From Pharmacy School to Shark Tank: The Birth of Pricklee Cactus Water

This episode of the UMB Pulse podcast features an inspiring interview with Kun Yang, PharmD '15, a University of Maryland School of Pharmacy alumnus who co-founded Pricklee, a company that produces cactus water. Kun's journey took him from growing up in Canada to attending pharmacy school in Maryland, where the idea for Pricklee cactus water blossomed. He shares the challenges and triumphs of appearing on Shark Tank, securing a deal, and the unique benefits and production processes behind cactus water. The hosts also explore Kun's motivations, the impact of his cultural background, and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially those from the pharmacy field or first-generation Americans. The episode concludes with a look at Pricklee's future innovations and Kun's reflections on entrepreneurship.

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Transcript

Charles Schelle: 0:00

Dana, this is some kind of heat wave, right? It is hot out there.

Dana Rampolla: 0:03

Baltimore's best. You gotta love the heat.

Charles Schelle: 0:06

I know. I always try to stay hydri hydrata. See, that's what I was talking about. I always try to drink plenty of water around, you know, this time of year, but sometimes you need, like, the little booze, so sometimes I might, like, get a sports drinker or something else, and but you have to kind of be careful with all, like, the sugar that's in some of these, right?

Dana Rampolla: 0:25

Yeah, for sure. For sure. I know my son is in town and he drinks coconut water all the time and he was trying to convince me to make a little mocktail with some the other day. And I don't know, I haven't, I think it must be an acquired taste, but I do feel like, okay, at least this is a healthier option than, you know, putting it in with Fresca or Sprite, something like that. So.

Charles Schelle: 0:46

Yeah, and there's something out there called Cactus Water that we're going to talk about today. I've never tried it, so I'm really interested to hear about this. It's called Pricklee, and this isn't some, like, sponsored advertisement. This is a drink co created by University of Maryland School of Pharmacy alumnus.

Dana Rampolla: 1:07

And who would think that you would go to pharmacy school and you'd be creating a beverage product,

Charles Schelle: 1:12

It, it makes a little bit of sense, right? Because there's a lot of marketing that goes into pharmaceutical products.

Dana Rampolla: 1:20

True, true. It's just interesting to think that a pharmacy student, I'm picturing you're going to pharmacy school, you're going to put a white coat on and you're going to be working at your local pharmacy. But to think that some of our pharmacy students right here from UMB have gone on to create really unique products. I think that's really stand out and I'm excited today to be talking to one of them.

Charles Schelle: 1:43

Yeah. It seems like, Kun Yang had some great chemistry here in Baltimore. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy with his PharmD degree in 2015. He is now the CEO and founder of Pricklee Cactus Water, and has appeared on Shark Tank with his business partner, Moe Hassoun.

Dana Rampolla: 2:02

Well, and Kwan is a first generation American. He was born in China. He was raised in Canada. And so we're going global with this episode. I love when we can really reach out and touch the world.

Charles Schelle: 2:13

Dana, let's crack open a cold one of cactus water and say cheers to a new episode of the UMB Pulse.

Dana Rampolla: 2:19

Cheers.

2:25

You're listening to the heartbeat of the University of Maryland Baltimore, the UMB Pulse.

Charles Schelle: 2:38

Kun, welcome to the UMB Pulse. Thanks for coming on. Glad to be here. Thanks for having me, Charles.

Dana Rampolla: 2:43

Kun, I couldn't help but think of you as I was tidying up my deck the other day getting ready for this. And in your honor, I brought my prickly pear. cactus plant in to put behind me for the viewers who are on YouTube and looking forward to hopefully learning from you how to get stickers out of my fingers.

Kun Yang: 3:01

Yeah, it means a lot. I, you don't, you don't see that every day, so definitely appreciate it.

Charles Schelle: 3:05

Tell us about yourself and your family. Um, you're born in China, raised in Canada. Where in Canada did you grow up?

Kun Yang: 3:12

I first moved to Windsor, which is right across from the Detroit River at like three and a half years old. Um, and we were there for I did about six years or so and then spent majority of my formative years outside of Toronto in this town called Mississauga. It's the fifth largest city in Canada. Very difficult to spell. You know, everyone gets it wrong. I still get it wrong. And then I went to, um, you know, college at McGill in Montreal. And then moved my way down to Baltimore for pharmacy school. And funny enough, in 11th grade was the first time I actually worked at a pharmacy. So it was at a retail chain community pharmacy called Shopper's Drug Mart. One of the biggest. You know, chains up, up in, up in Canada. I wonder if they're still around. I imagine that they are. Um, and and so I was as a sort of a summer internship and I just kind of fell in love with the profession. I really kind of saw myself as somebody who could be in it, you know, really admire the pharmacists that are working there, love the community engagement, the, the patient engagement just felt like a little community, you know, and I kind of really saw myself in that, that way. So I think from an early age, I was kind of set on pharmacy as a path and All throughout college, it was always, always the decision. Um, and so it was a very natural step to end up in Maryland afterwards. So that was how I kind of ended up here.

Charles Schelle: 4:18

Great. So what were you studying in undergrad, um, to get you prepared to come to pharmacy school?

Kun Yang: 4:25

It was a anatomy and cell biology uh, bachelors.

Charles Schelle: 4:28

You were in Montreal, like you said, how do you, how do you choose Maryland? How do you come to the university of Maryland school of pharmacy?

Kun Yang: 4:35

Yeah, I mean, at that time, my parents had already moved down to the New York area, you know, and and so I kind of already knew in my heart of hearts that I was going to come down to the U. S. I think I was always interested, um, you know, the U. S. just is represented like a land of opportunity. Um, the American dream is something that resonates around the world, you know, certainly, and so I think there's always a lot of excitement is what brought my parents here and certainly, you know, I followed suit. Um, and Maryland was just, you know, obviously just a historical institution. Fourth oldest pharmacy school in the country. You know, reputation proceeded itself and as soon as I visited the, the campus, I had a couple other offers at the time, but when I kind of visited the campus, it was a no brainer when that offer was extended that this is where I was gonna call home. And, um, I spent a lot of good years. 2011 to 2015, we won a Super Bowl. You know, it became a converted raven span. I mean, football wasn't a thing up in. In Canada, right? Yards, what are yards, right? Down here is it was a really, really exciting time to be a Baltimorean and, um, really proud period of my life, for sure, the four years I spent down here.

Charles Schelle: 5:33

What about the campus stood out to you? You said you fell in love once you visited the campus.

Kun Yang: 5:38

I just think the whole vibe, you know, the culture, I think the institution, I mean, the facilities were top notch, definitely best in class. And I think that's even before some of the, I look at your backdrop, Charles, and there's a lot of the buildings that you have in your image weren't even there at the time. Um, so I think there was a lot of change that happened in recent years, but pharmacy hall was just, I think, starting. I believe that was, we were maybe the first year in pharmacy hall or close to. And so that institute, that, that building itself just kind of blew my mind. And I thought it was just such a fantastic institution and building for, for learning and just for spending time. I could really see myself spending time there. Right. And having just come from living in the, in the city, I mean, I was also kind of still looking for that, that type of environment as well. And I think. Baltimore checked a lot of those boxes and, um, you know, as they say, it's far enough, but close enough to your parents, right?

Charles Schelle: 6:29

So today the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has a pharma preneurship program where they encourage entrepreneurs pursuing pharmacy degrees, university of Maryland, Baltimore's graduate school has the grid pitch that's also for entrepreneurs. I don't think those existed while you were at University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, but you still had a pathway to pursue those interests. Tell us a little bit about that.

Kun Yang: 6:50

Yeah, I think, I think the School of Pharmacy, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy was just such a fantastic landing spot for me and my path to entrepreneurship. Again, I didn't come into pharmacy school thinking that this was going to ever be, you know, my future. The beauty of it is just how open minded, um, I, I kind of left the school. You know, coming in, I think there was just such a richness of the opportunities that you could, you know, pursue as a pharmacist. Because coming in, I think everyone's definition of a pharmacy was behind the pharmacy counter at a CVS or writing in a white coat. And I think that, you know, Um, that, that generalization still exists in most people's imaginations, you know, and I don't blame any of that. I think that is the truth. But that was also how we viewed it. Right. So coming in day one, you just really, you were just, you know, bombarded with such enthusiasm from the upperclassmen about just the different paths that you kind of pursue. And as you kind of really dug in, you realize that those options were actually a lot broader than you expected. And so that's really what took me down pathways of getting into the business of health care, right? Whether it's through managed care or, or industry, that was just one component of it. But then you look at just the different facilities that exist within Maryland, right? The research office, the PHSR group, um, the different schools, right? The medical school, the dental school, the law school, the social work school. I mean, the graduate programs here. I mean, we still work with the law clinic. and law students at Pricklee too. So you mean the resources here that were just available for you to kind of just realize that the world is so much bigger than just the four walls of pharmacy school were pretty abundant. And I think it just opened our minds at least my mind personally to, um, you know, a better representation of what the real world was like once we actually entered it and and just felt less defined by the letters behind our name, you know, and I think that that was something that, that we kind of walked away from and Maryland did a really, really fantastic job of establishing.

Dana Rampolla: 8:36

We always try to promote the interprofessionalism that people can experience here at University of Maryland Baltimore and then take that into the field with them. So it's terrific to hear that it's working. Kun I hear for the through the grapevine you're going to be back on campus this fall. Let us know how how that will be. And if there's a chance we can possibly meet you in person.

Kun Yang: 8:59

Yeah, I'm excited to be back on campus on October 8th. I'll be one of the afternoon keynote speakers at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy's inaugural Pharmapreneurship Summit. Um, so I think that that's a, again, a really, really exciting opportunity that wasn't even available when I was there. So, really excited to see the direction that the school has taken and excited to be there and look forward to meeting, you know, anyone that's, that's around.

Dana Rampolla: 9:23

That's great. Hopefully we can pop by and, and see you in person.

Charles Schelle: 9:27

Yeah, totally. Crack open a can of Pricklee while we're at it. That's not a bad idea

Dana Rampolla: 9:31

Yeah. Right. Well, um, Kun, you have a sign for those of us who are on YouTube. We can see it, but for those who aren't, and it says Pricklee cactus water. So Pricklee cactus water was just mentioned in a recent article by Good Housekeeping for their 2024 Best Snack Awards. Um, to some people, Quickly or cactus water is a new kind of product. We don't really know what it is. So tell us a little bit about it. What is it? How is yours different? What are some of the benefits of drinking cactus water versus other products?

Kun Yang: 10:03

Oh, absolutely. You know, so I mean, I can get into the story of how we started and all that kind of stuff. But before I even really do, I mean, Our company really, I mean, we're on a mission to just create the healthiest natural hydration products in the market, starting with our flagship line of Pricklee cactus water made from real fruits of the cactus. Um, you know, and so it's just, it's, it's, it's really, it's low sugar, it's all natural, really clean ingredient profile and just a delicious product that's full of natural antioxidants. It's got some electrolytes and vitamin C as well. So as you mentioned, good housekeeping awarded it the best water alternative for 2024. So it's our sort of solution to create a product that just tastes really, really delicious and helps people make a healthier choice and create healthier habits really from a young age. Um, and, and yeah, that's what it's all about.

Dana Rampolla: 10:47

How is it different from some of the other products that might be considered healthy options?

Kun Yang: 10:52

Yeah, I mean, I think it fits within, you know, a natural profile, so it's interesting. In 2024, a ton of products, um, are still being created that are full of artificial ingredients, high in sugar. Um, and so for, I mean, this kind of goes to why we started BikB in the first place. You know, we were always interested in health and wellness, hence why we were in pharmacy school. My, my partners and I are all pharmacists as well. Oh, okay. And I just remember growing up with everything that was artificial sodas, juices, drinks, high sugar, artificial ingredients. And, um, I've seen in my life and those around me just kind of what, what habits that's created over time, even when, you know, the moments of weakness, moments of stress, like, what are the things that I crave? What are the things that people crave still built upon the habits of what was formed being the only options that were available as kids. And then my partner Mo grew up in Lebanon and he has cactus water every summer, you know, a family recipe. And. When he shared that with us up in Boston, you know, one summer day, we were just blown away by that, that, that, that dichotomy of how he could kind of grow up with something that was natural and delicious. And this is what we had as options. And so a lot of what we kind of built Pricklee around was how do we create a brand that creates this better for you alternative for consumers, for families to build, you know, healthier habits from a young age and also change the habits that they've had for a long time. But also branded in a way that truly resonated that didn't just say, like, look, this is a healthy product. It's of course it is. But we wanted people to just make make sense of it and be and find it approachable and exciting and want to pull it off of shelf and just consume it because they wanted to consume it and then find out, you know, after the fact that this is actually a really, really healthy choice for them. So That's really what our brand's about and why we're different.

Dana Rampolla: 12:28

Well, and when we think about the health conscious choices that are out there and, and sustainability and just the production, what does that look like? Take us out to the fields, into the, into the production environment. You know, as I said, I have stickers in my fingers because these things have not only ginormous stickers on them, but also little tiny fine ones. So how is it produced? Tell us what that's like.

Kun Yang: 12:51

Yeah, so it's interesting. prickly pears are actually a ubiquitous plant all around the world. Um, and they've been native to the world for over 9, 000 years. Um, and so in certain parts, it's actually pretty indigenous, right? This legend hails from, you know, South America, Central America region. If you go to Mexico, it's actually on the flag of Mexico, you know, and so really, really interesting product that then, you know, the reason why it kind of really spread ubiquitously around the world, you know, it's in Lebanon, as you know, it's in Israel, it's in Italy. It's in India now. It's all over the world is because it doesn't really require any water to grow. It makes it one of the most sustainable plants, um, just in the world, 80 percent less irrigation than traditional crops. It's also a perennial plant. So once, you know, you take a pad and it's, and it finds itself somewhere that, that, that it starts to grow within 18 months, you start to see it bear fruit, you know, prickly pears. And if you just harvest the prickly pear fruit itself, it's a perennial plant. So next year they regrow. Making it extremely sustainable. Right. And so, you know, areas like Mexico, which is where we source are quickly pairs from, you know, It's, it's a, it's a commoditized product. It's as common as a banana, you know, for folks down there. Right. And, um, and so it's something that they're really used to consuming. Right. Whether it just has this fresh fruit, whether it's a drink, whether it's, it's, you know, salads and things and juices, things of that nature. Um, and it's, you know, if you go to the Southwest of the US, it's all over Arizona. It's a state plan of Texas. It's all over California. Right. And places where. You know, something like California takes 10 percent of the water to grow almonds. And so it's just like a fantastic plant that we believe, you know, has so much opportunity for so many different use cases beyond just consumption, um, you know, in the future. Um, but you know, for us, because it's so perennial, we're able to harvest it within the season the growth season really in Mexico, at least is. Between August to late, let's say late October timeframe. So that's really when the growth season is it's harvested. Um, and then that's really where we get our prickly pears from. But if you just go further down South in Peru, that growth season is like October through February. And if you go to India, there's two multiple growth seasons, you know, twice a year. So it just depends on where you kind of, source, you know, the ingredient over time.

Charles Schelle: 14:56

How many, um, prickly pears does it take to get a can?

Kun Yang: 15:01

So we actually we puree all of our prickly pear. So when we, when we source our, our ingredients, we work with suppliers, farmers, suppliers, um, that's puree, you know, and then we use the puree into, into each of our drinks. But yeah, each can has about six, 6% real Pricklee pair puree. We're actually the only, um, you know, cactus, the or cactus water on the market that uses real, real fruit and, and real fruit puree in the market as well. That's interesting. We inspire ourselves with that for sure.

Dana Rampolla: 15:27

Yeah, that's interesting. And so back to where when you're talking about sourcing, are you kind of getting it from different those different countries at different times. So that's giving you a longer sourcing period.

Kun Yang: 15:38

Yeah, I mean, and certainly as we've scaled, I think it's necessitated just really strong redundancies within our supply chain. So as we scale, it's going to continue to force that. But predominantly so far we've sourced mostly in Mexico, but we certainly have sourced some Peruvian prickly pears as well. So I think it just continues to expand. At the end of the day, I think quality is really, really important. So the best sourced and the best sustainably sourced products are really important to us. Um, and in terms of, you know, reliability, but also quality of taste, um, and then just reliability of being able to support that, you know, year round, especially as we scale, you know, so. We do envision probably having a more diverse supply chain in terms of countries as, as we get bigger and bigger for sure.

Charles Schelle: 16:21

So, how, how does studying pharmacy help you with business selling cactus water?

Kun Yang: 16:27

Well, you know, it's, it's almost funny, um, in some ways it kind of feels like we're right where we're supposed to be because the, the, the founders of Coke and Pepsi were pharmacists too.

Charles Schelle: 16:36

Actually, that's true. Yeah.

Kun Yang: 16:39

Pepsi was dyspepsia, right? For irritated stomach. So in funny, in funny ways, you know, we're kind of full circle, but we wouldn't be here without having studied pharmacy. I mean, not just, not to mention the skills that, that we obtained, um, at the school but also just in the career that pharmacy really is and just how, how communicative it is in terms of the relationship that you develop and the communication skills you have with. With consumers and patients. I mean, I think you just have such a robust skill set, um, in terms of communication, but also in problem solving and, and just kind of connecting the dots and working with other collaborating, right. With other healthcare professionals, these are all just fundamentally strong business skills, you know, and, and you also kind of think about what pharmacy is. I mean, it's pharmacy itself, not an entrepreneurial you know, domain, right. Every, every pharmacist that initially started a pharmacy was in themselves, their own business owners. Right. So I think there's, it's built on a foundation of entrepreneurship. Yeah. Um, I ended up going to biotech after, after pharmacy school. And I think biotech is just full of entrepreneurs. I mean, it's built on the business of healthcare, right? And so you're integrated in so much of this. So I think it was a really natural transition for us to go into into business because we had a lot of the skill sets already, right? Not to mention, I mean, Pricklee wouldn't be here fundamentally, if not for the network that we had developed at pharmacy school and beyond, um, so much of the funding network came from those relationships fundamentally. I mean, yeah, I can say hands down. I mean, we wouldn't, wouldn't be the company that we are without having come from the background that we came from.

Charles Schelle: 18:07

So, um, before you launched the company with your friend Mo who you mentioned on Shark Tank. Or he mentioned on Shark Tank, how, how, where the recipe, you know, originally came from during this time, you worked for some pharmaceutical companies, what did you take away from your time in the industry? What did you do?

Kun Yang: 18:25

Yeah. I mean, a whole host of different, um, domains over my time in industry and what was really cool in my time in in the industry The biotech industry too, was I spent time in a multitude of different companies different size companies, like companies of a thousand employees 8, 000 employees, 40, 000 employees, and over a 100, 000 employees. So it was really, really cool just to see the different scale and scope of how these different, um, you know, groups worked. My favorite experience was the smallest, right? It just felt like you were just, you know, we moved so much faster. It felt like the problems that we're solving were quick. I felt like decisions were being made really quickly. There was less red tape. And, um, I really kind of was I think inspired by that to, to appreciate entrepreneurship deeply in that way. In many ways. I mean, it was a startup, you know, biotech company. Um, and in terms of the roles that I had, I mean, it went from health economics, outcomes, research to medical training, you know, to. to other types of field strategy work. And so I held a different set of skill sets across the time that I was there. Um, and I think it was just, again, the industry itself lent itself so much to this, the richness and culture of entrepreneurship that it just felt like a really natural space for me once I realized that, You know, the skills were there, but it wasn't necessarily where I envisioned, um, myself, you know, for the rest of my career.

Charles Schelle: 19:40

Right. So you had the fateful, a fateful moment where you and Mo get the call come on Shark Tank, pitch your product. Your episode aired in May 2022. We're now two years after that, and we're still talking about it. I'm sure it's still resonating today and, and, and reaping benefits for you. On the, on camera, you agreed to a deal with Barbara Corcoran for 200, 000 line of credit and a 5 percent stake. Um, you know, with Shark Tank, sometimes the deals don't go through that are presented on TV. Sometimes they're changed after the filming wraps. Other times it's as is presented and it's going, you know, gangbusters. Um, did the deal go through? What kind of happened after that was agreed to on TV?

Kun Yang: 20:23

Yeah. So unfortunately I can't, I can't disclose anything from, from that physically or specifically, um, but I will say as, as a whole, I mean, it was a tremendous experience for us. And the outcome, it was tremendous to your point, Charles. I mean, we get asked that question every single day. It'll be in our tombstone how a Shark Tank, you know, and so we're really thankful that it was a good experience um, because I do definitely feel for folks that maybe didn't have as much of a good experience because it is something that You definitely will will continue to socialize over the course of your life Um, and and I think it's a huge, boost of credibility for any business that ends up on sharp tank, right? Especially one that secures a deal and it's led to a lot of great, you know conversations, buyer meetings consumer interactions, and just, again, other things that we've leveraged it for. So, definitely a big part of our, of our history for sure. Really, really strong moment. And we've grown so much from that moment too, you know, so it's been a, it's been a minute.

Charles Schelle: 21:17

Yeah. And you know, the great thing about the show too, is that, you know, it's syndicated. Um, it's on, I think, Hulu where people can watch at any time. And I'm sure you might see an unexpected boost every so often. I know, you know, um, another reality show. I watched diners, drivers, and dives. Guy Fieri mentions it. When a rerun airs, we tell these people, these restauranteurs in advance when we're filming the episode with them, just know that there are going to be reruns and you're going to be unexpectedly busy whenever a rerun airs.

Kun Yang: 21:47

We were, it was so funny. I think it was like last month we were, um, at a trade show in Salt Lake City, in Utah. And and, and we were at the hotel that night and reran that night that we were there. And so the next day we showed up and they're like, you were on TV. We saw you on TV last night. We're like, yeah, I mean, you know, it was a really serendipitous moment. And then we ended up at the airport and some random, you know, person went up to my partner cause we were still wearing our Pricklee shirts, like, I just saw you on TV last night

Dana Rampolla: 22:14

for

Kun Yang: 22:15

most folks, they don't know when it aired. It could have happened last night. Well, you know, right. So it is the gift that keeps on giving to your point Charles and a great, again, probably one of the best PR moments that, that you could You could ever receive as a, as a business for sure.

Dana Rampolla: 22:28

Well, I know there's only so much you can talk about. How, how did it wind up that you were on the show? And then, you know, from a viewer perspective, is it really as kind of intense as what we perceive it to be?

Kun Yang: 22:41

Yeah. It, I mean, I think Shark Tank is the epitome of the American dream. When you think about what entrepreneurship is to America, and they've done a fantastic job with that production to represent and select a very diverse set founder and founder stories that I think represents what entrepreneurship in America is so really proud to be an alumni of that program we actually were very very lucky. We we launched February of 2021 And um, we this is back when Facebook was still facebook and not meta. And so This is also before iOS 14, which is the biggest update that really disrupted, you know, Facebook marketing and things like that nature for the worst. But, um, at that time we had posted up a Facebook ad to announce our launch. And that first week, Friday, we get this email from from Shark Tank producers asking us to apply. And we had no idea that this was real. We were just kind of like, this is a random email in our hello inbox. And it was Turns out you know, so we're like, all right, we're happy to sign our, you know, life away and fill out this giant application, you know, for, you know, it took us maybe three hours to do the longest application of my life. Turns out it was real, you know, which is great. So they, they found us and it was, it was mind blowing that, that that all happened. Um, and then it was a really long process, you know, from that moment to the time we aired was almost 15 months. You know, a lot of prep work, a lot of filming, a lot of producing, a lot of editing, a lot of that kind of stuff. But I will say, um, you know, it was a very, very, I think, authentic representation of the conversation that we'd had in the tank, you know, we're in there for about 45 minutes and I think it was edited post production to about eight or nine minutes. But I, but watching it and I mean, when it was on TV, it was the first time that we saw it too, you know, and we're, you know, we're, we're also not even sure if it is going to air. Right. So we've always production available and we're hoping, you know, it does air and it totally did. So we had a, we had a Shark Tank party at my, my buddy's restaurant. And so we're all waiting for us to come on the TV and we're just like crossing our fingers that it's going to happen, you know, eat crow. So it it certainly was one of those moments that I'm glad it happened. And then, um, Yeah, I just felt like they did a fantastic job of representing the conversation, the dialogue. Certainly there was some production, but very minimal in terms of the spirit of the conversation and dialogue. Um, and and for us, we kind of went in there with a very, I think, prepared game plan. Like we definitely knew what we were willing to offer, what we were willing to negotiate down to. And so fortunately for us, I think the conversation actually ended up being right in line with our, with our planning. Um, so we were very, very lucky to not get kind of caught off guard, you know, during the process.

Dana Rampolla: 25:08

So Kun, how are you overcoming the challenges that the sharks brought up about distribution, um, shelf space challenges, and also the marketing?

Kun Yang: 25:18

Um, every day, daily, just waking up every day trying to be better, you know, and I think this is a I mean, entrepreneurship isn't for everybody. You know, as much as it's glamorized, it's, it's, it's the single most difficult professional challenge I've ever undertaken in my life. And I can sit, I'm sure every one of my, you know, partners and, and team members would agree. Um, it's not for everybody, you know, and I mean, It's a very gritty you know, path to take. And so you have to just always be problem solving and think about solutions that don't even really exist, right? That's really what the spirit of entrepreneurship is. Um, and and so for us, it's really just about taking every day at a time and just you know, taking every one at a time and, and building that distribution because the, the, the thing of it, of it is the harder something is the more you overcome of it. The greater the chances of success are, and that's obvious, but it also means that the barrier of entry for other competitors are much, you know, higher. Um, so all these challenges of distribution, marketing, yeah, they're there, but if you're able to overcome them, it puts you in a select position to really be able to be successful, um, because it is very hard to overcome some of these things. And, you know, fortunately for the last four or so years we've really entrenched ourselves in the industry to a point where we truly know everything about, you know, how to, how to run this business inside and out. And so we're just growing every single day and, and solving problems as they go.

Charles Schelle: 26:39

Yeah. I, I really thought that Mark Cuban was, you know, tremendous help. And just the, those few seconds of saying, Hey, you know, let's talk about the antioxidants. Let's tell, tell, tell your story a little bit more. About the, the differentiation between this and coconut water. And we see today, like your labeling has changed and your icon. And I think, you know, just, just that enough of a few seconds with Mark Cuban, we, you know, we paid paid off, right?

Kun Yang: 27:06

Yeah, for sure. I mean, these folks are in the position they're in, you know, for, for a reason. And certainly I think they have a lot of experience to share a lot of great, great points. I think a lot of it validated a lot of things that we were thinking about at the time too. Um, so that was really, really good. And Yeah, I definitely feel like we're we're really at this. We've really hit our stride, you know, and you know, just with Good Housekeeping, we're launching Whole Foods this month in just a couple of weeks, Sprouts nationwide, you know, and, um, you know, so we, we have a lot of really strong momentum that I think putss us in a position where we just have to focus on building the brand, you know, and certainly I think a lot of what they said to your point, Charles came to fruition.

Charles Schelle: 27:44

So you mentioned Sprouts and Whole Foods you're located in, um, anywhere else people can find you. Um, and I've, I've seen, I guess you've hit the million can mark recently as well.

Kun Yang: 27:54

Yeah. I mean, we're an Amazon, you can buy a product online. We're, we're really saturated in the Southwest, you know, cactus country, if you will. Right. And so our team is down there. And so our focus from a retail distribution standpoint is really to focus in the Southwest because it just requires less education. Um, also, you know, I mean, it's, it's, it's a warmer climate. So the beverage season, the hydration season is a bit longer. Um, there's also a little bit more of a emphasis on health conscious sort of, points of distribution down there, right? More accounts to kind of, to build your business around. And so it's a great place to, to build a brand in the Southwest. Um, but certainly we have accounts up here in, in the Northeast as well. And you can find our store locator on our website.

Dana Rampolla: 28:37

And can't, can't sign off before asking. Do you have any new product developments or innovations that Pricklee Cactus Water is considering? Or you have in the pipeline that you're able to share?

Kun Yang: 28:48

We're working on some really exciting things, not nothing that I can share to too much degree at this existing moment. But I will say that, you know, again, it goes back to our mission. You know, our mission is really to create a brand that champions healthier hydration options for everyone. And really does it in a way that the champions natural ingredients, stable ingredients and packaging. Um, and it's something that can really be something that rallies families and, um, you know, together. Something for the entire, entire family. So, um, things that products that fit in that vein of, of our mission is exactly where we're innovating. So we should see some really exciting things come out in the next, I'd say like 18 months.

Charles Schelle: 29:25

Kun, you're an inspiration to both the AAPI community, um, and pharmacy students, as well as being a first generation American. So, what would you tell people who are considering pursuing a path similar to yours?

Kun Yang: 29:38

I think finding something that you're authentically passionate about. Um, that you can really wake up and, and just give everything to, um, because it takes that and more, and then doing it with the support of loved ones and people around you, you just can't do it by yourself, you know? But I think it's, it's just so important that what you pursue, you authentically do feel passionate about. And I've just seen just, again, it goes back to it. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It is so, so challenging. It's so much more glamorized externally than it is internally. Um, but, but I think the beauty of it. You know, I think there's a saying, right, which is like the journey is the destination. And I think that as we've gone through this journey, that has not been clear to us. And the biggest reason for it is as our goals have become larger and larger, um, you know, and, and some to points where we had no idea that we could have achieved these things, we started to, you know, realize over time that the outcome isn't actually what matters. Right. And it certainly isn't even the biggest reward. The biggest reward, I think that you can get from entrepreneurship is kind of the person that you become along that journey, the skill sets, the community, the impact the relationships and, and just the learnings, the wisdom, the experiences that you, that you gain. I think to me, that's, that's really what the prize is at the end of the day. That is the ultimate definition of success in my books. And, and I think when, you know, folks are considering entrepreneurship, like that is really what you're signing up for, right? Don't get so obsessed with the outcome. The outcome, you know, it was great, great to achieve it. Great. If you don't. But in a day, you know, you have to understand, like, you're doing this for the right reasons, which is to make a good impact and something that you believe believe in authentically and are passionate about. Without those things, it's going to be really difficult to succeed.

Charles Schelle: 31:20

Well, you are doing tremendous work. It is always great talking to a proud and successful University of Maryland, Baltimore alumnus, and we wish you nothing but the best in your future and with Pricklee.

Kun Yang: 31:33

Thank you so much guys means the world.

Jena Frick: 31:40

The UMB Pulse with Charles Chalet and Dana Rampolla is a UMB Office of Communications and Public Affairs production, edited by Charles Chalet, marketing by Dana Rampolla.