We were lucky to catch up with John Simmons recently and have shared our conversation below.
John, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Ah, the elusive source of optimism. Through my life experience and observation, optimism is under-appreciated in the world. It’s not something I take for granted. I believe it’s something you can inherit from your early environment (parents and friends), but being optimistic is also a conscious choice. I’ve been fortunate to be in the natural products industry for the past 25 years, which is inherently value-driven. Making better for you products, with better for you ingredients, has been a core value of mine for all of those years. By extension, that core value implies a hope that we can better our health through innovation and purpose-driven innovation.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I grew up with a healthy lifestyle and was drawn to natural products from an early age. During my teens and early 20s, I was a fulltime bike racer and eventually turned professional and raced for French cycling teams for several years. After I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, I co-founded a chai tea company, Third Street Chai, that we grew for over 20 years until it became one of the top two chai companies in the country. Back in 1998, when we were starting Third Street Chai, there were very few natural products and there wasn’t a natural products network like there exists now with Naturally Boulder and its affiliates. Some notable pioneers in the industry that were paving the way were Justin Gold of Justin’s Nut Butter, Mark Retzloff of Horizon, and Mo Siegel of Celestial Seasonings. I recall having to be creative and lean into my friends and fellow entrepreneur network to find opportunities. Looking back on those periods of time, I’m most proud of being apart of creating and growing the natural product industry. At Third Street, we embraced the goal of being 100% organic and using 100% fair-trade certified tea and spices from around the world. Having an impact (increasing wages) for farmers around the world was gratifying and an immensely rewarding experience.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Persistence, optimism, and having the good fortune to surround myself with positive influences. My advice is work hard on your health, mental and physical, and put yourself in a good position to succeed. Life is dynamic and ever-changing, so prepare for the worst and hope for the best in everything.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I’ve always loved reading a diversity of literature. I received my college degree in International Business, however, the source of my creativity was my minor in European History. Anything by Hermann Hesse, Lawrence Durrell, or Graham Greene is sure to stimulate your sense of adventure: a key component when visualizing a new product or innovation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wellerbrands.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkweller
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jwsimmons
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-simmons-82a5523/
Image Credits
Bevnet (for the picture/video capture from the 2019 Bevnet Live Summer)
