The Unbottled Podcast: And So It Begins.

https://youtu.be/0mqjY_U9Xys

In episode one, Mark Bryant, Vice President of Business Development at Canyonside Labs, a supplement manufacturer out of Twin Falls, Idaho, lays out the topics that will be addressed in future episodes–from "Why materials are used in formulas?" to "How you should choose a manufacturer?"

Mark: Welcome to the Unbottled Podcast, the show where each week we go behind the label of dietary supplement manufacturing. I am your humble host, Marky Mark Bryant. Behind the scenes we've got Danny.

Danny: Hello.

Mark: That is Danny's voice, in case you didn't know, and today is show numero uno. But before we get started, we want to invite you to tell us in the comments a little bit about yourselves—it's always helpful to know. Why are you interested in supplement manufacturing? What made you tune into this? What questions do you have? How can we make this relevant for you?

So, um, my name is Mark Bryant. Bryant? I can't even pronounce my name. My name is Mark Bryant. I've been in the supplement industry for over 25 years, which makes me feel really old, but I am really old. Been doing this for about 25 years. I'm currently the Vice President of Business Development for Canyonside Labs. We thought it would be interesting to start a podcast and to be able to give you some insight into what it is we do as a contract manufacturer and why that's relevant to you.

So, we will cover a wide range of topics. Everything from why materials are used in formulas to, if you're a brand, what does that mean for you? How should you formulate? What should you go to manufacturers with? All the things that you may want to know so that when you show up, a contract manufacturer takes you seriously. It also is great for the common, average supplement users so that you can look at a label and feel educated. We'll answer all those questions.

I am in business development, but my information is kind of like—I always compare it to like a mile wide and about a foot deep. I might be two feet deep by now, but I've got some experience in all the stuff. But, um, every once in a while, we're going to bring you some people that are—their knowledge is maybe like a foot wide and a mile deep on a topic. So we'll cover a wide range.

This podcast will be available regularly. We're hoping to have something out there, some sort of content every week that you can get a little nugget from. There's nobody that should walk away from this feeling like that wasn't time well spent. You will get something out of this. That's our promise to you.

Danny: Every week we talk to people that are asking questions about supplement manufacturing. You don't have time to talk to everybody that reaches out to us. So this, this is, is going to be a great opportunity for people to send in their questions and have us address that with you.

Mark: Yeah, I think where we'll start with this is we've already got an outline, but we, as Danny mentioned, we get a lot of people reaching out wanting to get our attention, and they're not just reaching out to us. They reach out if they're—you know, these are smart people, I would assume, and they're reaching out to lots of manufacturers. They may not be experts in this area, and so they're wanting some information, and they're wanting a quote, and they're wanting a little help with the formula and all those sort of things.

We see a range of a one-man show with an idea and he hardly knows anything, but he feels there's a need, um, and has never done anything like this, to somebody who shows up and they've got a whole brand portfolio that they send to us. They've already got startup money, they've got like all the things. And we want to be able to tell everybody what would grab these manufacturers' attention. What is going to move you in the midst of all the stuff to... um, we don't want to say that necessarily we prioritize, but if you could become a little, come a little more prepared, there is a learning curve there, right? Um, and we want to make sure that you, when you show up, you're ready so that people will take you seriously, that you'll feel the love—all the things that you need so that you can connect and be successful in your endeavor, because it's important to you and to us. Yeah, I think...

Danny: Yeah, something that I've, I've come to realize is that Canyonside Labs has a set of skills that helps us to really dial in and help certain people better than we would be able to for other people. Every supplement manufacturer has that.

Mark: No, you're making a great point. There are expertise segments with each manufacturer, right? Typically, you reach out to a manufacturer and they tell you, "Here's the product formats that we do based on the equipment that we have." So, for instance, Canyonside Labs, we tell people that we do capsules, powders, and liquids. Well, what does that mean? Are you good at all of them? Do you kind of dabble in some?

These are great questions to ask a manufacturer, and they will hopefully be transparent. I've learned over the years, you don't want to take on anything that you get halfway through and you're like, "Oh man, that was a bad choice." That is not good for anyone at this point, right? On our side, we're going to only take on the things that we feel we can be a really good resource and give you exactly what it is you're looking for and more. So, yeah, that's, that's, that's a fantastic point. I'm glad you brought that up.

We're also, a little on the manufacturing side, protective of our capacity to some extent, right? It's valuable. Those machines running are valuable for this company. So we want to make sure that we're aligned, that we're going to be able to be a benefit to you, that it's a symbiotic relationship. We want to, you know—a lot of companies show up one time and they make their order and they have high hopes and they go out there and they really weren't able to be successful.

We want to be able to share our information from years and years of doing this to help you not be in that situation. Like, reorders are awesome. That's the best thing you can do. It's super excited, exciting to get started, but it's even more exciting when you place your first reorder because that means things are moving. It's exciting and we're excited for you. You know, we do all this stuff. So, um, we want to do that as far in advance as we can, and we'll be your biggest cheerleader along the way.

Danny: So you've been doing this for a while. What is, what is your favorite thing about working in the supplement industry?

Mark: Honestly, it's, it's the relationships when you meet with a brand and you really connect with them. I'll tell you what, that feels really nice, right? But it's like, "Oh, oh, I've been looking for you," and they're like, "I've been looking for you," and you kind of fall in love, right? That is exciting to me.

And we just talked about a reorder. A first-time order is amazing. A reorder is when I really start to feel like they're doing it. That means they're doing it. And it's like, "Yes, okay, momentum." And um, you just want to build on that with, with them and, and, you know, do our part again, right? Go out there and make another amazing product. People are reordering because they're feeling a benefit, an effect. They're noticing a change in their life by taking that product and, um, that just sure feels awesome for everybody.

Danny: I love it. I love the first time I get to hold in my hand a product that somebody has dreamed up, that they've been really excited about getting to market, and holding that in my hand. So I can imagine what it's like for the brand that's put together—the person that's put that together.

Mark's brain is fun to pick. So this is going to be a lot of fun. We'll find out.

Mark: No, I will be... I'd be great. Excited about this because it felt like I can share info. You're going to help, like, it's just going to be—it's going to be cool. It's going to be really cool.

Danny: We've been wanting to do this for a while.

Mark: We have, but we've been kicking this around for like a year. So here we go. Buckle up. It'll be awesome.

Well, before we go, tell us in the comments why you're here. We mentioned that at the beginning, but we'd like to follow up with that. Why are you here and how can we help you? What are you hoping to get out of this?

And we hope to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of a supplement manufacturer. There should be total transparency, and that's what we're here to do. Subscribe to be informed when new shows are posted, and tune in next show when we talk about how to get a supplement manufacturer to take on your product.