"Together Talks" #85: Seedly and Founder, Mateen Pouyafar

Some Background on SEEDLY

Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the chance to interview SEEDLY and Founder, Mateen Pouyafar. SEEDLY's mission is to craft nourishing snacks with whole seeds. They do not hold back on the quality of our immaculate ingredients. Everything is certified organic and unrefined, keeping all the valuable nutrition available for their consumers to enjoy. At SEEDLY, they harness the power of seeds to create nutrient-dense, delicious snacks, driving a healthier and tastier future for all. Their mission is to satisfy cravings with whole, unrefined ingredients, transforming snacking into a nourishing and sustainable experience.

School start

Before SEEDLY, Mateen started making snacks while in college. He would have fellow students and friends try them out to get feedback. Surprisingly, he wasn't studying culinary, instead he was studying architecture. While completing his studies Mateen learned about hemp and the sustainability of the commodity used as building material. In researching he found that it was not economical to bring these materials into the US, but he found an opportunity in the food space. Being in the beginning phases, he saw there was an opportunity for real growth in the space.

Mateen shared that he grew up eating healthy as it was a priority within his family. Once he got to college, he realized that the options were not nearly as good as he was accustomed to. This helped lead him to starting to create his own snacks. In solving his own problem, he figured that this wasn't an issue only for him. With his introduction the benefits of hemp, he traveled down a rabbit hole to discover additional benefits of other seeds. Incorporating seeds into snack foods to get through the day could potentially enhance the nutritional value. Mateen had the idea, now he had to create the product.

Create through connections

Food was a connector in Mateen's life. Growing up he played piano and realized the comparisons between creation between food and piano. Studying architecture was another avenue where Mateen was able to test his creativity. He credits both situations from driving his ability to create. But it always came back to food. His first creation was bars he would make while in school and hand out for reviews. He continued to receive positive feedback and it led him to question, "Why don't I sell these in stores?"

Mateen took the challenge. He went to local stores in the neighborhood and pitched them. Soon his bars were on the shelf and selling. He continued to get feedback from his classmates and would tinker with flavors, packaging, and test out on the local stores. Remarkably all of this was done prior to launching his company. The next phase was when Mateen created a product line extension with his crumble product (granola). Mateen shared it sold better than the bars, and he was onto his next step in his business.

While the crumble was doing better than the bars, he shared that customers were giving a new set of feedback. "I kept getting told that they want something indulgent. We created our SEED BARK. It immediately outsold both the bars and crumble. We felt this was the product to go to market fully with." Remarkably he went through over 20 different products and formulations prior to landing on the SEED BARK. This test run was occurring during 2019, but the traction was proving to Mateen that his hunch was correct and he needed to pursue this at a larger scale. At this moment, he decided he needed to create an actual brand. He set out to create an identity.

One of the biggest advantages in Mateen's mind is that from the beginning manufacturing for SEEDLY has been in house. He never considered moving away from that situation as it allowed them to remain nimble and constantly adapt and tweak to better their product and packaging. While going through so many flavors initially it provided them ample time and opportunity to test new flavors and get instant feedback.

Mateen mentioned how important it is to remember the reason for bringing a product to market, offering important advice, "remember the product isn't for you." He said it is hard to learn as you go, but it was imperative for him not to get attached to any one product or flavor. For him the way to achieve your goals in a meaningful way is at scale, he believes the impact then is so much more multiplied. To reach the masses it started with the name SEEDLY. He believes the meaning was relation to the core competency which is seeds. Not many brands celebrate seeds in the way they do, and they created a name to echo their commitment and build trust to the snacking community.

Partner with KLS

KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.

Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.

For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!

Uniqueness

The power of hemp is the powerhouse of nutrition behind SEEDLY. Pairing hemp seeds with other seeds their snacks are packed with nutrient-dense ingredients. Compared to most snack foods that are often filled with refined ingredients, they don't actually solve a problem. Instead, a consumer is filled with excessive sugar or salt, filling up on empty calories, and not actually satisfying a craving. SEEDLY instead puts a focus on providing a balanced and truly better for you snacks.

The first goal is to contribute your nutritional needs of consumers. SEEDLY accomplishes this by providing 40% of the daily recommended omega-3's. Their mix of hemp, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds bring their core competency to the forefront of their SEED BARK. The use of all unrefined organic ingredients bring transparency to the forefront as a snack made to deliver deliciousness that is trustworthy. The company focuses on providing a macro balance that allows consumers to consume an entire serving and not feel bad about what they ate. "We addressed snacking by creating a great tasting snack that is beneficial for your health.", Mateen explained.

Differentiating entry

Mateen believes there are two universally accepted truths in regard to health. One is the benefits of whole and unrefined foods and the other is the importance of not overeating. Since its inception the mission for SEEDLY has been to create foods that check off both boxes. Providing snacks that cure cravings but more importantly are organic, unrefined, and nutrient-dense is of the utmost importance in their goal. Mateen believes that SEED BARK is the perfect example being a delicious snack that is also packed with proteins, fiber, and omega-3s from seeds.

SEEDLY was straight to retailer from the start. Not a common approach, but Mateen explained it as wanting to reach the most number of eyes as possible. He shared with us that he was not an expert and has had to learn a lot as he and his company has grown. He commended the ability to remain to be adaptable and their small stature. When he settled on the SEED BARK product, he believed that focusing on one category would be the best path forward for his company, "We envisioned a narrow and deep strategy."

The next phase for the company's growth is increased distribution. Mateen believes the current product can be successful in multiple regions. However, it is a great challenge to get the exposure and proper distribution. He stressed the importance of being organized but remaining patient. Staying on top of buyers, retailers, and the process is very tedious, but the necessary steps to continue to gain exposure in new markets through distribution growth.

Solo-Entrpreneur

The journey of SEEDLY for Mateen has been as a solo-entrepreneur. He took us through the challenges when all decisions run through himself, but how he tries to stay present and appreciative of the learning experiences. He reflected on a goal he set, "This past year was our first calendar year selling exclusively our SEED BARK line I wanted to increase our revenue by 200%. We exceeded that. It was a great feeling." However, Mateen also explained how as the leader often times lofty goals are set, that can even be unattainable at times. "Instead of hitting goals, I try to focus on smaller wins that can stack up."

Mateen further explained that it can be hard to stop and celebrate the wins, describing it as "lasting fleeting seconds". But there are plenty of events that occur that can allow appreciation including new partners, reports from retailers, or customer reviews. Those little hits of validation often re-center him on the emotional rollercoaster that entrepreneurs try to navigate. While SEEDLY is gaining tractor and brand awareness, Mateen did state that he envisions the environment down the road where they can create even further innovating in multiple categories. He stated their goal is to continue fueling the mind and body with nutrition-packed deliciousness.

The part of running a company that Mateen enjoys most is the life experiences. He credits the constant chance to learn is truly unique, but the ability to allow him to learn and develop traits. "This journey truly builds character, discipline, responsibility. I'm grateful for learning not only business but life lessons as well.", Mateen told us. He explained that constantly there are moments where he feels overwhelmed and questions whether he should continue. His cure has been trying to not get sunk into a problem, but instead shifting the perspective to focus on how to get out of the problem. Mateen compares being an entrepreneur competing in an endurance competition, not a sprint, "How long can you last so small disasters are no longer potentially business ending?", Mateen described.

Piece of Advice

Our conversation with Mateen ended with him sharing his piece of advice:

"Success is only one step behind failure. As long as you can not accept failure and continue to stay afloat or move forward, success is a potential outcome. Enduring difficulties will result in building some of the characteristics that are important of entrepreneurship."

Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?

KLS is booking our upcoming schedule now!

Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.

Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!

In Closing

KLS wants to thank Mateen Pouyafar, Founder, of SEEDLY?for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for the SEEDLY journey with their social handles below!

Instagram?/ LinkedIn