After 2 years of playing college basketball, I had accomplished my goal of becoming a Division 1 athlete. There was some good, however, I was ready to move on. That is when I created Bear Food.Growing up, my mom used to sell Virginia peanuts as a side hustle. The Ritz-Carlton of peanuts. My entire family would pitch in during the winter, labeling cans, packing boxes, delivering gifts to the post office. I grew up around this delicious snack and I knew there was a market for these gourmet treats. If my mom could sell these peanuts for 20 years, maybe I could take a crack at it. Hey, I loved working at Chick-fil-A, but Mercer University was a private school, and a little bit expensive. So let’s just go for it.This was the inspiration for Bear Food. So where did the name Bear Food come? Well, if you’ve ever been to Georgia, you’d know that if you put “Go Dawgs” on anything, it sells. So why not use that mindset for a product near Mercer University, the Mercer Bears? Ok, let’s try it. You’ve got the Bear aspect now, but why Bear Food? Well, there was an older couple who had brought me under there wing while I was in college. They were originally just some boosters I had met, but eventually they became my “college grandparents”. They reminded me to just keep things simple. So I agreed. Peanuts are food. Gotta include bears somehow. Ok. Easy. Bear Food!I’ve got the name, lets make a label. On my last basketball trip to Virginia Military Institute, 10 hours, yuck, I drew out a sample peanut can label, with orange and black accents. It’s colors and bear paw design had created a rustic but attractive brand, Bear Food! Next thing you know, Bear Food was selling at the Mercer baseball and football games, and I was stacking boxes of peanuts in my dorm room. In the winter, I then went door to door selling peanuts to corporate clients, and even to some stores! All of a sudden, I looked back and realized I had sold over $40,000 of product in my first 6 months. At 19, I realized this could actually be something. Thus, the ball started rolling. After graduating early in 2019, I moved back to Charlotte and started working full time on Bear Food. Flash forward to 2023, Bear Food is in over 150 stores around the country, has 14 different products, just opened our first storefront, became a vendor at the Wells Fargo Championship, and are aiming for our first 7 digit sales year. It’s been a crazy journey, with a lot of ups and downs, but the ball keeps rolling. I continue to work hard and thank the Lord for His blessing, because I wouldn’t be here without Him.