack of their jerky sticks with your first order of 79 or more. Just go to Maui nuivenison.com skinny to grab yours. That's M A U I n u I venison.com skinny for your free venison stick starter pack. Go try them out. And when you're asked about how you heard about Maui Nui, make sure you mention the him and her show. It helps support the show. Tell me if I'm alone here, you guys. But shopping used to feel more fun before all the algorithm fed blah and the endless sea of dupes. But I have a confession. I found that fun feeling again on ebay. Because on ebay, it's not just shopping. It's a fashion pursuit. And when you find the thing that adrenaline hit is real. I just found the most amazing 60s inspired Celine White sunglasses. I am so excited to wear them on some travels that I have coming up. I think they're so chic and I love that they're old and they feel nostalgic, but they also have something so fresh about them. Some other brands that you could look for on the site are Gucci, Jimmy Choo. They even have Prada, St. Laurent, Stella McCarthy.
- [18:22]
B
The Row.
- [18:22]
E
I'm such a Row fan. And there's so many good pieces. Tom Ford and Versace. I also found a singing iguana on there. A singing Christmas iguana. You really can't go wrong. Go check out all the vintage Celine glasses. It's about the thrill of finding the pieces for me that feel like me. And I want you to find pieces that feel like you. There's always more to discover. Ebay has millions of pre loved finds from hundreds of brands backed by ebay. Authenticity guarantee eBay things people love Quick.
- [18:55]
A
Break to talk about fatty15 I'm so excited to share with you guys an incredible scientific breakthrough to support our long term health and wellness. C15 is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in 90 years. And get this, studies have confirmed that it's three times better, broader and safer than omega 3s. If you want to get sciency about it, Studies show that C15 works by strengthening our cells, improving our mitochondrial function and protecting us against damaging free radicals. The result? Better long term metabolic, liver and heart health. And it ends up that many of us are deficient in C15 which results in weaker cells that make less energy and quit working earlier than they should. All of that makes us age faster, sleep poorly, feel sluggish. If this sounds familiar, you might be deficient in C15. Ever since Lauren and I had Dr. Stephanie Van Watson, the founder of Fatty 15 on this podcast, we were sold on Fatty 1515. That is because it is such an incredible product. It is so much for inflammation, it does so much for health and it's only one single ingredient which is C15. Fatty 15 is a science backed, award winning, vegan, friendly and pure C15 supplement. By replenishing ourselves with that essential C15 nutrient, Fatty 15 effectively repairs our cells and restores our long term health. Here's how C15 works. It works in multiple ways. It repairs age related damage to cells, protects them from future breakdown, boosts mitochondrial energy output and activates pathways in the body that help regulate our sleep, mood and N repair mechanisms that support our overall health. Fatty 15 is on a mission to replenish your C15 levels and restore your long term health. You can get an additional 15% off their 90 day subscription starter kit by going to fatty15.com skinny and using code Skinny at checkout. Quick break to talk about Symbiotica, one of our favorite supplement companies. One of our favorite companies in general. We've had the founders of Symbiotica on this podcast many times because there is no shortage of things to talk about with them as it relates to health and wellness. Lauren and I highly admire what they're building over there and what I like most is most of their products are liposomal delivery. So when you're taking their supplements or their vitamins, you're actually eating it like food, which is gonna help your body absorb them more efficiently. Some of the standout stars, and at this point there's so many. But the ones that I would go to, as, you know, my staples, the things I can't live without, they have this vitamin C packet that is great for collagen and immunity, especially during the winter seasons. They have a liposomal glutathione and pqq, which is the master antioxidant. This is something you could take daily. It also tastes good. A lot of times, glutathione does not taste good. They have a methylated vitamin B complex which again is also liposomal, that is going to give you energy and brain boosting and all sorts of great things. And they also have a great vitamin D3 and K2. It's so important to get the D3 with the K2. Symbiotica obviously did. So if you want other things, they also have a magnesium body spray. They have a charcoal. Maybe if you had a few too many drinks at night. They have so many things. And what you can do is you can go on their website and go through this whole list of different products and figure out what's right for you. But like I said, you really can't go wrong. They have so many great foundational supplements that will fully enhance your life. Taking Symbiotica supplements is one of the easiest ways I found to stay consistent with my health goals, even during a busy summer and now winter. All you have to do to try them is go to symbiotica.com TSC today to get 20 off plus free shipping that cymbiot k-a.com TSC to get 20 off plus free shipping.
- [22:13]
B
Do you guys have rules and boundaries around that when it comes to your entrepreneurial journey and your marriage?
- [22:18]
C
I'll let my wife answer that question.
- [22:21]
D
I mean, I think now it's great. We had a huge learning curve to figure out how we were going to work together professionally. And I feel like we both have like a stubbornness and a really strong drive to succeed in different ways. We understand. Yes. So at the beginning, I feel like we were trying to do every single little thing together. And that was really, really intense. And I think over time we sort of learned to really find our lane and stay in our lanes. And of course we still talk all the time about things that we probably don't need to collaborate on, but we're still talking about it constantly. But really having our areas and trusting one another in those areas and just.
- [23:08]
C
And I was still working through Your media, like, how that affected your productivity, like, your ability to your drive, your work. And you were just like. It really just focuses you. Right. It makes you tune out a lot of the noise and get back to basics and really focus on what has to be done that specific day. Our son has been such a key part of, you know, humbling us, keeping us focused when we need to be because we have to be productive in the hours when we're working, but then also being able to, like, check out at the end of the day. And he doesn't care, you know, if we had a manufacturing run go bad or if we got into a new retailer. At the end of the day, he wants to play magnetiles and T ball with us and, you know, be there to laugh and play with. And I think that helps us kind of just step out of the business for a little while, even though we're, you know, two co founders and husband and wife in the same house and be able to kind of like, you know, go back to being a family for a little while too.
- [24:01]
D
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think when I found out I was pregnant, we were really scared. Like, what is this gonna mean for the business? Like, is the business gonna take a huge hit as we become parents? And like Matt was saying, it's like it was almost in a way that we could have never expected. It was the opposite of that. Like, you become more productive with the time that you have, and you get this amazing grounding perspective of, like, what really matters. And now it's just like everything we do is laddering up to our family.
- [24:33]
C
Yeah.
- [24:34]
B
I saw this meme the other day of this entrepreneur, and she just has a baby and she calls her friend and she goes, I'll see you in five years. Because when you're balancing entrepreneurship and you have kids or a kid, that's it. It's like, you gotta give to both your babies.
- [24:54]
A
I don't want this to be pulled out of context, but it likely will be. I think that everybody. Well, one, I want everybody that's in a happy, loving relationship to have children. I just think it's like. It's like the greatest joy. But what I tell people all the time, entrepreneurs that are scared.
- [25:08]
D
Yeah.
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A
Or even co workers that are scared when they're having a kid. I'm like, oh, it's gonna be the best thing for, like, whenever someone comes to me like, hey, I'm pregnant.
- [25:14]
D
Yeah.
- [25:14]
A
I might have to take maternity leave. Maternity. I'm like, perfect. Because I know when they come back, they're gonna be even more productive. And the reason being is when you have a kid, not only do you have to focus your time, Like, I think when I. Before we had kids, I'm like, man, I was wasting a lot of time. Like, you need to.
- [25:28]
D
What was I doing?
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A
Yeah, you're just wasting a lot of time. And not to say and you don't get that again until you have kids. But the other reason is, when you have a child, it gives you a reason to go into overdrive, to work even harder, to, like, build a future for them. Right. When I was just by myself. When you're single, like, I'll work. Maybe I won't. I'll pay rent, maybe I won't. You get into a relationship, and you're like, okay, I got to take care of someone else with me. And then now when you have a kid, you're like, okay, I got to really buckle down. So I think it's a productivity hack, actually, to have a child. I know that sounds crazy, and it'll be pulled out of context, but I'm gonna die on.
- [26:01]
D
Yeah. And I feel like it's also given more purpose to why we're choosing the ingredients. We're choosing, like, why we're making the ranch in this way. Like, it. It just.
- [26:13]
C
It's the way we want to feed ourselves and our family.
- [26:15]
D
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [26:17]
C
And he loves the dressings, too. Like, he loves the squeeze bottle. He likes putting it on his hand, doing a chef taste.
- [26:23]
B
That's so cute. My kids all love do it. We call it a taste test, and they get to taste each thing. And I do it with all different kinds of foods, but they only want to do it with ice cream. But they did, like, all your dressings.
- [26:34]
C
Amazing.
- [26:34]
B
And their favorite was the ranch.
- [26:36]
A
Talk about when you guys launched, because I know now the line has expanded, obviously, but when you started, you were really focused, and I think that's important to talk about.
- [26:44]
D
Yeah. So we started with a single, single product. And I think for us, like, Matt was saying, like, starting it without raising a ton of money and just able to brand and produce a bunch of products all at once, we were kind of forced to stay really focused. And for us, it was such a nice way to see, okay, we really want products like this to exist, but do other people, you know, are other people really looking for products with super simple ingredients and flavorful? Yeah.
- [27:16]
B
Yes.
- [27:16]
D
Yeah.
- [27:17]
A
Yeah, I think so. I think you nailed it. On.
- [27:20]
D
So, yeah, I think that helped us. And also the fact that all the products are refrigerated has forced us to grow in a really intentional, thoughtful way, which I think has been, like Matt was saying, like, it can be frustrating that you have this sense of urgency. You want it to be everywhere all at once. But growing in a more thoughtful way has allowed us to connect with the people who are buying the product more and learn what they like about it, learn how they're using it, so that we can then make it even better.
- [27:51]
B
Since you guys have been doing this and you. You created something out of nothing, what mistakes do you guys see people making when it comes to launching their own brand?
- [28:01]
C
Yeah, I mean, I think the number one most important thing is taste, obviously, and, like, having sort of a story that you're telling through the products. And I think a lot of people fall into traps where they're trying to optimize for costs and. Or chase sort of, like, you know, trends. And I think for us, like, we're just staying really true to what matters to us. And that's, like Nora said, like, freshness, really clean tasting, and really simple whole food ingredients. And it's just wild now to go from, like Nora said, like, a single product line to now launching these four dressings. We're in about just under a thousand stores. We're launching on Hungry root, which reaches 600,000 households across the country. And so being able to make these products with high integrity and also make them widely available is something that I think is really inspiring for us and something that keeps us really motivated.
- [28:51]
B
When you guys. When you guys are working together and you have the brand you're building and you have your son, how do you think about your time? Do you guys have, like, a schedule, a calendar? How do you think about your time management with everything that you guys have going on?
- [29:08]
D
Yeah, definitely a calendar. I'm a big list girl, too. Like, I love a morning list. I'll have a sunny side, a personal side, and there's nothing I love more than crossing something off of a list. So I think that's a big. That's a big productivity tool for me. Yeah. And I think finding a balance for us, it definitely does not look the same every day, especially being in the early stage of our business. I think every day looks so different. And that's been a big learning for me, is learning to, like, ride that chaos and letting go of this idea that there is true balance. I think for us, I haven't found that to be true, that there's this, like, golden standard of balance between the way hours are divided in the day and for Me, I really had to learn that. It's just kind of chaotic. And there's something beautiful about that too.
- [30:03]
B
I got this really good tip from someone who came on the podcast, Jamie o'. Banion. She runs Beauty Bio and it's a huge business. And she has four kids or three. And I said, how do you balance.
- [30:14]
A
She has four.
- [30:15]
B
Maybe she has four.
- [30:15]
A
Does she have three or four?
- [30:16]
B
I said, how do you balance that? And she said, when I lay my head on the pillow, I either thought I was an amazing businesswoman today or I was an amazing mom. And she's like, it's usually not both.
- [30:27]
D
Yeah, yeah.
- [30:28]
A
Or Scott Galloway just came on and he said, listen, you can have it all, but you just can't have it all right now or on the same day. Yeah.
- [30:35]
C
Like, yeah, yeah.
- [30:36]
A
And so I, you know, I think I really, I struggle a lot of the time with people that are like, oh, you gotta feel like your passion all the time. You gotta be happy doing it. And you've gotta, you know, you can balance it and have it all. Because that has not ever been any of my direct experience. Like, when I'm sitting there doing HR stuff or running through the PNL or having to fire people or having to do things like, like that in the business or make cuts, like, I am not, I'm not. Like, this is my passion. Yeah, I love this. And you know, when, when I'm sitting there stressing at 9:30 at night, trying to put the kid to bed and give him a bottle and worry about the business, like, I am not in balance at all, but, like, there's no, like, there's no taking that and be like, well, I need to be in balance and I need to be excited for these things to work. It just, it, it's an illusion. That's a myth. Like, it always doesn't happen that way.
- [31:22]
C
It forces you to be decisive. And when you're building a startup, it's important. Like Nora said, you can't get caught up in chasing perfection at every turn. And so having limited time, trying to balance family and work, like, it forces you to make quick decisions. And I think that's also just important skill and tool to have when you're trying to learn from an early stage of your business and like, figure out what's working, what's not working, and then move on to the next thing and keep iterating.
- [31:46]
B
Which hats do both of you guys wear in the business?
- [31:48]
D
I am curious to talk about this with you guys too, because I feel like it might be Kind of similar to.
- [31:53]
A
I'm curious what we each say about the hats we wear versus what they actually are.
- [31:59]
D
Okay. So I think I. You know, my role in the business started in the kitchen making all the products themselves. I still make a lot of our. Almost all of our recipe content for social. So I do a lot of the product formulation and development, the brand side of the things, the social side of things. And that was another thing, too. And we got to that. That moment when we got into Whole Foods and I found out I was pregnant. I was like, okay, now the business feels very real on the business side. And I need a. I need a CEO, because that's not me. And. And so I had to poach Matt.
- [32:36]
B
So what's your hat?
- [32:37]
C
I mean, it's a lot like Michael. It's like chasing the next thing. It's like, you know, finding the right sort of rhythm around growth, working with our sales broker to, you know, open up new accounts, operational stuff. Just really supporting Nora and like, giving her kind of the framework and the structure to. To kind of continue to innovate around.
- [32:54]
A
No, but I think that's very. Like, a lot of times people don't recognize early enough that they don't have some of those strengths and they hang on too long. Right. Like, if you were trying to do all the things that, you know.
- [33:06]
D
Yeah.
- [33:06]
A
That you're not.
- [33:07]
D
Yeah.
- [33:08]
A
Best for, like, it.
- [33:09]
B
Yeah.
- [33:09]
A
I think that's a big mistake that a lot of early entrepreneurs make. And I think bringing the right people and the right team on earlier rather than later is going to save so much time, energy, and money.
- [33:19]
D
Yeah.
- [33:20]
A
Even though. Even if it costs you. Like some people say, well, I can't hire anybody yet. It's like, well, you. You might want to take lesson and bring that person. In your case, obviously, you were just. It's your husband. Hopefully you're paying him nothing. But I think it's so important in our relationship. The dynamic changes a lot over time, obviously, but I think it's historically been more like, operational stuff on my side, more creative direction and vision on her side. But then I think it's. It's blended over the years, depending on what we're working on.
- [33:50]
B
I think that one thing that's interesting about what you do, and I think Matt, too, because I know him and I worked with him, is that, yes, we are the creatives, but what you guys do also has a creativity to it. Well, I think everybody is underestimated.
- [34:07]
C
That reminds me of this Frank Gehry quote where he said the greatest Source of creativity is a timeline and a budget. And I think Michael and I both sort of fit within that same mentality.
- [34:17]
B
Exactly. It's you.
- [34:19]
D
What's.
- [34:19]
B
What I know with what you do, like, you have to be creative where you see angles and like, yeah, your biggest. Your. Your best thing, and I think Matt's, too, is you guys are really good at seeing how the puzzle fits.
- [34:33]
A
Yeah.
- [34:33]
B
And maybe that's not, like, creative, like art creative or branding, but it's a different type of creativity.
- [34:39]
A
Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing for a CEO, there's a few things, but one is decisiveness. Right or wrong, by the way. Right. Like, yeah, when you work with me, like, there's probably more right decisions than wrong. But there was a lot of wrong decisions.
- [34:52]
C
Never reckless, though.
- [34:53]
A
Yeah, but never. But you have to make. Like, if you make the wrong, then you got to make another decision to correct. And I think sometimes people just get paralysis of, like, not being able to decide what to do. And then the other thing is figuring out how to build an infrastructure in a team lends a productive hand to the business. Right. Like, it's like, if you can't put those pieces together, if you can't figure out, like, oh, this person goes there and that person goes there, and this is the budget and this is the. Like, that's. Then you're. You're in a lot of trouble because you could have the most creative business in the world with the best product ever. But if you don't have that stuff dialed in, you're just. You're floundering around.
- [35:25]
D
Yeah. And I think there's an element of, like, dreaming, too, that. That your guy's position still requires. And I think there's a lot of creativity in that. Like, seeing the angle. Seeing. Keeping your eye on this, like, bigger dream while making all these rational, smaller decisions.
- [35:43]
B
I call it cerebral. When he goes cerebral, I can tell by his eyes, they glaze over. I leave him alone. I just leave him alone. I feel like I'm such a good wife because I know when to leave you alone.
- [35:59]
A
Like, no.
- [36:00]
B
Yes.
- [36:01]
A
No, you don't.
- [36:01]
D
Yes.
- [36:02]
A
I would say I sometimes know when to leave you alone, but most of the time, I don't. That's, like, how I would say that sentence.
- [36:09]
B
Oh, I thought you were saying that about yourself.
- [36:11]
A
I was like, yeah, I'm saying that about you.
- [36:13]
B
No, you don't know when to leave me alone. I don't like to be annoyed in the mornings.
- [36:17]
A
Lauren does a toxic behavior that I will put on share right now in front of the world that when I'm stressed and anxious, when there's, like, an actual problem going on with me, she doesn't like to see. She likes to just have it. Me be consistent and strong. So she will then pile harder on.
- [36:34]
C
You're not allowed to show weakness.
- [36:37]
B
Hello. Every girl since ancient history does it like, the big strong man. That's Hunter and Gather. Not like when you're on Hunter and Gather. I'm like, get it together.
- [36:46]
A
I'll say this is the worst time to approach me with anything. And she'll be like, well, I've got six things I need to talk to you about right now.
- [36:52]
C
Yeah, take it all on.
- [36:53]
B
Yeah, well, that's what we expect. Come on. It's like, carry it on your back. What makes a good employee? And I think you. You've seen a lot of employees. Yeah, I don't know if you've seen a lot of employees, but he. I know he has.
- [37:07]
D
I think for us right now, at this stage in our business, what makes a good employee is someone who's willing to get super scrappy, try on a bunch of different hats. Like, even if those hats are outside of their training or comfort zone, it's almost like for us right now, I feel like the employees also also have to have some sort of an entrepreneurial spirit and willing to, like, get down and dirty.
- [37:34]
C
Yeah. I've seen that at every phase of different startups I've worked in. And even as they grow, obviously you bring in some more, like, senior leadership and people that have kind of been there and done that. But they also all still have that itch to, like, chase something new and exciting and be disruptive. And I think, as Nora said, like, having that mentality and surrounding yourself with people that are hungry in that way is extremely important.
- [37:56]
A
Quick break to talk about Mizin and Maine. I get questions all the time about clothing, of all things. Funny enough, must be because I just have this classic men's style that people just can't get away from. They just. They just love the way that I'm dressed. They love the way I look. Jokes aside, I like clothing where classic style meets modern performance. And that's why I like Mizzen and Maine. They enable you to build a wardrobe that has classic, timeless clothing that's actually functional and comfortable. It's classic menswear for the modern world. And here's the thing. I believe that success starts with what you wear. It's important for me to dress up, to feel good, to make sure that I'm presenting myself in a way that looks like I care. And with Mizzen and Mane, you can do that. All of their styles are classic. They're timeless and they're effortless. It's never been easier to look good and feel your best with this classic menswear and it's designed to help you achieve your version of success while making it look look easy along the way. It's also timeless, I think for me. I hate having to change wardrobes. I hate having to follow trends. Mizzen and Main designs classic dress shirts with modern performance fabrics that feel great today and look good for many years to come. Their hero product, one of my favorites is the Leeward dress shirt. It's the original performance fabric dress shirt and it comes in a fabric designed to perform for all occasions. You're guaranteed to find the perfect one for you. I like to buy a few of these at a time. Different colors, different, different styles, different lengths, different fits and use them to kind of mix and match. It's all performance woven fabric, moisture wicking, wrinkle resistant. And it's machine washable so you can take care of them. So check them out. They're a brand you can turn to if you're looking for machine washable. Wrinkle resistant dress shirts. High stretch pants that are just as comfortable in the office as they're on the golf course. A lightweight and breathable wool blazer. They really have something for everyone and you can build this classic wardrobe. So I have to do is go to mizzen and main.com and use promo code skinny20 to get 20% off your first purchase. Again, that's Mizzen in Maine.com promo code skinny20. Quick break to talk about court furniture rental. This is something that I wish I knew about when I was in my 20s, when I was younger, when I was moving around all the time. Because there is nothing that I hate more than inefficiency. And you know what's not efficient? Buying a bunch of furniture that's expensive and weighs you down and disables you from moving around. I remember when I was young, I was constantly on the move, moving around, renting different places. And it was always so stressful having to go to these furniture stores and buy this expensive furniture and then hold it and lug it around and put it in storage units. I still have furniture in storage to this day. With court furniture rental, you don't have to worry about that because everyone needs furniture, but not everyone needs it forever. Furniture shouldn't tie you down no matter where you move and with Court Furniture Rental Furniture rental offers a convenient way for you to get a new job and move. If you want to move off campus, if you want to go somewhere else short term, wherever you go, you can enjoy on demand delivery nationwide and custom packages that fit your space and your life. I can't imagine what it would have been like for me when I was moving different condos and renting different places if I could have just rented this furniture and had stuff that was designed perfectly for the new space that I was moving into. And like I said, with furniture rental, you can rent what you need and return it when you're ready for the next adventure. Whether you've got a new job or moving to a new city or a across town, whatever it may be, Court offers flexibility, quality and convenience no matter where life takes you. So check them out. Build your own furniture rental package today@court.com that's C-O R T.com podcast. Again, that's court.com podcast I want to.
- [41:12]
E
Tell you about the charity that I am so passionate about and it is called I Stand With My Pack. They are committed to getting dogs fostered and adopted. I have been a fan of this specific charity for about five years. When my daughter was born, I met a woman named Lucy and she was helping me with Zaza and she told me all about this incredible charity, I Stand With My Pack, where they helped animals find homes that were in really bad conditions. And I started following the Instagram account, fell in love with what they were doing, and then decided to partner with them to bring awareness to their cause. If you're looking to adopt or foster a dog, you have to check them out. It's I Stand With My Pack. They are accepting donations too. If you can't adopt or foster. And all of the money goes to their mission, which is to help dogs with major medical needs that are often not seen by adopters or other rescuers. Check them out. Istandwithmypack.org.
- [42:18]
A
The way you were described to me personally before I hired you. Do you want to. Do you even know this story?
- [42:23]
C
I don't.
- [42:24]
A
So one of our early investors put you on my radar. And the way you were described is that you were the Swiss army knife of the business. You were. Yeah. And you were at Dollar Shave before, right?
- [42:35]
C
Yeah.
- [42:35]
A
Like that's where. And. But you were somewhere else between that. But that's how. That's how people would describe you before.
- [42:39]
B
That's a really.
- [42:40]
A
And I thought it was a really good descriptive of you because you came on early of Dear Media and that we didn't have all of these different departments and defined lanes and there was just a lot of things that I and him and others that were early in the business needed to do. And it wasn't like every day you just did one thing. Like sometimes we had to manage an investment, some days we had to manage production, sometimes we're trying to do a live event and unfortunately, and I think this is relevant for young people to hear when you're, when you're joining a startup, it's not as cut and dry as when you're joining, you know, Google or like I had early employees be like well at Amazon they do this and Google I'm like listen, we've got seven people in the office. Like we're hanging on by.
- [43:17]
C
You might have to take the trash out.
- [43:18]
A
Yeah. And, and I think that's really important for people to know if they're going to join a startup. But it's also, and I think you would agree a really rewarding experience to be on the ground floor and see something in the early days and get.
- [43:31]
C
Built out as much as we can find the time like, like to go into grocery stores and pass out samples of our dressings and our products. Like we want to have that direct one to one engagement with consumers and shoppers and you know, get the reaction, hear their questions, hear what flavors they might be interested in the future. And that is both a really informative but also extremely rewarding experience. It keeps you humbled, it keeps you energized to know that you're fitting into a small part of their routine to, to eat healthy. And yeah, it's really important for us.
- [44:01]
B
That is so smart to go and get their reaction. You know who did that, that built a huge company is Suja Juice.
- [44:09]
C
Yeah.
- [44:09]
B
Annie Lawless used to go in to Jimbo's. I remember her sitting there and giving taste tests. Bethany Frankel, we love Jimbo's too. Yeah, I maybe it was Whole Foods. It might have been Whole Foods. I don't know what it was. Bethany Frankel did that too with her skinny girl. That getting the actual real interaction is so important. I think that right now we're at this moment where everyone is so glued to their phones that the opposite. The pendulum's gonna swing and people are going to want that more curated in store connection. I see it swinging and I just think that's really smart to get their notes and to iterate off their notes.
- [44:47]
D
Yeah, I mean at the end of the day that's all that matters is are people liking it. Is it fitting into their daily lives? Is it making their weeknight cooking easier? Because that's the ultimate goal for us.
- [45:00]
B
It is making my weeknight cooking. Is that what we would call.
- [45:03]
D
Made for a bowl of meat.
- [45:05]
B
A little rice.
- [45:06]
D
Yeah.
- [45:07]
B
With a little squirt of the ginger.
- [45:09]
D
Yes.
- [45:10]
B
I'm like a chef. My bowl of meat, I mean, it's really making everything much easier.
- [45:14]
C
I would take that down right now.
- [45:16]
A
That sounds good.
- [45:17]
B
No, it's. It's delicious. And I do agree with you about the employees. When someone says to me, that's not my job, I feel like that's a huge red flag. We have Katie, who, you guys know, who's our ea. And she is. And I'm gonna give her a compliment. I hope she's listening. She's always down to do whatever it is that needs to be done. She has a grit about her that's like, it. It's just like, you do the job, you do it well, whatever that is. And that is. I think. I think that is probably the best quality to have when you're working.
- [45:50]
A
But to put it back on, like, I know there's probably some people listening where it's like, well, I'm not getting paid for that. Or. It's easy for you to say as employers, but. But what I would tell those people are you. You never know who you're going to be introduced to in those odd jobs, and you never know what you're going to learn or what direction it's going to take you. And, like, if you think about even your path or mine and some of the weird, like, mishmash of experiences we all had.
- [46:13]
C
Yeah.
- [46:14]
A
Like, I would not be running Dear Media without trying a bunch of random, different things that, like, quote unquote, weren't my job at the time. And you might not be running this business with your wife if you hadn't had all these random experiences. So I think there. Even if you're, quote, unquote, not being paid or it wasn't in the job description, you don't know what it'll lead to. And when you're young and you have that kind of energy, I just think it's worth doing.
- [46:34]
C
Yeah, absolutely. There's lessons to be learned from all of it.
- [46:36]
B
Yeah. Also, what. What you did with your job at Dollar Shave is you became the Swiss army knife, which means to me that you could do anything and you could go where you needed to go and be malleable, which is what attracted you to Michael, which Is then what attracted you to me. And I think now that you're running your own company, you were the Swiss army. And if you.
- [46:55]
A
Sounds like you did the skill set now also to do and see a lot of things.
- [46:59]
B
That is like, the best way to be described if you're working for someone. I think, yeah, it's a big one. What were some things that dollar shave that you think they did really right? Because they sold right?
- [47:09]
C
Yeah. Dollar Shave Club. I was there shortly after college and was there through 2017. There was an acquisition. Unilever purchased them. And I think. I mean, there's a million things I could point to. Obviously, the product was great. The humor, the tongue in cheek, the kind of community building that Michael, the founder, you know, spearheaded was really valuable. There was also a lot of savvy around Facebook marketing and, you know, leveraging that channel to. To find shoppers and customers. But I think going back to kind of the early thing around that scrappy mentality and, like, planting that seed with every hire, I remember everyone, no matter, like, what level of seniority they were, you know, hired for, had to spend their first, like, I would say, like, a few hours a week doing customer service, like having. Answering inquiries from customers saying, oh, my package got lost or my razor broke or whatever it was. And I think it's humbling. It shows you. It puts you, you know, in direct contact with your customer who you're ultimately building the business and the brand for. And I think it was such an important lesson that, like, no job is too small for anyone to do. And that's something that I've taken, you know, with me everywhere I've been since.
- [48:17]
B
That's so smart to have someone do customer service because then they can see all the different facets of the business. I might steal that tip from you. Yeah, that's a good one. Because everyone who comes in, you're right. They need to see the back end before they can be effective on the front end.
- [48:34]
C
Yeah.
- [48:34]
D
Yeah.
- [48:35]
B
Should we do a taste test?
- [48:36]
D
Yes.
- [48:37]
B
Okay, so we. You guys should definitely watch the YouTube on this because we're going to do a taste test. We're going to be trying four different dressings, which I've already tried and I've already fed my kids and love it, but I want to try it live with everybody. These two are my favorite, just so you know.
- [48:53]
A
Which one's your favorite?
- [48:54]
B
Because simple lemon is mine, and the.
- [48:55]
D
Ranch, the miso Caesar is my favorite. And your favorite's the ginger, right?
- [49:00]
C
Ginger ponzu. Yeah.
- [49:02]
B
Okay. The bowl of meat, though, is simple.
- [49:04]
A
What are we trying here?
- [49:05]
B
Is that what you would say, too?
- [49:06]
A
Oh, we're trying with the lettuce.
- [49:07]
C
It depends. I haven't done a bowl of meat recently, but I need to get on that that soon.
- [49:10]
B
Why are you not doing a bull?
- [49:12]
C
I don't know, Lauren. I don't have you cooking for me.
- [49:14]
B
It's. I know how to make a mean bowl of meat. Here's how you do it.
- [49:18]
D
What's in it?
- [49:18]
A
Yeah.
- [49:18]
E
Okay.
- [49:19]
B
So this is how you make just meat and the sunny bowl of meat. So you're going to get the force of nature ancestral blend, because it has the organs in it that grows your hair and nails, whatever. It has liver and heart from force of nature.
- [49:35]
C
But you don't.
- [49:36]
A
It's not as gamey because it's blended in with.
- [49:38]
B
Well, this is also. The simple lemon dressing is going to make it less gamey. So first you start that. You do not put it in the microwave because you don't want it in the microwave. You want to cook it on the stove. Then you're going to get some sauerkraut because you want to be taking care of your gut. And that fi. The fiber is going to push everything out, which we want with the protein. Then you're going to get some raw cheese, cheddar cheese, specifically from the farmer's market. It's so good. Then you're going to get a lime or a lemon, depending on what you like. So I like the simple lemon dressing. So what I'll do is I'll add extra lemon because I'm a lemon fanatic. And then on top of it, you're gonna put the simple lemon dressing on it. Remember, the meats are gonna be ponzu. Okay. You don't have to put it in the microwave. No, no, no. This one. Trust me, okay? Trust. This is how I do my bowl of meat. Then you're gonna put the simple lemon dressing by Sunny's on your bowl of meat. And you could also, if you wanted, add a little bit of hot sauce if you like it spicy. And that is the Lauren Bostic bowl of meat.
- [50:34]
A
You could also do it with rice.
- [50:34]
D
So no, no carb.
- [50:36]
B
No rice.
- [50:36]
A
You could do, like. Sometimes I do like that.
- [50:38]
B
I could have rice.
- [50:38]
A
Okay. Okay. But sometimes I do if I want some.
- [50:39]
B
You could have rice. I have to lose 20 pounds right now. I'm on a journey of losing 20 pounds. I gained, I think, like, 55 pounds from my last baby. So there's no rice for me right now.
- [50:50]
A
I Eat the rice.
- [50:51]
B
Yeah, so that's how you do it. Okay. So but you could put.
- [50:53]
A
You could put like essentially a bowl of meat is just like you're. You're adding meat to a bowl of whatever you like eating meat with.
- [50:59]
C
Yeah.
- [51:00]
B
You could also do a hamburger bowl and you could add the ranch on top.
- [51:04]
D
Yes.
- [51:04]
B
Yeah.
- [51:04]
D
Yes.
- [51:05]
C
That's money.
- [51:06]
B
It is money.
- [51:06]
D
The other day we had little like bunless cheeseburger. It was burger patties, raw cheddar, caramelized onion.
- [51:15]
C
Yeah.
- [51:15]
D
On top. And then a side of just greens with the miso Caesar. And it was so good.
- [51:21]
B
Oh, I gotta try that.
- [51:22]
E
It's so.
- [51:22]
B
That's okay.
- [51:24]
A
So which one I'm trying first? I'm trying the ginger.
- [51:26]
C
Ginger ponzu?
- [51:27]
D
Yeah, please.
- [51:29]
B
And tell us what's in each one.
- [51:31]
D
Yes. So what are you starting with?
- [51:32]
A
I've had few of these.
- [51:33]
B
You can start with the ginger and we're going to do it on a cucumber.
- [51:35]
A
I don't know if I've had. Have I had the ginger. I know I've had the lemon.
- [51:38]
D
The ginger ponzu has fresh ginger and garlic. It has a bunch of fresh citrus juice, lemon, lime, avocado oil, a little bit of date for sweetness. So it's really bright and zingy and tangy.
- [51:50]
A
You could for sure put that on the bowl of meat. That'd be really good.
- [51:52]
D
Yeah, Yeah, I love. So what I'll do with that one is I will drizzle it over salmon with like a tiny bit of honey and then stick it under the broiler and it gets like so crispy and bubbly on the top and it's just perfect. And then I'll just do a cucumber salad, like chopped cucumber and avocado. Put the ginger dressing on that and that's like a perfect 10 minute dinner.
- [52:14]
B
Do you have to add salt to any of this or. No, we often don't.
- [52:18]
D
I mean, if we're using it as a marinade. If we're using it as a marinade, we'll add salt, pepper, maybe some honey, but.
- [52:28]
C
Jesus, that was a chomp.
- [52:30]
A
Yeah. God.
- [52:31]
D
Okay. And the Caesar. The Caesar is my favorite.
- [52:34]
A
I'm gonna have to go. I'm gonna have to go put you back in the barn after this.
- [52:41]
B
Well, I gotta do it again because it's a carrot.
- [52:44]
C
That's a breakout clip for Social, I hope.
- [52:45]
B
Yes, you can cut this out. We don't believe it.
- [52:48]
A
No, keep it in.
- [52:49]
C
No, no, we want that on Instagram.
- [52:50]
D
Yeah, that's asmr.
- [52:52]
A
Yeah. That's why I'm careful with what I say. You never knowing that you can chomp that.
- [52:56]
B
The ranch is literally so good. You have avocado oil.
- [53:00]
A
Tried the ranch now.
- [53:02]
B
The ranch is so good.
- [53:04]
D
Yes, the ranch has avocado oil.
- [53:06]
A
Is the ranch the newest?
- [53:07]
D
The ranch is the newest. And the ranch right now is exclusive to sprouts. So they're at every single sprouts.
- [53:13]
B
So what does it have in it?
- [53:14]
D
It has avocado oil, cashew, a little bit of nutritional yeast, fresh scallion, dill, garlic.
- [53:22]
B
Why nutritional yeast is. I heard it's really good for you.
- [53:24]
D
Yeah. It has a lot of B vitamins, which is great. And then it also has sort of a cheesy flavor. So since. Because it's. It happens to be vegan because the creaminess comes from cashew, so then the nutritional yeast adds that nice sort of, like, dairy feel to it.
- [53:41]
B
You know what I would also do with this? This is really creepy. I would carry it in my purse if there was, like, a seed oil restaurant, and I would just put my own dressing on.
- [53:50]
D
We've had people tag us in that on Instagram, and it's like, the ultimate compliment.
- [53:55]
B
Yeah. It's cool because you don't need to worry about it.
- [53:57]
C
Yeah.
- [53:57]
D
Yeah.
- [53:58]
B
I think my favorite is definitely, Guys. The ranch and the simple lemon.
- [54:02]
A
The ranch is really good. But I don't know. These two. These two are good.
- [54:06]
D
Yeah.
- [54:07]
A
The. The ginger is. I think the ginger is unique because you can maybe you could put it on different kinds of foods.
- [54:15]
C
Yeah.
- [54:16]
A
But the Cs are obviously great for dressing the ranch. You can. I. I like how your packaging here you can put on pizza.
- [54:22]
B
Yeah. What's. What are seed oils in that we don't know about? I'm sure you guys have learned a lot about seed oils because you're seed oil free.
- [54:30]
C
Yeah.
- [54:32]
D
What are they? I don't know that it's all that much of them, but they're in, like, a lot of dried fruit so that they don't stick together.
- [54:40]
C
Yeah. Granola.
- [54:42]
D
Granola. I mean, I think, but.
- [54:43]
C
I mean, all the other dressings in the store are using canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil. Yeah.
- [54:50]
A
Did you set. Set out knowing that seed oils are gonna be so problematic or you just didn't want to use them as an ingredient in the bean? Because it. I feel like you guys started the no seed oil thing before it started to gain popularity.
- [55:01]
D
Yeah. I mean, I think for us, it's always been about making these Products with the same ingredients that we would use at home. And for us, that means the dressings are made with avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil. We don't add any sugar to them. There's obviously no preservatives.
- [55:19]
A
Yeah. If you're cooking at home, you're not.
- [55:20]
D
Pulling out the canola oil.
- [55:21]
A
Yeah. Okay.
- [55:22]
D
And I think so for us, it's really this, like, less is more ingredient philosophy. And yes, because of that, they happen to be seed oil free, they happen to have no sugar. But for us, it's always. All products are really grounded in that less is more. And using ingredients you would find in your kitchen at home, I think not chasing trends and instead having this more balanced approach has always been our. Our instinct. Because I think there are so many rabbit holes you can go down right now. And. And they're always changing too. And I think for us, we don't ever want to attach the product or formulate a product for a trend. And I really believe that, like, the way that we make our products is timeless in a way. Like, it's never going to go out of style to use just real food ingredients.
- [56:18]
B
I wish we could just get, like, across the board, everything to be real ingredients. Like, it's so crazy that that's so hard to attain. It's like you constantly have to look at the ingredients to make sure that there's not some weird added shit into it.
- [56:33]
A
No, but I think this is how it starts. What you guys have created is an alternative for people that are health conscious but still want to eat really good tasty sauce and food. Right. And so it's like, it changes when you give people the option to do that, right?
- [56:47]
C
Yeah, absolutely.
- [56:47]
A
I think the other companies, like, they don't have to do it. They could keep using those ingredients. But if you're health conscious, like we are, and if you. And if you enjoy taste, like, why would you gravitate towards something else if this alternative exists?
- [56:59]
C
Yeah.
- [57:01]
B
Everyone go shop Sunny's Fine Food. We are so excited for you, Matt, to see your evolution personally up close and to be able to do it with your wife, Nora, and have you be like the brainchild behind this is really cool to watch. And we thought it would be fun for the audience to see what it looks like to leave the corporate world to go launch your own product, not.
- [57:22]
A
Call it the corporate world.
- [57:24]
B
What would you call it?
- [57:25]
A
I don't know, but I hear that.
- [57:27]
B
It'S like, okay, the what? The work. The stable force.
- [57:31]
C
Yeah.
- [57:32]
A
The best.
- [57:32]
C
A more mature, best company in the world.
- [57:36]
B
Where can they find Sunny's products?
- [57:38]
C
You can find our products in all sprouts nationwide and whole foods on the west coast and many, many more. Many stores on our website, Sunnyfoods us.
- [57:48]
B
I love what you're doing. Everyone should go run to get the ranch and the simple lemon specifically to put on their meatball. Thank you guys so much for coming on.
- [57:59]
C
So fun to hang out.
- [58:00]
A
Congratulations.