Photo courtesy of Justin's Nut Butter

Starting a business is never easy. There is the financing, marketing, legal fees, research and operations.  Add to it the risk of breaking into a new sector and you've got yourself an ambitious leader. In the "Meet The Healthy Food Entrepreneurs" series, we will meet some of the pioneers in the industry to learn what got them where they are today.

Meet Justin Gold, the entrepreneur behind Justin's Nut Butter. Justin's offers delicious on-the-go almond and peanut butter squeeze packs.  Made from organic or natural ingredients, flavors range from maple almond to newly launched chocolate hazelnut. The single serving packets are perfect to take on a long bike ride, stash in your desk drawer or pack in your suitcase for traveling. 

Tell us a bit about your background, how did you get involved in the healthy foods market?

JG: My grandfather started one of the first ‘Health Food’ stores in Western PA in the 1950’s which gave me an early introduction to natural products.  In college I earned a degree in environmental studies and helped organize many field trips including to chemical factories, landfills, meat packing plants and dairy farms.  My education and upbringing has had a profound impact on me for supporting sustainability, organic and natural products and in becoming a vegetarian.

 How did you come up with the concept of your product?

JG: As an active vegetarian leaving in Colorado I was eating a lot of natural/organic peanut and almond butter for protein.  I became frustrated with only smooth and crunchy varieties so I began making my own with a food processor in my kitchen.  When developing the peanut and almond butter squeeze packs, I was on a mountain bike ride and again I was frustrated with energy bars and gels and really craved a real food like a peanut or almond butter instead!!

 So many people have "good ideas", how did you decide to actually go for it?!

JG: My roommates were constantly eating all of my ‘experimental’ jars of nut butter, so I walked down to our local Whole Foods Market and asked the grocery buyer what he thought?  He knew they were good ideas, but a lot of ideas end as that . . .

 How did you go from food concept to the mass market?  What were your first few steps?

JG: Starting from scratch, I had to learn how to manufacture, market, and sell a food product.  Everything from developing a UPC, finding a FDA certified kitchen facility, developing distribution to paying my taxes.  It was quite overwhelming so my first steps were to figure out how to write a business plan and immediately find a mentor whom could coach me through the process and the industry.  Then I had to convince my friends and family to invest . . .

 How have you seen the healthy foods market change?

JG: I’ve seen it get a lot bigger and more competitive.  Bigger businesses are starting to take notice and introduce products (or buy up smaller brands) which is making it more challenging for small entrepreneurs to enter the market and grow store by store, region by region.  I see a lot of new brands launch and become national overnight.  That takes a lot of money and experience –something a lot of us just don’t have yet.

 Who are your customers?

JG: Everyone from health conscience consumers looking for a convenient in-between meal snack (athletes, vegetarians, travelers, campers, children) to portion controllers and dieters.

 Where do you source your ingredients?

JG: All of our ingredients are sourced as organic or natural.  95% of all of our ingredients come from the USA.  Our peanuts from Texas and New Mexico and Almonds from California.

 What's the most useful business advice anyone has ever given you?

JG: Find a mentor and ask lots of (silly) questions.  A mentor, by my definition, has to have a) something you want (knowledge, nice house, inner peace, whatever); b) grey hair.

 What's been your biggest challenge in opening or running your business?

JG: Managing!  People, cash flow, product consistency, profitability etc.

 What are 3 tips for running a successful company?

 -Stay optimistic and positive (no matter what).

 -Put people on your team that are smarter than you.

-Always be thinking about the next innovation . . .

For more info: www.justinsnutbutter.com

 Special thanks to Justin Gold for the interview.

Meet the Healthy Food Entrepreneur Series:

Mary, from Mary's Gone Crackers

Peter Schatzberg from Freefoods NYC