We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cindy Convery a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cindy, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
I tried lots of names before choosing PureWild as the company name. I had decided to call the company Pure & Wild because the ingredients in our products are the purest, organic and clean ingredients and the collagen is only wild caught high quality collagen. Then I was introduced to the friend of a friend who’s job is naming big companies in the tech world. She also designs crossword puzzles for the New York Times. She suggested just one word: PureWild. And that was it!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Choctaw member Cindy Convery created PureWild drinks in her Ojai, California kitchen, a small town known for producing healthy brands. She was able to launch the brand with the help of the Bureau of Indian Affairs loan guarantee program.
“I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, but something has to taste good for anyone to really use it regularly,” said Cindy.
Cindy was looking for a quality source of marine collagen to help with knee issues developed after strenuous spin and dance classes. She wanted an easier way to take collagen after trying powders and bars. The few collagen drinks on the market just didn’t taste good and most of the collagen products on the market are created from lesser quality bovine collagen.
“I’ve spent a lot of time educating customers about why everyone needs a daily dose of collagen. Our bodies are 30% collagen, and our skin is 70% collagen. We all begin to lose collagen as we age, so a daily dose helps to keep bones, joints and muscles healthy, and helps skin to stay firm and to heal faster. And marine collagen has the best absorption. It’s pretty amazing!”
Cindy found a marine collagen source from a family owned company that harvests small, wild caught fish from deep cold North Atlantic waters. The next step was finding a way to make it taste good. Cindy attended the Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Paris, and while in college she worked as a waitress at Chez Panisse restaurant, known as one of the best restaurants in the country.
“I just got the best ingredients, because that’s the secret to great flavor, and made some drinks that I liked. I was growing herbs in my kitchen garden so I used some of those for the Blueberry Holy Basil. I used my neighbor’s raw honey for sweetener in the Mango Turmeric drink and put organic ginseng in the Lime Agave drink for a more rounded taste. Some customers use PureWild drinks as healthy cocktail mixers “
In early 2020, Cindy tested sales in her local market. Then she emailed a store that had seven locations through their website online portal. Within 4 hours that group requested samples. Now, just 3 years later, PureWild is available in over 600 locations across the country including Native owned casinos and the First American Museum in Oklahoma City.
With no advertising budget Cindy wasn’t sure customers would find PureWild in stores but sales are climbing. “Our sales in 2023 will be close to $500,000, almost triple our sales from 2022. And now that we’ve established our customer base, we should be able to double sales again in 2024 to at least $1 million. PureWild is a certified Choctaw Supplier and certified Woman owned which has helped bring more attention to the brand.”
Cindy has teamed with UNFI and KeHE for national distribution and has an Amazon store for ecommerce sales.
“Making PureWild and putting it in stores has been really fun. I’m meeting great people and I love my customers,” Cindy said, “and I keep thinking of new flavors I want to make.”
Getting a daily dose of clean marine collagen has never been easier.
About PureWild Co.
PureWild Co. Marine Collagen beverages was founded in Ojai, CA in 2019 and launched in Southern California at Erewhon Markets in May 2020. PureWild Co. drinks are certified non-GMO, certified OU Kosher and are sustainably produced and packaged. PureWild Co. is a member of the Specialty Foods Association and a member of Pledge 1%, supporting the Sierra Club and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. PureWild Co. was founded by Cindy Convery, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. PureWild Co. is a certified Native American Woman owned company.
https://purewildco.com/
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I’m a member of the Choctaw Tribe of Oklahoma and that tribal membership allowed me to apply for a loan guarantee from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The BIA will guarantee a business loan with any lender up for 90% of the loan value. So even though my business didn’t qualify for a business loan because it was a new business, I was able to get funds to start PureWild drinks with the help of the BIA.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
PureWild started as a beverage company with collagen infused functional drinks. But now that we’ve learned so much about how collagen works, PureWild has pivoted to become a true collagen products company, with beverages as just one of our verticals.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @purewildco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purewildco/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-convery-53bb7b7/
- Twitter: @purewildcoinc
Image Credits
images by Lovejoy Studios