We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rj Thunder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with RJ below.
Alright, RJ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Once I had the idea for making a specialty L-reuteri probiotic yogurt, it was time to start experimenting. I bought a small table top yogurt maker and a notebook, and just started cooking. I tried different temperatures, seeding densities, milk fat %, fermentation times, you name it, I tried it. I may have set a record for the most failed yogurt batches ever made. After nearly a year of experimentation, I finally perfected the recipe that made a rich, creamy L-reuteri yogurt. Once I had the quality product I wanted to sell, and the ability to make it consistently, it was time to look in to starting the business and getting the required approvals from the state-I thought the hard part was behind me! I couldn’t have been more wrong. Let’s just say the regulatory hurdles in California to legally produce a Grade A milk product are quite extensive. I had to get a Food Manager’s Certificate, A Temporary Food Facility Permit (TFFP), a Vat-Pasteurizer license, and find a manufacturing location that met CDFA requirements. I completed all the licensing work, and found a rentable space at a local kitchen to set up my production. After a lot of inspections, re-inspections, tinkering with equipment, calling the equipment manufacturer with hundreds of questions, and wanting to give up more times than I can count, I finally got approved by the CDFA for a Milk Production Plant. I was excited to get selling, but there was another hurdle to take on: how to scale up and retain product quality. I realized that taking the product from small batches made on my kitchen counter to 45 gallons in a commercialized yogurt maker was an entirely new can of worms. I essentially had to go back to the drawing board, and find a way to maintain the thick, creamy product I had perfected before. Eventually, I was able to get the product how I wanted, and it was time to start selling.
If I could go back in time and give myself some tips, it would go something like this:
1) Starting your own business is all work with no return at the beginning, and requires relentless perseverance.
2) Being kind and fostering good relationships is absolutely essential. When people like you, and want you to succeed, it makes execution much easier. Always put yourself in their shoes and never complain.
3) Focus on product quality. People want a quality product. In the early stages, you should spend most of your time trying to make the best product you possibly can.
4) Figure things out yourself-don’t just trust the internet. I read about yogurt for endless hours online; it wasn’t very useful. Making yogurt myself (over, and over, and over again) is what led to creating the product I wanted.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is RJ Thunder. I worked in Biotech as a Scientist for a handful of years, and have always had a passion for how the body works, and how it relates to overall health-especially the gut. My dad discovered a book written by a Medical Doctor that talked about an amazing probiotic strain called Lactobacillus Reuteri, and how he made yogurt with this special strain and gave it to his patients. Some of the recovery stories were nothing short of miraculous. My dad began making the yogurt at his home, and told me about the amazing benefits. It inspired me to take a deep dive in to L. Reuteri, and I combed through a lot of the available literature. What I found was quite amazing; and concluded that L. reuteri can play a significant role in gut and overall health. It inspired me to start making my own (hadn’t even thought about starting a business yet). Eventually, through lots of experimentation and tweaking, I made a delicous, rich, and creamy L. Reuteri yogurt. I gave it to friends and family, who loved the benefits and taste so much, that I decided to try and start a business. My first customer-the amazing Aunt Mary-had multiple gut surgeries, and significant intestinal issues. After about a month of consistent consumption of the L. reuteri yogurt, Mary says is changed her life. She still eats a cup every day, and has done so for over a year. There are no other single-strain yogurts on the market that I am aware of, and definitely none that use only L. Reuteri. I also use only high quality ingredients, don’t use any additives, thickening agents, dyes, or my favorite: “natural flavors” (aka chemicals). The only ingredients in the plain are milk and L. Reuteri. Oh (and I may be bias) but I truly do think it is the best tasting yogurt ever made.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I had been working for a biotech company in San Diego for about 2 years; I put in a lot of hard work and had been promised a new office, salary increase, and title promotion at the end of the year. I had also been making the L. reuteri yogurt on the side (mostly just as a hobby). About a month before I was to receive my promotion, my company lost a big court case and declared bankruptcy. They informed my entire department that we would be let go. I had grinded for 2 years, and it felt like I got absolutely nothing out of it. I was eventually let go, and the company ended up being liquidated. This inspired me to take a bet on myself-instead of looking for a new job, I decided I’d go all in on the yogurt. It’s been difficult and stressful, but it feels good to have my fate in my own hands. I was incredibly upset when I lost my previous job, and felt like the world wasn’t fair, but now I see that it gave me the kick I needed to start my own business. Whatever happens, at least I know l control my own destiny (and it’s definitely more exciting).
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
I come from a heavy science background, and loved the science behind L. reuteri. My vision was to make it a very science driven product, focusing on the proven health benefits of L. reuteri. When I first started at some local farmers markets in San Diego, I thought the reuteri would be a huge hit. I would begin to splurge a bunch of science and reference studies when customers would come up wanting to try a taste. What I found is that this was not very effective. The general consumer (not all, but most) just wanted to know that it was made with quality ingredients, and was good for their gut. The main thing that got people to buy the yogurt (and it wasn’t particularly close) was the amazing taste. Looking back now, this should have been obvious. I decided to adjust the pitch more along the lines of an amazing, delicious yogurt with high quality ingredients, no junk, and a special probiotic strain with lots of studied benefits. I found that this resonated much better with the average consumer at the farmers markets. What this made me realize is that you can do all the research you want on marketing, but the best way to figure out what works is to just get out there and start trying.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thundercultures.com
- Instagram: @thundercultures
