Founder Feature: Alan Scholnick of Datefix

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0:53The waste of bananas, I mean, the ripeness windows are still too short between going from green, you know, yellow to black or brown. So they were throwing it away as they ripen. They were attracting fruit flies. And this is kind of a miracle. And the superpower of dates is sure it's nature's candy, sure it's nature's caramel. It's great for a sweet tooth, but it's superpower. It's that it's a long lasting fresh fruit. Hey, everybody. This is Caitlin Bricker, editor at Startup CPG. We are back with another founder feature. Today we're talking with Alan Skolnick, founder of Date Fix. Date Fix is fresh fruit made to go that blows traditional energy gels out of the water.

1:36Alan's entrepreneurial journey took an unexpected turn when his mother-in-law's date and orange blossom pastry opened his eyes to a whole new world of flavor. Now he's helping everyone from elite athletes to people managing diabetes with a low glycemic fuel that actually tastes good. He's landed in 3 ,000 locations, proving that sometimes the best innovation is just putting nature's candy in a better package. I am so here for the Date Fix mission, and I hope you are too. Enjoy!

2:08Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Startup CPG Podcast. This is Caitlin, and today I'm here with Alan Skolnick, founder of Date Fix. Alan, welcome to the show. Hi, Caitlin. Nice to be with you. I am so happy to have you here. I think this is probably the most excited I've ever been to have a guest on because if anybody knows me, they know how much I love dates and your product is so focused on dates. I am just so excited to get into this and have this conversation with you. So for anyone who's listening and is not familiar with Date Fix, can you just give us a simple little introduction about what Date Fix is?

2:47Sure. DateFix is as simple as can be. It's just fresh fruit made to go. That's it. And the idea was to just take the oldest fruit in the book and turn it into the most convenient fruit. Perfect. I love everything about it. So before we dive more into DateFix, I want to know a little bit more about you. Can you tell us about your background? Sure. So I started my career in real estate and finance. And the sort of entrepreneurial journey that I really embarked on the most was I got involved in aviation because of my wife. And so we met in Singapore, we moved to Hong Kong, and she was already working in that field.

3:29And we started effectively the first corporate jet charter business out of Hong Kong. And it was super pioneering and really audacious. We were technically licensed as a commercial airline, but we only did private Jets. We were the first to do it. It was super pioneering. And we did a lot of medical evacuations. And this is a time when this is a long time ago. So entrepreneur and Dayfix has been my garage project, my passion project that I wanted to see if I could turn it into my full-time endeavor. Was there anything about your background or your personal lifestyle, wants and needs that made you turn to dates and create Dayfix?

4:06So it sounds like you were fueling the world with private jets and going all sorts of places and traveling. But why this form of fuel? Okay, well, just I was never the passenger on the jet. I just made it possible for other people to do it. So I guess I've been in the fuel business technically for a long time, if you think about it that way. No, Date Fix is literally the intersection of my life. It's really two passions that came together. I'm a long distance runner. I'm really into fitness. So I knew this form factor from the quote unquote, and I energy gels. And then I love food. And I basically like most people, I run to eat and I eat to run and I run to eat.

4:49And so this was just the marriage of those two, two loves, two passions. And I thought the form factor was like genius because you can eat from it and you can dispense from it. And it doesn't have a mushroom cap like some of the baby food products, but everything that had ever been inside of this product had always been artificial. And so going back to my wife, when she introduced me to her mother, her mother made a pastry for me when I first met her. And it was, the filling was effectively date fix. It was dates and orange blossom water. And growing up in Detroit, I frankly had not really had a date until that point.

5:27well the fruit date of that point and orange blossom water and that was super new to me and as someone who just loved food it just opened up my eyes into a whole new world so I thought if I could put the delicious filling hiding in the dough here I mean always we know the filling is the best part of anything like think of the cream and Oreos or something so I literally took the fig out of the Newton and I put the thought if I could put into this form factor I might be are onto something. The first time I got introduced to Date Fix was via Daniel at our, I think it was our founder dinner out at Expo West.

6:02You were there. I'd never heard of Date Fix before. I was still at the time fairly new to the team. Daniel knew this about me very early on that if there's a product that has dates in it, I need to know about it. So when you brought us over together and I tasted it, I was like, okay, this is cool. And I think I chose like four or five brands out of all of the brands I saw at Expo West. And I was like, Date Fix is a brand to watch. And I stand by that today. So I'm pumped about Date Fix. So I need you. Of course, of course. Thank you. I need you to tell us what makes Date Fix different than these other energy gels that are on the market.

6:42You're talking about the date paste that's in the product and the orange blossom water. But For anybody who's not familiar with an energy gel, why is DateFix different? And why would somebody consider grabbing DateFix over a traditional energy gel? Well, I think it was the same reason that, so the common, I mean, runners will mostly tell you that I think gels have been sort of a necessary evil. There wasn't a lot of things that you could traditionally carry that was portable that you could crack open and eat on a run. And so I think the idea that you could theoretically convince yourself you were putting some kind of fuel in your body, even if it was artificial or synthetic, I guess that was something, maybe better than nothing, some would argue.

7:23But the common knock on gels is they're really hard to digest. I mean, they create GI issues. And that's sort of in keeping with the fact that they are artificial. I mean, the lead ingredient tends to be maltodextrin or tapioca syrup, or to try to put a healthy halo on tapioca syrup, it might be organic tapioca syrup. What was become, if I see the word organic, it's almost like being embedded in something. It's like, I don't know, it feels like it's real butter or something. It's like, be careful, warning, red flag. But anyway, so gels are really hard to digest as a synthetic. And I also think there's been a lot of conditioning and disinformation that somebody thinks they need to have, like energy comes from some like outer space.

8:03And, you know, we wanted to bring it back to basics. Food is energy and good food is better energy. And what I mean by good food is there's not all carbs or sugars are created equally as we know, and they're good ones. And I don't think anyone's made a better carb or a better sugar than Mother Nature. And so we're backed by Mother Nature and common sense. And gels try to sell you, they're usually made in a lab and some of them have lab and their name of their company. And our company is called The Perfect Date. And dates are already perfect the way they are, but we think we made them just a little bit better by changing the form factor.

8:39blending them up, making it easier to eat. You don't have to worry about the pit, the stickiness, the washing. And some people are turned off by the form factor of the date, the wrinkly appearance. It's not a looker. So we gave the date a makeover. And I think this is, it's so simple, but it's somewhat revolutionary. And just to add, I mean, dates are fresh fruit. I mean, despite the wrinkly appearance, that's the ripe fresh fruit state. And they're not dried. I mean, they can be dried out, but so this is fresh fruit made to go. And remarkably, and I mean, the people where we did our food science, we stopped doing shelf stability tests over two years.

9:18And there's no refrigeration. And it's just two ingredients. And there's really nothing like that. So the simplicity belies the kind of the innovation that's there. two things that you said that I want to hit on one yes looking at a date on its own first time I ever saw a date was with my husband back in college he was like yeah my mom just sent me dates and I was like what are you talking about he showed me I had never had a date before I don't even know if I knew what a date was this was my god like I don't even want to say how long ago So it was a long time ago. I didn't, so you shouldn't either.

9:56But I saw it and I was like, this looks like a cockroach. This is like not appetizing looking whatsoever. And then I tried it and I was like, this is so good. And now I love what you're saying about the shelf life, because every time I go to the grocery store and I don't have dates with hanging out with the rest of my produce, I will get a container of dates at the store and I'll have them hanging out. But something that always happens to me is that they just sometimes do hang out there and I'm not using them as often as I intend to. But I'm always amazed at how fresh they are even months after purchasing them.

10:33And probably if that's happening to me, it's the same way when they're just sitting on the store shelves, too. Yeah. I mean, our sustainability story is that there's no food waste and no fruit waste. And, you know, what we solve for is this is the first fresh fruit that is that shelf stable naturally. And that's somewhat, I mean, absolutely remarkable. And I contend that people would be eating fruit more if it just wasn't so difficult to eat on the go. I mean, it's fussy, it's messy. I mean, you know, you think about you buy your raspberries. I mean, if you don't eat them almost the next day, they're like already turning fuzzy.

11:05So how many raspberries have been tossed? We've done a trial with Starbucks. We've done with somewhat the idea to become their new banana. And Starbucks in April of 2022 stopped selling bananas as their healthy fruit because even the banana was just too much. It's stressed out. I mean, it was the waste of bananas. I mean, the ripeness windows are still too short between going from green to yellow to black or brown. So they were throwing it away as they ripen. They were attracting fruit flies. And this is kind of a miracle. And the superpower of dates is, sure, it's nature's candy. Sure, it's nature's caramel.

11:45It's great for a sweet tooth. But its superpower is that it's a long-lasting fresh fruit. And we need it. We do need it. We definitely need it. And why I'm so excited about dates, yes, I discovered them when I was in college. But I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant. And I know a lot of people talk about you can eat dates towards the end of your pregnancy, I think, to help induce labor. I never got to that point, but I was stuck with having to eat gummies, glucose gummies, to help get my blood sugar up when my blood sugar was getting low. And then also having to eat these, they were kind of like glucose tablets.

12:23I was able to find a clean version online, but it was like eating a pallet of chalk. It was not great. I didn't know about Date Fix back then, and I wish I did, but I still have blood sugar issues almost two years later. and date fix is like something I can just stick in my pocket, in the front of my sling bag, in my bag before I go swimming in the morning. It's amazing because it is serious when the blood sugar gets low. I'm not even diabetic. So I want to get into this with you about people who have diabetes. Have you done any testing with CGMs or finger pricking and using date fix versus another product or just date fix in general and how that impacts the blood sugar?

13:06So this is really an organic story. This is, we discovered in the journey here that we didn't realize the benefit of dates to the diabetes community, in particular, the type one diabetes community. And so we learned with, through our customers, just like you mentioned in reference to helping with labor, we started getting testimonials from customers who said, I'm a type one diabetic and dates are low glycemic. We knew they were low glycemic and to the point that we decided to now add low glycemic as a call it on the back of the pack, which I think is taking on an increasing importance to the broader public, even if you're not a diabetic, because effectively that's the fancy way of saying no sugar crash.

13:51And that's why day fix, I joke, it's morning fruit, afternoon pick me up and dinner date. So our customers started, they would send us readings of their GCMs and they were telling us their stories about, well, it's low glycemic and it's got a lot of fiber. And so they use it as a pre or post and it's been a game changer. So much so that we have gotten the most heartwarming testimonials. One in particular that jumps up, but it's not limited to one, is a woman who is an Olympian, is a marathoner. and during her training got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She thought she was going to have to hang up her laces and say, I can't do this anymore, and she heard from another elite athlete about Date Fix.

14:37And now Date Fix has been really the savior for her that's enabled her to continue to pursue her dreams. And as it stands, we might have, that I know of, I mean, two women who could be in the 2028 LA Olympics as marathon runners for two different countries, actually. and which would be incredible. But more importantly is the fact that, and it's been very gratifying when you hear these stories that there are people that are choosing to buy DateFix because they really care about their health and wellness. And so they have the freedom to make that choice. But now we've discovered that we're a necessity for some of what type, one, they know about DateFix.

15:15And so DateFix is in all the places you described. It's at their nightstand. It is part, it's glued to them. And that's something that we didn't look for or expect, but it's super gratifying to feel like we're that important to someone's life. Well, I mean, I think obviously the ingredients are a huge standout when it comes to making a choice for me now that I know that DateFix is an option. The biggest thing aside from the ingredients is the nutrition panel, because I wasn't finding fiber in any of these products, even though they were cleaner options, dye-free, etc. but I wasn't getting that stability for my blood sugar when I was taking them.

15:53It was just a hit. But then if I wasn't near a food source, I'd have to get another hit. And I'm not a scientist. I'm not an endocrinologist, but I would have to imagine that if there's no other added nutritional aspect, it's probably not great for my blood sugar and my health over time if I keep just getting those hits without that sustained energy and other nutritional benefits for my body. Yeah. I mean, look, there's a reason that people break fast with dates. I don't want to say it's a complete, but you can survive for quite a bit. It's nature survival food. It's not the only one. You shouldn't have just dates, but it really has the kind of properties on a multiple of levels between the fiber, the carbs, being low glycemic.

16:39I mean, dates have more potassium by weight than a banana. So someone's like the electrolytes. Well, electrolytes in part are potassium and it's there. And where does the energy come from? Well, carbs, like food is energy. And so the other thing about this form factor and this product is, of course, you can eat it from the pack as a snack or as a fuel. And that's one of the things that we've had, you know, snack, fuel, like we're all these things. People are putting this on Greek yogurt in the morning because they find it's a better fruit experience and quick than buying the pre-mixed fruits in the yogurts, which feel a little like drizzle fruity.

17:16And you're not eating a strawberry in the middle of the yogurt there. And when you see the texture of date fix, you are getting a date. This is not a watered down date. There's texture, which people love, love, love. For sure. I've done the same thing, especially I've been doing this crazy thing. that's kind of been transformative for me is waking up at five o 'clock in the morning doing my five to nine then my nine to five work day and then doing five to nine all over again for the evening and then I get my eight hours of sleep but date fix really is the perfect thing especially if I wake up a few minutes late and I need to get to the gym for 5 30 and get my swim in grab the yogurt grab the date fix right on top there's my car but I have to worry about washing fruit and doing that whole thing and then heading out the door I can just grab the two things grab a spoon and I'm gone.

18:02I love that. We'll be right back. Are you going to crush it on Amazon this year? It's such an important channel, but it's so hard to do alone. And most agencies are a total ripoff. We can't afford$5 ,000 a month and a commission on our sales. They just don't get it. That's why I love our partners at Daybreak. They are full service, meaning they do the creative work, the listings, the logistics, and of course, all the ads, all with the most reasonable retainer out there. I work with them personally. I'm so grateful we have such a good partner to recommend out to you, our community. They do evaluate your product first to see if it might be a fit.

18:35So if you want them to have a look, email them startupcpg at daybreak.agency and they'll do a free audit for you. Good luck, everyone.

18:47So I have a massive suite. We haven't gone live with this yet, but we're going to introduce the Date Fix Sunday. Date Fix is literally the most amazing ice cream topping. It is so satisfying. And for those who like a crunch element in there, you can, and you don't have a nut allergy, you can sprinkle like almonds. And so I just take roasted almonds, unsalted. I put them on. It's almost like, doesn't matter the flavor of the ice cream, but there's a whole range. And I, it is like, it's lights out and it's like, it does everything that it doesn't melt. It's texture holds up against the ice cream and it is so decadent.

19:25I can't even tell you. And then you're, but you're eating fruit with ice cream. So it's like reinventing, like, I guess if the banana split was meant to be bananas, fruit, and the dessert item, we've got it with dates. I invite everyone to try that. I definitely want to try that. All right. I think that's a good segue into my next question for you. We know where DateFix is now, but where do you see DateFix going in say the next five years? So we started out, We've been evolving quickly here. We've been selling in the market now for about two years. We've been really lucky. We've been blessed. We're in over 3 ,000 locations.

20:02Walmart is our biggest customer and Whole Foods and we're on the feed and we're running stores. And so it's been interesting because we have a product that you can sell in a running store and you can sell in a fitness store, a camping store, and a gourmet supermarket next to the cheese. We're trying to make DateFix your ride or die psychic. We're all about radical simplicity and we just want it to be kind of like your daily grab. You take your phone and your keys and your water bottle and just because DateFix is sort of like, I mean, there are other things you could take, but you just know it's as clean as it gets.

20:39So we're really trying to help educate people on the versatility. we can sell in lots of non-traditional retail. I would imagine, and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up selling in Nike or Lululemon one of these days. And we can really leverage a healthy halo here that's super unique. We don't have to exaggerate performance claims. We don't say that you have date fiction, you're going to be able to leap over a building or run your fastest time. I mean, this is in the lunch snack. And so our time is really being spent on all the versatility all the way as day fiction be part of your lifestyle because the trend it's not trend people just want to eat cleaner and healthier and people like sweet and we don't have to change behavior about that it's just a new way of doing it it's actually going back to the old way but we've made fruit accessible and practical and i think that breakthrough is really what we're trying to spend our time on and just take the forgotten fruit and mainstreaming it and i think that's really fine because I think I've taken it's been fascinating to watch where some food item that started in one corner of the planet made its way around the globe and became something and I think there's certainly we're trying to do that with date fix and the date it hits home for me I'm all about it I love watching your reels on Instagram I get a kick out of them a because pardon my language but you are just so no bullshit when you're on there and talking about your products and the way people are viewing health and nutrition.

22:10I just think it's so funny because it's so basic, so simple, but you are going back to the basics with your product and the way that you're educating your consumers or soon to be hopefully consumers online. I just get a kick out of it because I think it's great. So tell me about your approach to educating your consumers and how you might make believers out of people who didn't believe in dates before. Yeah, we're trying to have more fun with it. We spent the weekend filming. I moved the company to Miami Beach. Miami Beach is, I think, really one of the health and wellness capitals of the country.

22:43We decided that we're going to make Muscle Beach in Miami Beach, our world headquarters. So that's where we were this week, filming some spoofs. We'll see how it goes. We decided to make the team members characters in our own little sitcom that's coming next. Hopefully we execute on it. But what we're trying to tell people is I think what they already know, but are looking for an outlet to express. When we do the running shows, people are like awful, but they buy it reflexively. Some are led to believe that's part of the lifestyle. We brought out to the beach a whiteboard and on it, we wrote date fix equals fruit.

23:17Date fix does not equal gel. So we're having some fun with that because the form factor sort of types this as a gel because they've never seen fruit in the form factor. So they've always seen gel, whatever a gel is. So we're having a lot of fun with that. I think we're trying to find ways to no BS ways of telling people like, you know, think a little bit outside the box, like the whole protein craze. And I think it's getting protein when you're eating, I don't know, things you otherwise wouldn't eat and you sprinkle protein into it. Now you can eat. It's almost licensed to eat junkier or lesser quality food.

23:49So while there's a better for you food movement, we're actually adding a protein additive to things that aren't maybe sort of regressive on that scale and say, you know, you can have your protein brownie now. I love a brownie, no knock on a brownie, but I want the best brownie and I don't really care if it has protein in it. And there are so many better ways of having more enjoyable food ways to get protein. Also call out, we see protein and then it's next to art, it's swimming in artificial flavors. So our early adopters are people who respect food and what they put in their body. They don't think ranch is a natural flavor.

24:23We get a kick out of reading packs that you know the familiar setup. You'll see the supplement, the powder, the gel that's got a strawberry banana, and they put a strawberry outside the pack and a banana outside the pack. And then you read the ingredient list and there's a strawberry banana to be found. It's amazing how many flavor profiles, natural flavors can take on, I guess. So we're just having fun. Kind of, it's like a gift out there. So we're having some fun on it. And we're just trying to hope and dear people. And it's authentic. It's sincere. And we don't really want to tell you the science story.

24:57We want to tell you the authentic story and just try to have fun doing it. If nothing else, hopefully we'll entertain ourselves. And maybe if we do that, other people will laugh too. Well, you have at least one person, me, laughing with you. Thank you. Thank you. Mission accomplished. I have had so much fun talking to you. I would love if you could tell us where we can find you and Date Fix online for anybody that's listening and wants to maybe go order a variety pack or just follow along on the journey for some laughs. Great. So DateFix.com. At Date Fix is our social handle. It's great. You can go to the retail world and buy a single pack and try it out.

25:41And you can go in online and buy it by the box. And that's tends to be what people do. We have a variety box. And minimum order is one box and shipping, there you go. And we send it all over and we send them out every day. And we appreciate everyone's support. And we love what your community is doing, by the way. And I'm trying to help share what I know, but I'm the student all the time. So thank you very much for providing the resources to all of us. And I think as people who are interested in learning and teaching, you foster an amazing community. We get to do it around generally food and what could be better.