Thrive 2025 has been my motto this new year. Putting everything else to the side and seeing the future of Hull-some Foods with Shredder Cheddar. This month has been a little bumpy with a few tricks, but the trail I carved is the one I am meant to be on. Shredder Cheddar is so close to its launch date- I get goosebumps!
Happy New Year! In the current year of the Snake, it says in my Chinese zodiac, the monkey, that I will have a successful women owned business with the help of female beneficiaries. I’ll take that! It also says that I need to have open and honest communication with others. I believe these statements to be true, and are key points to having a successful company. I think both of these things suggest that this is my year to Thrive! So I will not give up and I will continue to put one foot in front of the other, even if that is only day by day. Never lived so in the moment! Onward!
On New Year’s day I rode my bike to the polar plunge at Pensacola Beach. The high was 50, but the windchill was in the 30’s. I joined the masses of brave souls, wore my bikini, and got in the 60 degree salt water. It was cold, but the sun was out. The sound is very shallow, so we were able to walk 200 feet before getting into waist deep water. We dipped down to our shoulders and walked back to land with 100’s of other courageous polar plungers. This was my first ever polar plunge, and I had a blast! It was 100% invigorating. I spent the afternoon passing out Shredder Cheddar to the polar plungers. I was getting instant gratification as people tried it, and honestly it was making me so happy.
In early January, I connected with a Colorado co-packer that seemed promising, and I am continuing to have transparent conversations with them regarding production. I remain hopeful that I can continue working with the Oregon-based co-packer I've built a strong relationship with over the past year, as supporting my community is a priority. Logistically, it makes sense to have a co-packer in Oregon and a co-packer in the midwest. I know this will all work out for Hull-some Foods, and Shredder Cheddar will be in sporting goods stores soon..
Last year, I met someone with a top notch catering company in Pensacola. Then recently, bumped into them to find out they had an incubator kitchen. Around the same time, I was connected to the owner of the Wahoo Stadium f0r the use of their kitchen. These were the first two commissary kitchens I toured, and I saw how useful it would be. I made use of my connections, and finally tried a commissary kitchen. I was so stoked when I went in, but everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, and I was left so frustrated. I knew I had to pull myself together and troubleshoot. My process takes tremendous focus, so it was not easy to get the product made in a commissary kitchen for the first time. I have heard that new batches in new kitchens can fail. I, unfortunately, now know that to be true. I think with practice and learning new equipment it will become easier. I know that I am very fortunate to live in Pensacola where everyone takes care of each other and they want you to succeed. They are rooting for you here just like they do in the entrepreneurial community in Portland. Even though that first day in the commissary felt like a failure, it did work itself out. I had successfully produced enough Shredder Cheddar to have a soft launch. That was a win!
I received a call from the Small Business Legal Clinic from Lewis and Clark Law School that the USPTO had given a thumbs up to register my trademarks. There is so much going on in the background that others are working on, meanwhile, I am working on all of these other things to push my company closer to the big launch.
We had a historical snowfall in Pensacola Beach this month with eight inches of snow that fell on the beach. I felt like I was back in Oregon, except that I have never seen that much dry fluffy snow on a beach. I heard that hadn’t happened here in 100 years! How epic is that to see in Florida? Temps were in the teens, and it was a whiteout blizzard!
Those temps continued into race day for Into the Woods 30A 50K near Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It was so cold on race morning, we had to scrape ice off our windshields. Luckily, I still had my ice scraper from Oregon in my car. At the race start at 6:30a it was 17 degrees, and the Fan Palms and Pine Trees were covered in frost. The sandy trails were fast and frozen. This was a three lap course of 10.5 miles each. I had a large drop bag that had clothes and food in it. On the first lap, I squeezed 32 grams of Triple Cork Shredder Cheddar, it was like a shot of cheese. Each lap took me just over 90 minutes to complete. I was hydrated and felt consistent energy from the Shredder Cheddar. There are only two carbs, and one gram of sugar from lactose, so there is no sugar crash. I felt full, and I felt Shredder Cheddar strong! I took off a layer of clothing at each lap aid station to keep my body temperature comfortable as the sun got warmer. I didn't want to sweat, because I knew that would make me colder, which is something I know from backcountry skiing. At the end of each hour, I squeezed Shredder Cheddar for fuel with either GNARlic or Triple Cork. GNARlic is garlic flavored, and Triple Cork is a twist of garlic and herb. Each stickpack is just over an ounce of squeezable premium cheese with a blend of low lactose cheeses, so they are easy on your gut. The flavors are all mild, so there is no indigestion. This is a high protein snack that has electrolytes to maintain hydration and healthy muscle function. I was more hydrated on this race than any other race in the history of my racing. The 330 mg of sodium and naturally occurring electrolytes helped me stay on top of it. The last lap, I ate Shredder Cheddar a little bit at a time to nourish my muscles. I was told I was in 3rd, so I kept pushing forward. Eventually on that last lap I tripped into a super(wo)man where I landed in the sand on my hands, and bounced back up to my feet in a second. Someone cheered me on for my performance and recovery. Then I realized this little pain I had felt in my hip and leg was gone! I think from my fall it stretched out my hamstrings. That was an incredible recovery! I charged to the finish line, coming in 2nd with my fastest 50k ever. I shaved 40 minutes off my PR, with a sub five hour race at 4:43. I was so proud of myself that I played that smart and felt strong all the way to the finish line. Once I crossed the line and was handed a medal, I ate another Shredder Cheddar for recovery. It’s high in protein and electrolytes are perfect for fuel and recovery. I quickly recovered from that race and I was not sore afterwards. Of course, I drank a lot of water and had an Athletic Brewery IPA at the finish. That was all they had, but it was ok, because I had to drive home. Honestly, that was the first race in a long time that I didn't drink a beer afterwards, and it was just fine by me. Shredder Cheddar for the WIN! At the post-race party we cheered the finishers in, and I connected with runners and store owners. I let them try Shredder Cheddar and I gained a few more Shredder Cheddar fans!
I took that personal testimonial to the Double Bridge Run race expo with Fleet Feet and 100 stick packs of Shredder Cheddar. I showed up with a box full of koozies and Shredder Cheddar’s three flavors. Runners gravitated towards me, listening, asking questions, and purchasing two or three stick packs for fueling and recovery on race day. I sold out in three hours, and I was elated! I didn't have any product left for Friday's expo, which was the big turnout day. Instead, I went back to the kitchen and produced more Shredder Cheddar. This time I had two of the same flavors and a surprise flavor. It was really fun to surprise runners with the third flavor for the post-race after party. I was able to produce and sell all of the flavors except for OGeez. I did give samples of OGeez and there were people that asked me to sell that next time. So all of my flavors were a huge hit. After the 15k and 5k races on Saturday everyone showed up for the after party at the Sandshaker. I was there with Fleet Feet Pensacola again. The owner of Fleet Feet Pensacola is so awesome to let me hang with them, and it looks like I will be in their stores coming up. A Shredder Cheddar fan asked where they could buy it? Micaiah of Fleet Feet Pensacola piped in, and said at Fleet Feet! Wahoo! These goals are coming to life, and I couldn't have been more excited to hear those fancy words. I not only sold Shredder Cheddar as fuel and recovery, but I was also doing massage for post race, and selling merch. I love being able to do it all. I was so stoked all weekend with the gratitude and positive feedback I received from the community. I had runners come to me that had tried Shredder Cheddar during the race and wanted to buy more afterwards. Runners of all ages were excited about Shredder Cheddar and the little mouse. Shredder Cheddar was a hit! I spent much of the weekend talking about how we have quality merch and cheese. I told the story of Shredder Cheddar and what our mouse symbolizes. It was resonating with our listeners and they were purchasing and signing up for my newsletter. Here is a review I collected post race, " Purchased Triple Cork and used during 15K as only supplement. Really enjoyed the flavor and sustenance. Will buy more!" Thank you Taylor for your positive feedback. You are in the Shredder Cheddar Crew now, and will know all about where you can purchase going forward. I also saw our Shredder Cheddar Crew post photos of Shredder Cheddar with their race medals on Instagram giving a shout out to us! I couldn't be more Fired Up with this event and this community here in Pensacola! I sold out all weekend, and I was so incredibly overjoyed with my soft launch. Each day was an exciting day that I could celebrate. It is so important to share these celebrations with the community.
I am looking forward to more races I am invited to, as well as, Foiling Week in Pensacola Beach in late February, where they have races for all boats and boards on foils Fleet Feet has played a huge role in this journey, and I’m incredibly grateful to Micaiah for giving me this opportunity and goal to strive for. I also want to mention that Jeff from Fleet Feet Inlet Beach has shown interest in carrying Shredder Cheddar in his store. What’s really cool is that when I visited his store, I noticed Trail Butter and Date Fix—two products from PNW that I know well. Seeing them on the shelves felt a little like home. There is so much opportunity when you work hard and push forward; as one door closes another one opens. I am still progressing and still celebrating everything that comes my way. Thank you so much for your support on this journey. I feel so lucky to have each of you taking time from your day to read along with my entrepreneurial journey. Please sign up for my newsletter if you have not already, and follow on instagram @hull_some_foods. Savor the Challenge and power your potential.
Go to www.HullsomeFoods.com purchase merch to support my Shredder Cheddar launch and know the latest updates of where you can find Shredder Cheddar. See you soon!
Thank you,
Meg
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