Elevator Talk: Juicybite, Send Bars, Date Smarter, Keya's Snacks, Elephant Green Chili Chutney

27:51So how can we take that and make it look a little more like the dessert we would grab at a gas station? We've got all kinds of famous people on this episode. I didn't realize your background as well, Grace. How many years were you a news reporter or anchor? Yeah, I was for about four years. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019. And then I was reporting through the COVID era a little bit after. And so this kind of all came about. It's kind of crazy. It was a complete 180, what I'm doing now, but it all came about through that. Well, I'm glad that you've traded in the microphone for the, I don't know, apron?

28:33Yeah, I know. Totally. Yes. But it feels like this is a brand that's totally trending, right? It feels like people want better for you snacks that are made with better for you ingredients that they recognize. and dates are one of the most underrated superfoods, I believe, out there, but they're growing. I feel like people are becoming a lot more aware of their power. And, you know, Ken, I don't know. It's like, I feel like dates are really having a moment and date smarter is coming at a perfect time. Well, you know, we met Grace already and I got to tell you, Grace, you know, I'm the biggest fan of your product, as is our family and our agency.

29:19So we reached out to her, Ray, and we identified her in a space that is very well needed. We're working through all of that together right now. But I will tell you, she has a phenomenal product. As being one that's an avid chocolate eater, I look for alternatives. I want to keep my sugar down. I want a healthier option so I don't get addicted to, you know, constantly eating sugary sweets. And Date Smarter brings that. There's no question. There's nothing left in our inventory. And we purchased a bunch of it. So, you know, one thing I think we should talk about, though, Grace, and we may have had this offline, but I think for the viewers, it's important to know.

29:56Talk to us a little bit more about really the benefits of the product. You know, there's some health benefits to it. And although we can't make medical claims, let's talk just a little bit about what people are saying. How do they feel? How's it helping their digestive system? Talk to us about those benefits. Totally. And as you guys were both saying, dates have so many benefits. They're also low glycemic. So when you eat them, you don't process the sugar the same way as you would process even a stevia or an ethanol or an allulose or cane sugar. And also, they're really filling. They're super high in fiber.

30:33I mean, whatever your fitness goals are, I have people reaching out to me that are runners and want to eat them, you know, as fuel for a marathon. I have people reaching out to me that they're on a weight loss journey. Some people have even reached out to me. I didn't even think of this. We're on weight loss medications who need fiber to be able to keep regular. I mean, no matter what your journey is, fiber is so important. I think a lot of people really focus on protein and I'm a huge health fitness person. I definitely try to get in my protein. It's hard, but I think it's really important people focus on fiber because that just keeps your body feeling good.

31:08You know, it's not just about what you look like. I mean, people who are pregnant, they are told to eat dates before. Again, I can't really go into any medical claims on that, but I have a lot of people reach out to me saying that that's a way that they find our product. And I also think chocolate is really medicinal, but a lot of the chocolate you have out there just has so much gunk in it, you know? And so dark chocolate that's sweetened with a coconut sugar, sweetened with dates, maybe even a little bit of cane sugar. I mean, I think that's great for you, you know? I agree. And, you know, the chocolate that is to the masses is not chocolate.

31:46Exactly. It's watered down sugar. So, you know, your product that, you know, was a little concerned about the texture. I will say when I got it. And I was delighted, over-delighted that the texture was amazing. And they're amazing frozen. They're amazing frozen. I love them frozen. We actually have two new flavors coming out. We're launching a peanut butter in September and a peppermint for the holidays. And those frozen are so incredible. Yeah. So I usually eat them frozen as well. I put them in the freezer. And my dad, when I was visiting, took one out and his tooth kind of almost had an issue there.

32:22So I always warn people, be careful. You know you're doing your job. Put them in the freezer. Yeah, exactly. I was like, I want it to be stuck in your teeth, you know, because a lot of date products, they're amazing. I eat a lot of them, but you taste like you're kind of getting a protein bar vibe. And that is just not what I wanted. You know, Grace, like our dear co-host, Ken, I have a sweet tooth and I love munching on chocolate and candies. But, you know, you're just not supposed to do too much. You're not supposed to consume too much sugar and whatnot. But I love when I come across a clean label candy or chocolate.

32:59And it feels like there's a groundswell of new brands coming to market. But I feel like the ones that are really succeeding, the ones that are really attracting attention, the ones that focus on flavor, first and foremost, taste still has to be a priority. How are you talking about taste to your consumers? How are you talking about texture to consumers? Yes. Well, it's always a challenge because date products have been around for a little bit. I know they're really hot right now, but something like an RX bar, you know, people know there are dates in that. And when I tell them I have a date product, as Ken mentioned, they usually think that it's going to taste like that.

33:40So what I try to do is I even have people when I do demos say, I don't really like dates. I don't know if I want to try it. I say, just try it and let me know. Like, you can spit it out. That's totally fine. I won't be offended. Just keep an open mind and give it a try. So I think that has been a challenge for me. You know, to be honest, I even considered changing the name at first. Like, do I make it something that's not a date product, right? So people will think of it as a candy. I thought more about that and thought, yeah, not a great idea. I really do like the name. But yeah, that is a challenge for it as well.

34:12But I think it's, you know, anytime I talk to someone and I'm pitching my product and they say, we already have date products, why should we pick you? I say, because try it and you'll see that texture. It tastes just like the real thing. So I'm really happy we were able to do that. Great job, Grace. And one comment on that is, I can't stand beets. I don't know, Ray and Grace, if you guys like the taste of beets. It tastes like dirt. I hate them too. I hate them. Oh, I cannot do like a raw beet or beet juice. I can't. But look at, and I don't know what the name of the brand is, but a brand came out where it's like a little gummy.

34:45It's pure beet with a little bit of sugar that they put in it. And you eat it daily. It's for heart health, supposedly, medical claim. But, you know, it's for heart health and it tastes phenomenal. That's the same with Date Smarter. You don't have to like the texture of dates. I grew up eating dates, so I'm Italian. So for me, it's part of, you know, what we grew up with. But a lot of people don't like the texture. Try Date Smarter, my friends, because I will tell you the product is amazing. It's your alternative to that sweet that you want throughout the day. It's just so good. You've done a really good job.

35:18Just keep it going. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Thank you. Well, on the subject of the name, you have a great, I guess, tagline as well, which is the name is Date Smarter. And the tagline is break up with unhealthy snacks. So I love that. I guess there's also a double entendre for Date Smarter in that date support brain health. And as you mentioned on your website, Bone Health as well. What's the price point per package? Yes. So it is a premium product. We sell it wholesale for$4.50. We're in a variety of grocery stores. I mean, Air One, I know, sells it for$8.99. Some stores bump it up a little more.

35:55I had one store that was more consignment style sell it for$7.50. So it is a premium product for sure. It's a premium product, but I think for the ingredients and for where you are at your stage of development, it's an appropriate price point. I guess the last question is, who's helping you sell it? Who's helping you promote the brand? If you have an influencer strategy already, I know it's still early for you. But, you know, how are you getting people interested in this product from a social media standpoint and beyond? Man, it is a grind because right now it is me, myself and I doing everything like a chicken with my head cut off.

36:31But I am so grateful for it and I really enjoy it. And I do it full time. So I like to be busy. But, yeah, that's definitely something we're thinking about in the future when it comes to influencers. I really just try to reach out to people and say, hey, can I send you this product? No strings attached. And a lot of them do post it. I think we've also been really strategic about where we place our product. A place like Air One, a ton of people find it in there. I enter in pitch competitions. It's how we won the fairway find of 2025. So we didn't have to pay for a lot of signs and great shelf placements.

37:06So just trying to get it in front of as many people as possible. But, you know, as a startup, as someone who's bootstrapping it, that is our next step to really start to work with people on selling this and blowing it up, I guess, so to speak. Because right now it's just been really bootstrapped and throwing as many as I can in my bag and walking through the streets in New York. So that is that is the process that's yet to be determined. You are a true entrepreneur through and through. You're going through it. And I know that there's a there's a good future for Date Smarter. And when you look back on all this, you're going to be like, man, I love doing that.

37:42So many entrepreneurs that I've spoken with want to go back in time to those days when they were grinding because it was so fun and there were so many unknowns. But it was you're the one in charge of your destiny. So, Grace, thank you so much for joining us on the show. So please, if there's any way we can help out, just let us know if you're looking for folks to help you with your package design or with marketing or whatnot, or just have any questions. Just let us know and we'll do our best to help. Awesome. I appreciate that. Thank you both so much. Thank you, Grace. Great job. I love this show.

38:21I love this show because we get to meet really amazing, energetic founders who, again, are just changing the way that the food industry looks, tastes. I don't know if the food industry tastes a certain way, but you know what I mean. Yeah, 100%. Yes. All right. Let's move on to our next guest for this episode of Elevator Talk. That's Kea Wingfield, who is the founder and CEO of Kea's Snacks. Kea, it's great to see you. Hey, hi, I'm Kea. Thanks for having me. Well, thank you so much for joining us. And I love your hat. Anything but boring. Is that the tagline for Kea's Snacks? That's kind of our model.

38:59Yes, very much. Like I like my chocolate and candy, I also love my potato chips. And you have, whoa, these are really, really cool looking potato chips. Tell us all about what you do. Sure. So I was born and raised in Bombay in India. and I've been in the U.S. for almost 20 years now. I'm actually not a CPG person. I'm a pastry chef. I had a thriving dessert business that, you know, the bottom fell out in 2020. So we pivoted to making modern Indian American to-go meals. And with those meals, I would send teeny little bags of masala chips as a thank you for letting me pivot. And then not even a week later, people were calling to order just the chips.

39:41And that's how we came to market. it. And like overnight, I had to learn how to make a CPG product and make a chef's table and all that fun stuff. But the origin story of the chips is even better to me. So I married a white guy, and he didn't like Indian food. And I'm like, what am I going to do with you? I can't divorce you over this. There is no judge who's going to be like, he doesn't like your food, let him go. I can't kill him because I love him. So I had to find a way to bridge the gap and invite him into my culture, but in a softer way and a more approachable, making the unapproachable approachable, if you will.

40:15So the Bombay blend that's on my chips right now, the Bombay spice chips, I used to make that blend for myself because I would put, I was so homesick. I would put it on eggs and tacos and salads and potatoes. And one day I took his favorite snack, which is a good old salted potato chip, go figure, put it up, put the blend on there, gave it to him and he fell in love. That's how he learned to eat Indian food. That's how he learned to eat all kinds of cultural food. It opened up his palate and it was a massive aha moment for me as a chef. I'm like, this is the way, this is the way we can make the unapproachable approachable, if you will.

40:47So now he eats Indian food. So no divorce or murder, not yet. Although he's always on the ice, but, but that's my story. We launched, we relaunched, we hand-packaged, handmade everything for four years, could not keep up with demand anymore. So we relaunched this year in January with a fantastic co-packer, organic single origin spices directly from India because I know what my motherland can produce. I had to get the best stuff. The potatoes are American. The product is made in America. It really honors both my cultures of Indian and American. So here we are. Incredible. I think you need to create a sub stack or do some sort of op ed.

41:27I already know the title. The title is potato chips saved my marriage. Done. Done. Done it now. Yeah. Thank you. Well, okay. So number one, my mouth is watering, which is always a good sign when I'm doing these shows because it looks like your product just tastes amazing. You have two varieties. You have your Bombay Spice Potato Chips and your Black Salt Potato Chips. Both are kettle cooked, described as kettle cooked, and described as clean spices. And the packaging is just so standout. I think that's a picture, a caricature of you in the middle. Is that right? It is, yes. It's my icon face on there.

42:03Yes. And it's clearly, you know, you clearly know what you're getting into.

42:09I have a lot more to say, but Ken, I know you have a lot to say as well. Take it away. You know, I'm really excited about this, Ray. And, Kea, I mean, till death do us potato. I mean, I think it's the tagline, right? But I got to tell you, at the end of the day, you've done a phenomenal job in creating product. You know, I was trying to go through before the show and order some of your products and I can't wait to try it. But, you know, I think you take your vibrant energy. You have such great energy. I can feel that. And that's what the brand tone is. That's your ethos really going forward. I think the comical side of what you're saying is really how people are going to engage.

42:46And, you know, we're moving into a society, interesting enough, we're moving into a society, according to reports that have been done, where consumers are becoming fatigued with celebrity brands. Absolutely. Now, I'm a mecca in that. I'm a product of the Kardashian family, right? We created, you know, brands with them 16 years ago to where we are today. But those will always be there. But the brand owner that's putting on the hairnet and going behind the scenes and creating and developing and the short videos that are coming out is what's going to be really important. For you, I would have a camera on you all day, every week filming what you're doing.

43:22Because that's how people are going to begin to, you know, just the way that Ray's mouth is watering. And so is mine because Ray and I have something very in common. We love chocolate. We love snacks. And we love potato chips. So now we want to taste something very different. And you're bringing your culture to the U.S. market. But Samra needs to really, really embrace that. Where are you sold right now? Where can we find you? So we are focusing all our efforts in the mid-Atlantic. We have kind of an omni-channel approach. We just launched into 1 ,000 home goods stores. and we are in Kroger Publix and about to launch into another national retailer in January.

43:59So we're trying to grow fast. It's a fast-moving category. And we just want to bring as many chips as possible and as many hands as possible, as fast as possible. Yep, you're a volume-based business. Good job. You know, we have a dream to do a multi-category brand, right? The chips are a foot in the door. I'm a chef. I love to innovate. It's hard to edit sometimes. but we really want to expand this POV into other formats as well. Okay, I have a lot of questions. I'm trying to figure out exactly where to start here. Let's start with HomeGoods for a second. How do you get into HomeGoods? They saw me.

44:33They saw my bag, this particular one somewhere in New York, and they reached out. They're like, how soon can we get you in? And literally within a month and a half, we were on their shelves. How's the brand performing there? It's doing pretty good. We launched last week. I've been getting a lot of tags. I've been getting a lot of tags from my community, a lot of Indian women showing up for it, a lot of Caucasian women showing up for it. Because the second they see the Bindi on the icon, they know it's an Indian-centric brand. And it just kind of makes them feel seen, you know? Well, that's a perfect segue to my next question because I'm scrolling through your Instagram page here.

45:10And back in December of 2024, your packaging looked quite different. It was a clear bag. There was a sticker with the label, just like closing the bag. Pretty basic, pretty minimalist. Your new packaging is, as Ken and I have talked about, is just so standout and impressive. Talk about that process of rebranding or redesigning your packaging. Yeah, yeah. So my older brother did all the packaging and the branding work. He's not a CPG guy. I had to beg him, although it's easy to manipulate older brothers. It wasn't too hard. But he's a design guy. He's brilliant. And because he knows me so well, he was the only one that could do justice to what we're trying to do.

45:54We really think about it in a very holistic way. So this is a family brand. There is a poem around the face that my husband wrote, by the way, the white guy I talked about. He wrote that there is there is some Hindi lettering on each side that say potato chips. The seam on the back is my mom's sorry border. This hand is my six year old daughter's hand. The brand is built in my son's name. This is a family brand through and through, and we just want people to feel completely welcome. And there is about 36 grams of joy in each bag. Wow. Amazing. Truly amazing. That was a minute of amazingness. Thank you for sharing.

46:36By the way, this is a record now. The number of times, in a good way, that my forehead has hit the microphone during a conversation like this. So well done, Kea. You know, Ken, I love your advice of really making Kea the center of the marketing strategy, having that camera follow her around. I think that's a really good idea. But, you know, there are certain things that are going to work more than others. Um, you know, is it how, how, I guess, how would you talk to entrepreneurs about, I guess, towing that line between being too personal, revealing maybe too much and, you know, be almost touching that uncomfortable level of sharing too much and also kind of staying on brand and like really focusing on selling the product in a really authentic way.

47:31Great question. I do think that the brand needs to speak for itself. And I think you've done a really good job, you know, obviously creating, you know, an identified ethos that the consumers are going to really be able to engage with. Because what's the key, right, with CPG brands, right? You're on the shelf and the consumer is going to, within a minute, decide if they're going to want to pull it into their cart or not. And you have to do like you did with Ray and I, where you're captivating our senses, right? Our palate begins to water. We become excited. I mean, we've all been in that moment, right?

48:03You've done that, Kea. Now, I do think we're moving into society, as stated earlier, where the brand wants to know who the leadership is. That's going to be important. And it doesn't mean you have to dilute yourself, you know, over and beyond what the quality of the brand is and what your future of the brand is. But I definitely think you should be a part of that. And, you know, a heads up for HomeGoods because we do hundreds of millions of dollars with HomeGoods as an agency. Sell 60 % of your product in six weeks and they're going to reorder you for the next 12 months. Okay, great. Just move your product off.

48:34And, you know, the good news is that it's an impulse buy market. So I think you'll do really well there. but congratulations on what you're doing. Keep your energy as the forefront of your brand. And if you ever need any assistance, you know, Ray and I are here to help you out, most definitely. Thank you. That's great advice. I think I would love to know. And to your point about divulging too much, I feel like we lead with a lot of intention and honesty. And people want to look behind the curtains, right? Like who is running this brand? Who is this person we're supporting. So we try to be as transparent as we can in everything we do.

49:10But I'd love to, at some point, understand what is the best way for us to create a crossover, because there is a massive tipping point coming for Indian cuisine, the same one that came for Mexican and Thai cuisine years ago. And how do we kind of stay on the forefront? And how do we create that bridge and continue to walk through that tipping point? And that's a longer conversation, but we definitely to touch on that because there's a lot of great ideas. We know how to cross over. And I do think that, you know, Ray and I can assist you with that if you need that help in the future. Most definitely.

49:42Yeah, we'd love to send you samples. Just to quickly, you know, address that. I think what you're doing is a perfect way. It's almost like a Trojan horse in some ways to get people to understand that Indian food is so delicious and so flavorful and you're doing it with a point of reference that is so easy to understand for everyone, potato chips. And they don't need to do anything. They don't need to add anything to it. It's all just there on the one chip. So I think you're doing an amazing thing, Kea, in helping the entire Indian food community to move forward and move forward in a way that's going to appeal to a lot of people.

50:22So great, amazing start to your brand. And I know, I think this has got a ton of runway. And I want to continue to follow what you're doing for a long time. Please stay in touch. We definitely want to make sure that we're keeping an eye on what you're doing. So, yeah, thank you again. Thank you. We're excited. We've got a third flavor coming out, which is a true crossover flavor. I'm very excited about it. Can you share what that is? Ooh, can I? Not yet? Okay, okay. Well, let us know when it's out. We're super excited about that. It is America's favorite condiment. I'll say that, that I am identifying.

50:58That should give you a good hint. Oh, interesting. Okay, Ken, you're good at this. You almost got it. You were right there. You had her on the ledge, but she somehow pulled her off. Yeah, exactly. All right. Okay, once again, thanks so much for joining us on Elevator Talk. Thank you. I appreciate it. Quick break. If this episode has you thinking about what's next in food and beverage, explore BevNet and Nosh Insider, our subscription platform with deeper insights from the BevNet team. Visit TASTERadio.com slash insider to learn more.

51:30All right, on to our final guest for this episode of Elevator Talk. We have Tansy Terrell, who is the co-founder of Elephant Green Chili Chutney. Tansy, great to see you. Guys, it's so good to see you, and thank you so much for having us on the show. Thanks so much for joining us, and thanks for your patience. I'm sure you're getting hungry as well. But as soon as I said elephant green chili chutney, I should just drop my mic on the floor and call it a day because this sounds incredible. That is so nice. Have you tried it? I have not. I haven't had an opportunity to try it yet. Sample's coming your way.

52:05This is like the best day of my life over here. I'm just getting offers to have the best food in America over here. It's a tough business. How do you manage staying balanced with all these tastes? I don't know. I don't know. But for our audience who isn't familiar with your brand, please tell us all about what you do. Well, I'll give you an interesting factoid. We are 282 days in business today. Only, only. It's incredible. It's been such a journey. We are the first of its kind recipe in green chili chutney. um there's no other kind there's no other flavor like this that has come to the american palate it's six simple ingredients clean manufactured in connecticut naturally vegan gluten-free um sensory flavor explosion uh people when they taste it the reaction is wow just and you know when i'm when i'm giving the spiel my mom who's the co-founder kashmira who's behind all of this.

53:08She just couldn't make it today. She should have been doing this today. I'm stepping in for her. And she's like, stop talking. Let the chutney talk. Tansy, shh. That's what she told me at the food show. She's like, let people eat. Stop your spiel. Which is why I was hoping that, you know, but we'll get samples across to you. But it's been one heck of a journey. We're manufactured in Connecticut. One skew. and we want to stay focused on one skew. We want to do one thing really well. We want to make it your new pantry to plates, you know, product. You can put it on anything. We like to tell our customers, think outside the jar and people are like, oh my God, I'm going to have this on a hot dog.

53:52I'm going to have this on a pizza. Actually seeing them process, like I'm going to do so much with this. And people have told us when they've tasted it, like how have you managed? They put it in their mouth and they're like, How have you managed to hit? First you get the zing, then you get the sweet, then you get the heat right at the end. And like just seeing seeing tasters go through those feelings and those that sensory feel on their tongue is so exciting for us to watch. We we had such a great time at the food show. I couldn't agree with you guys more. That's really a great show. You know, it was a treat for us.

54:30And it's like mom and I tell ourselves it's like a shot in the arm, you know, why we're in this business, why we're standing here and doing this. It was so interesting when you were just talking to Kea. We are also both born and raised in Bombay, have lived in New York for 22 years, felt that there was a product like this. There wasn't quite something like this on the shelf, a game changing condiment. You know, and here we are 282 days in. I mean, it's amazing. It's crazy being an entrepreneur and a founder because just the sensory explosion every day that you must feel, the highs and lows, but the idea that you're feeding people better food must be so rewarding.

55:16And I'm headed to Chicago tomorrow. We're hosting a meetup out there, a networking and live podcast meetup for the community out there. Quick plug for other meetups happening in San Diego and San Francisco and London in September and October. If you want to learn more, head to Tasteradio.com. But the first thing I'm thinking about is, okay, I might get one of those hot dogs that they're famous for in Chicago. I just don't want that neon green relish that they put on there. How about instead some elephant green chili chutney on there? It will rock your world. I promise you. I promise you. You know, I have to tell you, and I'm proud of this, we have not spent a dollar on ad spend.

56:01We have not spent a dollar on an influencer. And we have not spent a dollar on a celebrity chef. We just don't have it. The truth is, we just don't have it. Everything that you see, if you look at our press kit, it's completely organic. They have eaten it and they've chosen to talk about it. And we are, we cry. Our reaction every time is just, we are so ecstatic to see that natural reaction come out. This product is so versatile. I think what makes it unique, of course, there are so many out there, but what makes it unique is this special blend of these signature green chilies, that coconut, the cilantro.

56:42And not only is it delicious, it's good for you. Cilantro is famously anti-inflammatory. Again, no medical claims, but the chilies are great for your metabolism. And the Specialty Food Show came up with data points. And I thought that that would be super interesting for you guys to know. Consumers, chutney is one of the top five growing condiments as identified by the specialty food show. And this is driven by global flavors, easy to use global flavors, sweet heat, you know, 44 % of Gen Zers want sweet heat, 60 % of Gen Zers love spice. So we're trying to bring all these qualities into this product that can, I mean, we've done sliders, we've done, we've done mac and cheese, we've done grilled cheese with chutney.

57:41You know, we just did a pop-up at Williams-Sonoma and I think we sold 48 jars in four hours. It was, it has an amazing conversion ratio. Like people taste it and they cannot walk away. I'm proud to say people taste it and they cannot walk away without a jar. We love that. As soon as I taste this, I feel like I'm going to want to share it with people. Like if I had one, if I was sitting next to Ken right here, as opposed to being on a Zoom, we'd be like, Ken, you got to try this. Ken, I mean, I've been taking up all the time. What are your thoughts on this brand? You know, I'm super excited about it because, you know, we're looking right now, there is a white space for you, Tonsi.

58:20There really, really is a bit large white space. Salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard, relish, all single skews, right, that have not really evolved into much more. I mean, yeah, we tried truffle ketchup and we tried this and that, you know, but at the end of the day, we go right back to the original. And I think that's really what you need to do. Look, if your budgets are limited, which is, you know, first off, very understandable, you don't want to dilute your business at this stage. I would highly recommend you sample, sample, sample, sample, sample. Because the way that, you know, Ray and I have, you know, we're now waiting for your product, right?

58:55We're going to try it. We're going to add it to the hot dogs and to the pizza and to the salads and everything that we're utilizing. That's how you're going to really garner people to continue to purchase and purchase until you create that revenue. But I will tell you what's really important is to get into retail stores. It's going to be very important for your brand because you're a little bit more of a heavier shipping product. So consumers tend to steer away from that$7,$8 shipping cost, especially if your MSRP is around that or a little bit higher. So we want to make sure you're available on retail.

59:28If you don't have the resources to use a broker right now or an agency like, you know, our resources, call into Air One, put a phone call into Sprouts, you know, try to do it on your own. But you, right now, I think it's really important to really sample to as many consumers as you can so they can repurchase your product over and over and over again. That's why we till now I have we have tried to demo at every store that we put it on the shelf. We try to be there to demo on the day that they do that, which is super important for the brand. You're so right. And I really appreciate that advice, Ken.

1:00:02You know, we've just tied up with an East Coast distributor, McMahon's Farm. They're very small, but they've been in business for a long time. And we want that intimate sort of feeling. And we want to dig really deep into the East Coast. we're in talks through mcmahon's farm with whole foods we're in talks with citarella we're in talks with williams sonoma this is this is a sort of premium product in terms of the quality of the ingredients what we've not put in it there is added sugar but just a touch for the balance three grams per serving that is nothing it is literally just to round out the flavor and give you that slight sweetness.

1:00:41Most of the sweetness comes from the coconut. And that coconut performs so well. We have just, we've gained huge popularity with cheese, which is great, which is a great category to cross sell in. We just landed our first butcher shelf. We've been talking to Citarella because we believe it is extraordinary with fish. It just shines. The green citrusiness, the way it works with the fatty fish or the way it works just generally with fish. We just did an article for a fisherman's magazine titled the chili that caught the fish. Literally, we're saying, take the chutney, put it in the fisherman's tack box, and that's all he needs.

1:01:20He catches the fish, guts it out, cleans it, puts it on the grill. We're done grilling, and you just add chutney, and you do not need anything else on that fish. Please do check that post out on Instagram. It is so awesome. And it just goes to tell you how far this one jar will take you. A million uses. And we just feel that it is not just a condiment. It can be a serious cooking ingredient as well, like grilled chicken on steak. It's chimichurri, but without the nuts and the oil. It is zhug, but a different layer and level. These are the comparisons that have been made to it, but nothing quite, nothing that blends coconut, nothing.

1:02:05And these signature green chilies are a secret and the way they work on your palate is extraordinary not like a serrano not like a habanero not like a jalapeno um so that's what we think um differentiates us in the market um and and we hope that people enjoy it as much as it has been for us to bring it out to you guys to taste well i have a feeling that's going to happen as soon as i have a jar i'm going to be as wild and creative as I can be with whatever food I can put it on from eggs to burgers to shrimp. I mean, there's just so many. I'm on your Instagram page right now. There's a million different ways that the versatility just looks incredible.

1:02:49Tansy, thank you. A million thanks for being on the show. I've really enjoyed talking with you. And I feel like elephant green chili chutney is going to be in my pantry for a long time. And we have a piece of news for you on the show that we're breaking on your show. Please do. Yes, share it. Coming soon to Amazon. Oh, outstanding. Very cool. Thank you. Thank you. So that's a big one. That's a big step over the next month. So it's in the works. We're getting it all together. But we're super excited because this is how we feel that nationwide people are going to be able to taste it, really taste it.

1:03:28Tansy, thank you so much again. And please let us know how we can help in any way along your journey. And please thank your mom as well for being a great co-founder and bringing this amazing brand to market. Thank you. Thank you so much. And Ken, it was really great speaking to you as well. And thank you for all the work that you guys are doing to support us, to support the CPG founders. Thank you. Ken, you know, I told you we had a good show, a great show ahead of us. And, you know, the five brands that joined us, just amazing stuff. I just wish I had some juicy bites, some send bars, some date smarter, some chaos snacks, and of course, some elephant green chutney, chili chutney.

1:04:09I think that would just be my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire day. I'm sure I could have an amazing meal. I'll bring the cheese, the crackers, and the beverages. I'm on a jet on my way over. Let's go. Okay. Let's do it. Let's do it indeed. Hey, you know, I've really enjoyed having you on this show. And thank you so much for co-hosting. I know, you know, we already heard it from our participants. They want to get in touch with you and your team. What is the best way to do so? You know, they can log on, obviously, to tlkfusion.com and do an inquiry. And then someone from our research team will obviously reach back out to them.

1:04:46Or they could always email direct. And they can email at ken at tlkfusion.com. I'm here to support all entrepreneurs and will always respond to every email that comes into my inbox. Fantastic. Well, we got to have you back on the show if you'll have us. I love it. We'll love it, my friend. Thank you for having me. It's been such a pleasure. It really has been a pleasure indeed. Well, having you on the show. Otherwise, I'm tuning my own horn here, which I'm not trying to do. Anyway, once again, thanks so much, Ken. And thanks so much to all the entrepreneurs who joined us today on Elevator Talk.

1:05:20Thanks to everyone watching or listening. And thanks to our amazing team at BevNet, Nosh, and Taste Radio, the best in the business. Signing off for everyone, I'm Ray Lateef, and we'll talk to you next time.