Ep. 217: Daniel Staackmann - Seitan to the Rescue!
PLANTSTRONG Podcast
Rip Esselstyn
4.8 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 October 2023
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 2006, young entrepreneur, Daniel Staackmann, took out a home equity line of credit and started Upton’s Naturals in his hometown of Chicago.
He placed his money on seitan and in his 17 years of business, that gamble has clearly paid off. Upton’s Naturals is the #1 selling brand of seitan in the United States and their products are sold in thousands of stores throughout the United States and beyond.
Dan, a 30-year ethical vegan, prides himself on being the sole proprietor of his company and his slow growth model has allowed him to avoid so many of the landmines and pitfalls of the food industry as a whole.
Today, he and Rip share the many intricacies of running a food line from labeling, brand name, sourcing ingredients, getting placement on shelves, growth strategies, and so much more.
It’s an insightful peek behind the curtain on the food industry and the amount of work and passion it takes to bring delicious food from concept to shelves everywhere!
Rip and Dan discuss:
- The humble (and personal) beginnings of Upton’s Naturals in 2006 and Dan’s “Do It Yourself” approach to entrepreneurship
- How he came up with the unique company name
- Why he chose seitan as his main product?
- His biggest wins as a young entrepreneur
- How his “slow growth” model has benefitted his business and his personality
- The nutritional value of meat alternatives and why Upton’s branched out into soups, jackfruit, and fava as brand extensions
- How remaining sole proprietor has allowed him to maintain control and avoid the "minefields" of the food industry.
- His vision for the future of Uptons and other expansions
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I got to give a shout out to our new Pancake and Waffle Mixes that we introduced about a month ago. |
| 0:06.0 | As you all know, we sold out very, very quickly because they were such a hit. |
| 0:11.4 | They are back in stock available for you. |
| 0:15.2 | These, in my opinion, and many of you expressed the same thing, are the best commercialized Pancake and Waffle Mixes in existence. |
| 0:27.1 | They come in three flavor profiles. |
| 0:29.0 | We have a home style gluten-free. |
| 0:31.3 | We have a sweet potato and ancient grain mix. |
| 0:34.4 | And then lastly, we have a seven grain mix. |
| 0:37.8 | They brown perfectly. |
| 0:39.1 | They mix up super easily. |
| 0:41.4 | All you do is add water, just water, to the consistency that you want and you are done. |
| 0:49.1 | Put them on that griddle or on that skillet and cook them up. |
| 0:53.0 | All right, let me know if you agree with me and many others that these are not the best that you've ever tried. |
| 1:00.9 | Because you know what? |
| 1:02.2 | We'll stack them up against any Pancake and Waffle Mix that's out there. |
| 1:07.2 | To order your stack of pancakes today, simply go to planstrongfoods.com. |
| 1:14.5 | I'm Rip Outselston and welcome to the Plan Strong podcast. |
| 1:18.2 | The mission at Plan Strong is to further the advancement of all things within the plant-based movement. |
| 1:25.0 | We advocate for the scientifically proven benefits of plant-based living and envision a world that universally understands, promotes, |
| 1:33.8 | and prescribes plants as a solution to empowering your health, enhancing your performance, restoring the environment, |
| 1:42.1 | and becoming better guardians to the animals we share this planet with. |
| 1:46.0 | We welcome you wherever you are on your Plan Strong journey and I hope that you enjoy this show. |
... |
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