Featuring:

Wilkerson Given, FU ’13, Business Administration
James Perez, FU ’15, Economics

Student athletes have a different college experience than most. In order to compete (and excel) at the highest levels in both the classroom and on the track (and field), there is an extra level of discipline required. Wilkerson and James met on the Furman track as student athletes and now bring this extra level of discipline to their business, launching in November.

Wilkerson has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and an itch to create and learn new things, so when he realized that peanut butter wasn’t the best solution to fuel his own body during training, he set out to solve it along with his former teammate, James:

“What can we eat that will sustain and fuel our bodies during training and competitions? Is peanut butter really one of the most common solutions to this problem in the market right now?”

Q: What is your product?
A: It is a nut and seed butter packed with nuts, seeds, and other nutritious whole foods, designed to aid physical and mental performance. All of the ingredients possess anti-inflammatory properties and most contain antioxidants. Our nut and seed butter contains no added sugars, no preservatives, no fillers, and no artificial anything. We are re-launching our product in November and can’t wait to get our product into the hands of consumers. Stay tuned.

Q: Who is your target market?
A: We started out creating this product for elite athletes to fuel their bodies during training and competition, but our nut and seed butter is a great source of fuel to help the everyday worker make it past that 2:30 slump as well. The whole and natural ingredients help our bodies fully utilize the ingredients in a nut butter.

Q: Why did you set out to solve this specific problem?
A:  We were looking for a more nutritionally complete and effective pre-race fuel alternative to peanut butter, as just about every athlete we know eats some form of peanut butter before training and races. Peanut butter has inherent inflammatory properties and many of the popular brands of peanut butter add extra sugar and/or fat – I’m very interested in nutrition and competition at an elite level, so this was a personal problem that needed solving for myself and my teammates. – Wilkerson

Q: What hurdles have you faced in solving this problem?
A: Product development has been the most challenging part, as we want the best possible product for our customers. We’ve been through 25+ versions of this product and are now developing new flavors as well.

Q: What was your most impactful moment at Furman?
Both Wilkerson and James credit the track and cross-country team for their most impactful moments at Furman.
A: If you’d asked about the Cross Country and Track team 10 years ago, it wasn’t as highly ranked as it is now.  Wilkerson and I had the chance to run for a coaching staff that showed us when you completely invest in something, set a plan, and have the right support, you can accomplish something huge. At the time, the new coaching staff brought a shift in culture that taught me this lesson that I apply now to my everyday life, including the launch of our new product. – James

So, are you truly getting everything that you need out of your nut butter?
Stay tuned for more information on the pre-launch in early October. Get stoked 💥