The Exchanges

Q I mean, this was a food scientist, and, and, I mean, for one thing, you had to make something that was not going to spoil or go bad. You had to package it, and you had to market it. So, I mean, that's a lot to do from there. So, I mean, at this point, once you landed on a flavor you liked, great, but then what do you do?

A I didn't know, and to be honest, I, I flew home, uh, you know, I asked my food scientist, and he's, Like you said, he's a food scientist. He makes the product, and you're on your own after that. Um, so I thought, first thing I'd need to do is come up with a name, and, um, the name came to me while I was driving one day. I wanted it to have the word organic in it, and I thought about what people would benefit from this. People would gain health. They would gain energy. They would gain life, and I combined organic And gain into this word or gain that would stick. So I had a name, and I had a formula, and that's all I had. Um, so when I came back to California, I was talking to people, researching online, and someone told me, you know, there's this trade show that just so happens to be in three weeks in Anaheim, California, called Expo West.

AI assessment note: “so I thought, first thing I'd need to do is come up with a name”

Q you know, of course, they look up to their dads, and I hope my kids do, you know, but, but, you know, right, I mean, the way you, and I wonder, when, when you were a kid, did you think about him that way? Do you, if you sort of go back to your, your mindset back then, would you have thought, oh, like, I worship my dad, he's amazing.

A Yes, for sure. And I think it goes back to that just kind of unconditional love that he gave me. He was very busy. He worked extremely hard. He always made time for me though. In particular, You know, my parents wanted me to be a doctor. My uncles were doctors. Cousins were doctors. My dad was a doctor. He was building a practice. So at a very young age, basically, I was told, look, you could be anything you want, choose any career you want, as long as you become a doctor and follow in your father's footsteps. Um, but you know, I don't even know if it was really being the doctor part that really attracted me. It was, I just wanted to be him. I wanted to emulate him. I loved everything about what this guy did on a daily basis. So For sure. Like, I saw him as a superhero, if I'm being honest.

AI assessment note: “Yes, for sure... I saw him as a superhero, if I'm being honest.”

Q I, you know, I don't know if all of them are, Accurate or true, but I mean, basically, like, the message is, eat whole foods, you know, try to avoid, uh, you know, too much meat and, um, uh, and sugar, you know, um, and, and was that sort of the main message you were getting from it? Like, a lot of, you know, whole foods, fresh vegetables, leafy greens?

A Yeah, that, that's exactly right. As I was reading these books and reading these ingredients that I should put in my body, I Let alone when you're sick. It was referring to high fructose corn syrup, sugar, um, you know, genetically modified melted dextrin from corn, uh, genetically modified soy protein, uh, artificial flavors, preservatives. Uh, and I saw these shakes. Everyone had them. You know, all the kids around me on the pediatric floor had them. I saw them all throughout the hospital. So I was under the impression that it was good for you. But the more I read, the more I realized Uh, that even though it said nutrition shake on the front, it was anything but nutritious.

AI assessment note: “Yeah, that, that's exactly right. As I was reading these books”

Q I gotcha. Okay, now the question is, when Whole Foods said, we want to roll this out nationally, how many, uh, how many cases of this stuff were they ordering?

A You know, it was tens of thousands, and, um, I didn't know what I was doing at all, but I, I just started Placing orders. Um, and really trying to make sure that I could deliver for them. And I placed the orders on ingredients. Some of them had longer lead times. The organic cocoa was going to take six weeks. You know, the organic protein was going to take three. And I was trying to merge them all together. And then you always have one lagging ingredient that's going to take 10 weeks. I'll tell you, I didn't even know how to arrange trucks, right? So I'm on like freightquote.com trying to manage trucks and get trucks to different places. It felt like every step there was an obstacle.

AI assessment note: “You know, it was tens of thousands”

Q At, at what point, you know, did you, you, you finish your residency, you know, did you realize that maybe you need to not pursue medicine?

A I finished my residency and, in in in in,, in in,,,, in,,, in,, in, in in in in in in in in in in in Uh, you know, work really hard and then go home and work on Orgain until two or three in the morning. Uh, wake up at six and get ready and go back to work. And, and it got to the point where it just wasn't sustainable. I was, I was barely functioning and I had to sit my dad down and tell him that, you know, I really want to take this leap of faith. I, you know, I started this company. I truly thought it was going to be a side business, but it's overtaken my life. And I want to focus on it full time.

AI assessment note: “got to the point where it just wasn't sustainable. I was, I was barely functioning”

Q What was the prognosis? I mean, is that a, I mean, you were 17, so it's different because you're younger and, and, and healthier, but still, I mean, what did they tell you about survival rates?

A I will tell you that this is an interesting thing. My, my father, I'd always ask him, I'm like, dad, you know, what are, what are my chances? You know, uh, and he would say it's 99%. He'd always say, it's 99%. You're gonna be just fine. And then, um, when I turned 18, I turned 18 midway through my treatment, they had to, by law, uh, come in and tell me, um, you know, answer any questions that I had. Um, and I asked the nurse, you know, uh, you know, can you give me an idea of my prognosis? Uh, and it was in the high twenties. Um, so I liked my dad's answer a lot better and what he would tell me, so I stuck with that in my mind, but the prognosis was very poor. I had to undergo chemotherapy, radiation, additional surgery, um, and it was a year long of just the most intensive chemotherapy, uh, one can imagine.

AI assessment note: “can you give me an idea of my prognosis? Uh, and it was in the high twenties.”

Q Andrew, to, to the, to the idea you had earlier, how does Brynn explain this quickly to, To a ten-year-old, because I think anyone listening is like, okay, I'm convinced I want healthier gums, but, but we've talked about this for several minutes, and Brynn can't talk to every single person. So how do you, uh, how do you, what, what are some thoughts about how she could do this?

A Yeah, as Bryn was talking, I have some thoughts, you know, and I think to your point, Bryn, how do we talk to the consumer on their level? And the most important thing I've learned is that you have to put yourself in your customer's shoes, right? And I've read that less than 50% of the U.S. floss their teeth, and it's because it's a chore, right? So the way I like to look at it is simplify it, like the same way I don't like to wash dishes after dinner, but there's this dishwasher that you just put it in, You guys are the equivalent of a dishwasher, meaning you've made a chore that's been very difficult now, super, super easy. And by the way, it prevents heart disease and you cite studies and, and, uh, you know, brain health issues and things like that. But I think the biggest thing is that you have now created something that eliminates a chore and improves your quality of life and your longevity. And I think making that analogy and having that little video Or whatever it's going to be, is going to be the difference between having a good company and a great company.

AI assessment note: “You guys are the equivalent of a dishwasher, meaning you've made a chore... super easy.”

Q Um, how do you, how, how do you begin to evaluate these things? I mean, if you're, if you're in, you were in Turner's shoes, um, how should he start thinking?

A So I, I'd say Turner, it's, it's a very good question, and I think it's important to think about it both ways. Meaning, what are you looking for, for an investor? From an investor, and what is the investor looking at your company for, and what is, what's, what's going to be the best? So the most important things, I would say, without question, integrity, transparency, and making sure that the investor that you bring on is going to be truly value-add. In other words, you want investors that you could really trust, and trust you, but you want them to be more than just a check. At, at my fund, for example, Humble Growth, like, if we can't catapult the business, or You know, really progress the business in seven tangible days on day one. You shouldn't take our money, nor should we invest in you, right? So I think that value add piece is very important from an investor perspective. And just to be transparent, I want to ask you some questions. Do you think it's limiting for you to be catering just to the golf community?

AI assessment note: “integrity, transparency, and making sure that the investor that you bring on is going to be truly value-add.”

Q about the, um, I mean, just anecdotally, I'm hearing that the, um, The, the funding opportunities are, are harder now, um, you know, for a variety of reasons, especially around consumer and especially in food. Doesn't mean that there isn't money. It doesn't mean it's not available. There is money, but is, is that true or is that just kind of, you know, mythology that you hear people talking about?

A No, I'd say, I'd say it's accurate, Guy. It is, it is a bit more difficult today, for sure. I mean, a few years ago, uh, there's investors throwing money at anything and everything. That has since corrected. So I think investors are looking for a sound business that's on the road to profitability that shows those velocities. It's one thing to get into a thousand stores, but it matters more to investors to be in a hundred stores and sell the daylights out of those shelves, right? So I think it's just a little bit different mindset. Investors are being more cautious and more prudent and So you have to keep that in mind as you proceed with investors.

AI assessment note: “I'd say it's accurate, Guy. It is, it is a bit more difficult today”

Q some point, Nestle can, if they want to, just, you know, they're, they're the boss. I mean, they can, they can get rid of you, and they can name their own CEO. I'm sure they're happy with you, and your, your story's on the, you know, part of the company's You know, origin, your personal story, but, um, how long do you want to keep doing this, running the business?

A I mean, this is something that I love, right? Um, you know, Simon Sinek said something along the lines of, Uh, you know, when, when you work and it's just something that you don't love, it's called stress. Um, and, but when you work for something that you care about or something that you love, it's called passion. This is still very much my passion. Uh, I'd love to continue to lead and shepherd the company into what it can become, which I think we're just scratching the surface. So, um, you know, and, and I'm immersed in this industry. I love the space. I started a, uh, a private equity firm Uh, focused on, uh, better for you brands that I could work alongside other founders and help them realize their full potential. So I'm in this industry, I'm immersed in it, and this is what I'll be doing, uh, for the future.

AI assessment note: “I'd love to continue to lead and shepherd the company into what it can become”

Q So, that's good, and it probably was working, right? It probably, probably were starting to put some weight on.

A You know, I, I put very little weight on with them, um, but I, I, I was maintaining my weight with them, but I felt horrible. I, I didn't feel well, um, and, and that's what set me on this journey. Um, so, you know, one day, I, Picked up a book, um, and, and this book was about nutrition. This book was called, um, it was something along the lines of Prescription for Nutritional Healing, or Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing. I didn't know what it was about, but I picked up this book, and I started reading, you know, the first 10 pages. And I was hooked, you know, integrative medicine, um, nutrition, but not just fats, carbs, uh, and protein, more like metabolic health.

AI assessment note: “I put very little weight on with them, um, but I was maintaining”

Q How were you managing the residency and doing and getting this to Whole Foods? That's what I'm trying to figure out. How did you find the time?

A It was very little sleep, honestly. Um, you know, I look back and I think about the sacrifices I made, and that year was the biggest sacrifice in terms of just getting it out the door. Um, we had our first child that year. My son Isaac was born in April, 2009. Um, you know, residency was, your internship year is your toughest year. Um, and that was the, the most hours I've ever worked, and then launching Organe and getting it into stores. Um, so it was extremely difficult, but there was just a conviction that I needed to do this, and I wanted to see it succeed, so I really dedicated every waking minute I had to it.

AI assessment note: “It was very little sleep, honestly. Um, you know, I look back and I”

Q curious about the decisions that you made that, that, you know, Certainly in the first five years, when people probably came up to you and said, you should do this, or you should do that, or you shouldn't do this, you shouldn't do that. What, what were some decisions that you, you made that were the result of those kinds of suggestions that you regret, or you wouldn't have done?

A So, you know, a lot of people told me not to go to Costco. You know, they said you have to really wait. Costco is, you know, can put a, a company out of business. You have to be very careful. And I felt the opposite, and that was one of the best decisions, uh, that I made, but I will tell you that I think, generally speaking, I have a completely unfair advantage in life, uh, in that I thought that I was going to truly die, right? You know, there's one day that's seared in my mind, uh, that I'll never forget as I'm thinking about it now, where I had, I had just finished radiation treatment. I remember that day I got so dizzy that I passed out, Uh, and they called nine one one. And, and I'm in this ambulance. Uh, they pull out these pads. And I feel like I'm almost watching this in the third person. And I remember asking the EMT, I asked him, am I going to die? Uh, and he just, you know, he just looked at me and he said, hang, hang with us here, bud. And in that moment, I was almost sure that I was going to die. Um, you know, and thankfully, of course, I was stabilized in the ER and obviously made it, but I gained this completely unfair advantage from that experience and, and cancer in general, that I would always go for it. You know, life is short, you know, in my mind, I've already won the game in my mind, so I'll never take the safe option to tie the game.

AI assessment note: “that was one of the best decisions, uh, that I made, but I will tell you”