If I Could
If I Could
The King Of Amazon
What if your struggles could transform into your greatest opportunities? In our latest episode, we welcome Riaz Surti, the visionary founder and president of Hearty Foods. Riaz's story is a testament to resilience and innovation. He takes us on a journey from his humble beginnings working at a local KFC to becoming a trailblazer in the wellness food industry. How did a young man, once a struggling student, come to revolutionize the fast-food landscape with a passion for quality and service? Listen as Riaz shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career and entrepreneurial spirit.
Riaz's story is not just one of personal triumph but also a masterclass in business acumen. From pioneering food delivery services in the 1990s to creating a successful halal frozen food brand, his journey is filled with unconventional strategies and bold moves. Riaz's innovative marketing tactics, like samosa demos at Whole Foods and roadshows at Costco, showcase his ability to identify and seize opportunities in the market. These efforts not only expanded Crave Foods across the U.S. but also demonstrated how creativity and adaptability can drive business success.
Beyond business, Riaz offers profound insights into the personal philosophies that fuel his journey. He emphasizes the importance of aligning one's public and private selves, maintaining consistency and discipline, and nurturing a spiritual connection. Riaz believes a positive mindset and spiritual discipline can turn challenges into stepping stones for success. This episode is rich with inspiration and practical advice, making it a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs eager to learn from a true trailblazer's experiences and insights.
Contact us: @ificouldpodcast
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What you lack in talent can be made up with desire hustle and giving 110% all the time, the great Don Zimmer. Welcome back to another episode of the If I Could podcast, where we take a look at how a person made their dream turn into a reality. I'm your host, ahmad Amin. I'm excited to introduce the guest on today's show. Riaz Surthi is founder and president of Hearty Foods, a wellness company focused on making high quality products and supplements for your whole family. Riaz was kind enough to sit down with me and share his story of how he went from a curious kid working at a restaurant to the CEO of a wellness company, or, as I refer to him as the King of Amazon. Let's dive in and listen to Riaz's story. Riaz, welcome to the show. Man, really excited to have you.
Speaker 2:My pleasure Looking forward to being part of this.
Speaker 1:So just for the audience to know you the founder and ceo of hearty foods. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:that is correct. You know, you know, I, I really uh, I've been, I've been. I started hearty food in 2019 and I started off as a flower company and we evolved to a wellness company and it's actually one of the best things I've ever done, because I wanted it to been an e-commerce brand and um and alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, it turned out really well, alhamdulillah that's amazing, man.
Speaker 1:We are going to get into just how you got into creating this, this company, and how you've established such a presence in in such a small amount of time. What I usually like to do is is have people get to know the person first and then and then the journey they're on. So if we could go back in time, if we could sit on our DeLorean and get that flux capacitor started, go back on this journey before you became an entrepreneur. Where were you at in life?
Speaker 2:It all started when I was 16 years old. I told my dad I was doing poorly in school, right, and he was shocked by that because I had two siblings that were like straight A students, you know, and I came, I came from a very like an Indian family that produced, like you know, like like straight A students, my sibling from straight A students, right, okay, and so my, when I told my dad I was, I wasn't doing good in school, it was kind of it was kind of like um, alarmed by that, okay, and then, um, and my dad was a CPA by trade, right, and and um, anyhow, so like, so my dad said, you know what, go get a job at the local KFC down the street, okay, and, and I think his goal was to, like, you know, like, hopefully, like get scared straight. Okay, go back to you know, I see what fast food is like.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, and so, anyways, I get this job at KFC. And you know what happens, it becomes I love that job, I loved it, okay, and then and then, anyways. So I love that job to the point where I, like, I was just making biscuits and making mashed potatoes, going to the cashier's and collecting money, right, and it really shocked my dad because, wow, like you know, he thought that maybe working at KFC would be something like, you know, knock some sense to him, right. But in actuality I love that job to the point where, like, just I couldn't wait to after school, go to work, right. And then, two years later and I became assistant manager at that KFC and something crazy happens.
Speaker 2:The franchisee of that KFC tells I overheard him in a conversation saying that he wants to sell that franchise. So I run home to my parents and tell my dad please buy this franchise from me, please buy this KFC franchise from me, right, okay? Then, uh, and then, uh, and then I had the roles with his parents, by the way, I should mention that. Okay, and then. So my dad was cpa by trade and he looked at the numbers. He said this is a pretty good business, you know.
Speaker 2:And he said okay, let me um okay let me let me make attempt to offer this to buy his kfc, okay, and then, um, and, and he buys a restaurant, okay. You know, which is really just changed the course of my life? You know that restaurant, okay, and then, but something crazy happens, you know, after, a month later, after my dad buys that restaurant, a month later, my dad passes away, okay, so so then, uh, it became like um, uh, so it was like kind of shocking for the family, right, because my siblings, they don't want anything to do with the kfc.
Speaker 2:Right, because my sister got married that summer, right, okay, and then my brother was like off to college right, okay, and then um okay, and I remember, like you know I know, like I saw, you know like, yeah, this was became like um, uh, like a critical moment in my life, right. And then, uh, and then, and I remember hiring the contractor, right, actually, my dad hired the contractor, okay, they had passed away, and then we had to. And I remember hiring the contractor, right, actually, my dad hired the contractor, okay, and then he passed away, and then we had to get the deposit to the contractor, right, okay, and and then I remember giving him the deposit, he, he takes the money and runs, okay, and then I remember, like, I remember that was like the lowest point of my life. I went to the lowest point and then I saw a look at my mother's face, you know how, like she's a widow and she's his, and the guy took the money away from us, right, and and my siblings were upset with me, right, okay.
Speaker 2:And then, um, I remember I just knew at that moment that was like um, that I could not fail, right. It became like a really like, uh, turning point in my life, right and and I remember like just don't be a pushover life, okay, but but in some way I just knew that no one's going to save me at that moment and but it's about how many lie, just. You know, we were able to recover from that, okay, and then, uh, and I just took life and business so seriously after that, but it was like um, a major, major, like um moment in my life, you know, in some way.
Speaker 1:When this happened, when this happened to you, especially with everything that was going on with your family, how did you rebound from that? Or, I guess, what was your thought process? Right, because just in all the conversations I've had with people that are pursuing entrepreneurship, or their dreams, dreams or just in general, there's always setbacks and some people fold and some people learn from it, and and, uh, and and and take it as a life lesson and move forward. So when this happened to you, uh, how did you like? What was your reaction? I guess let me start there. And then, how did you read? How did you rebound from it? Did, were you thinking, okay, okay, now I got to go to school? Or what was your thought process?
Speaker 2:Well, what happened?
Speaker 2:was you know, so I realized that, okay, like you know, see, when someone harms you, right, okay, you think you focus on the problem or focus on the solution and anything, right, okay. And I remember, like you know, I I told my mother I need to. You know, like my mother said, listen, you know like, just go back, go back to school, go to college right, okay, and I want you to get an education, right, okay. And then I remember enrolling in junior college, okay, and then, uh, okay. And then you know, getting my two years done and so, at the same time, owning the restaurant, the kfc right, working, right, working the KFC Okay. And then I got to USC, right, okay.
Speaker 2:But I remember, like two things was I had to educate myself, right, okay, that's one. And finance and marketing and accounting and that kind of stuff, right, okay. And so I developed my own personal skills, president, okay, I became a student center on campus, right. And then I started the msu and and I knew that developing my own personal skills of knowing how to communicate, know how to work with other people, knowing how to win, basically right, okay and was was a way for me to help my own business development, you know so, so I thought the the better I became, the better life I became. You know, the stronger I got and also, like part of being president of MSU, it also really helped me. Actually, my friend and I were both the founders of USC MSU, which is like there's a thousand plus students in that organization, and I remember that was also key in my own development because I also realized that the more you develop yourself spiritually, the stronger you are in life.
Speaker 1:I want to go back to something when you said you know, when you were 16, your dad said, hey, go work fast food. And you thought that would be like a reality check. And you said you really liked it. What did you like about it? What potential did you see?
Speaker 2:well, what I like about kfc was, you know, like, see, I think I think, um, I like the idea of like, um, making something. I like the food business, first of all. I like that business right. I like the idea of making a good quality product, okay, and be able to and then and then and then and then and giving to people and seeing the reaction, and I knew it became very tangible. I had a product I made and I remember making biscuits. I was like, hey, that's good, it's a good biscuits. And I remember like serving people food Right.
Speaker 2:You know, I think in some way I just I just really enjoy being in the food business, right, okay, and the service business, right. So I just really enjoy being in the food business, right, okay, and the service business right. So I think that's the thing that really helped me. And I like the idea of seeing cash coming into the register, right. And then I also like the idea of how, like the store was, you know doing some amount of sales right, and I knew that if just by you know just doing the basics right, offering good service right, having a good product, and you can see the sales going up, okay, and I just that really made me happy, as all it became.
Speaker 2:It became almost like, um, you know, like, and then I also realized something interesting. I realized something that everyone is on commission. Even if you work earlier salary, everyone's works on commission. So if you, if you, you know, like, whether you, whether you like or not, right in case, like and uh, and I and and so, like, I remember, like, just doing a good job, okay, getting tips, or like you know, just, you know, getting promotions, right, okay, you know, it's just that whatever I did, it had a direct effect on my personal life, okay, so. So I just focused on what I could control, and I like the idea of business where it's about what you do and how that kind of control affects your long-term life in some way. So I think I was born to be an entrepreneur.
Speaker 1:That's what I realized. So now I'm going to go back a little bit, because you just said the key word right there you were born to be an entrepreneur Before 16, just growing up as a kid. What was your dream back then? What did you think you wanted to be when you were going to be an adult?
Speaker 2:Oh, I had this fantasy of being an executive. I always wanted to be an executive, right, yeah, okay. And I thought, like you know, like being an executive, like you know, I would watch TV shows of, like you know, you know, different bosses, whatever you know. And the one that came to mind was, you know, jr ewing, right, okay, being executive. I guess I decided, I know, being executive, being a boss, okay, so I have a company or a corporation, right, okay, so I always, I always had that again, I was and I thought, idea having a corporate credit card. And I thought the idea of having a corporate credit card or just going on airplanes, going to hotels, having meetings, I just thought that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1:And then, yeah, I guess that's really what it was. So now we fast forward. You're at USC, things know, things are going well. You're about to graduate. What's your mindset? Are you thinking like I, want to go corporate? You're obviously still working, you know, and getting more experience in the restaurant market. What was your mindset? What were you thinking about doing? Did you have any reservations? Where were you at?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Well, I always knew that, you know, I was unemployable because I just knew that I was going to be a boss and the idea of working at a job was inconceivable to me, okay. And so, like, I already had a business, right, but most people are, like, in college, getting an education, I already had a business, you know. So I was able to, like, have a business at the same time and also go to school, right, and I think that was a really unique position. So when I, when I took finance class, when I took accounting classes but I really, I really love marketing, so I took marketing classes, okay, so I was able to take those same lessons in class and apply that to school, right, okay. And then, and then I remember, like, um, and then the one thing I my, my, my degree is in um, is entrepreneurship, and so that was a really unique position because I already had a running business. All I had to do was just apply the principles of that.
Speaker 2:But, to be honest with you, I've always been very unconventional in my whole thought process. I ran for student center at USC, right, and I remember winning, winning student center without campaigning, okay, and most people thought how's that possible? How could you win student Senate, okay, and then, and then it was way to become student body president. It was like a problem, and just so much student center there. Then you just pick, you know amongst who would be the president of that group, right, there are 16 senators, right? So I was one of the 16 senators that won, right, but I remember winning, I just um, I just um, not campaigning I remember on the day of the day of the I know I guess the elections okay, and all I did was just basically, I hadn't, I just had my truck.
Speaker 2:okay, I had a four runner with the. I didn't take the top back off and then I just gave people rides to their cars. So I'll wait for the parking lot and then give rides to the class and then I'll give my brochures out to them and I say, before I take you to your class, can you vote for me? I remember doing that and I remember, like this guy realizes it's so innovative, no one ever thought doing that. I remember this guy realizes it's so innovative, no one ever thought of that. I remember having a captive audience taking five, six people at a time to their cars or their classes. I did that for 10 hours. I just knew that I needed 500 votes to win, if I did, enough people anyhow. I remember getting a lot of people to vote for me and winning without even campaigning. Yeah, and that anyhow. So I just so. I always thought outside the box.
Speaker 2:I've never, I never had a linear mindset you know I've always uh, unconventional and I think in some way that's really truly helping my business. It's kind of like how, like obama said, audacity of hope I just had the audacity to do things and I. I never asked for permission, I just did it. I think I'm still the same way now.
Speaker 1:Yeah and then. So, post-graduation, did you just focus on building up your first KFC and then going into multiple chains, or what was your thought process?
Speaker 2:I remember when I bought the, my first KFC became a multimillion-dollar franchise right Then I got my second KFC and then I got my third KFC, got my fourth KFC and what made it very successful was the reason why there was a growth is because I was doing Grubhub before Grubhub existed.
Speaker 2:So I was doing deliveries, right. And then I remember KFCs had like different programs, right, but they were basically trying to build the best mousetrap and get people to come into the stores. And I said, no, that's very limited, right. So my goal was to be the king of delivery. I invented Grubhub before Grubhub existed. We're talking about like 1990s and early 2000s, right, okay, before Grubhub existed. We're talking about like 1990s and early 2000s, right, yeah, okay. So, and I remember, like taking fax orders. I built my own website, okay, and then people could place orders on that, yeah. And I remember, like the way KFC works is that you have a district area, you have a certain area and you can't sell outside of that area unless it's catering. Okay, and it's okay.
Speaker 2:Well, I couldn't technically do delivery, but I could do catering so when I look at my franchise contract, the way that works is is that wherever the money was was sent, like, whatever the money was, um, the transaction happened. That's considered, um, okay, a catering order, okay. So what I did was, whenever I did any kind of orders, my goal was to get a credit card, okay, and I I would place the transaction to happen at the restaurant. Okay, then I would do the delivery. So that worked out perfectly. So, whatever I did, or like and Cerritos is known for, like this one's called Cerritos Auto Square, selling the most cars in the world. So I happened to have a KFC that was positioned where all the dealerships were Okay, like maybe 15 dealerships, and Cerritos Auto Square sold the most cars in the world. My goal was to see if I could sell to all the dealerships. One thing that was interesting about dealerships was they have a bunch of sales people on the lot. They're all commission-based. They don't want to leave the lot to have lunch because that means they're going to lose customer opportunities. My goal was to go into dealerships and tell this and just do purchase orders. You're like, can I deliver some food for you? And the sales manager says, do you do purchase orders? And I had no idea what a purchase order was at the time. This was when I was like 19, 20 years old, right, and I said, yeah, I'll do purchase orders, and I had no idea what he was talking about. Okay, and then, okay and then and then and then. So I would give him a receipt. Oh, okay, well, we'll send you, we'll send you a check in a few weeks. Okay, sure, no problem. And that worked out perfectly because it became a delivery order, because the transaction happened at the restaurant. I got the check, the dealerships.
Speaker 2:So, like every every weekend Friday, saturday, sunday, you know, I would just call every dealership up and I came up with my own menus, like the way, like what was, um, the way the KFC had these menus where it's like a little complicated, you have to tell how many people you're trying to order for, and then I said okay, and then you basically you know whatever again then and I said no, no, let's just do party menus. A party menu is like okay, here's a menu where, if you have a, based on how many people you have it'd be 10 to 12 people, I'd be party menu. One party, me too will be like you know, 15, 18 people. And then party minute three was, like you know, 20 to 24 people. So I would ask how many people you have? Okay, and then I said do you want a mixed assortment? Okay, you want mashed, you want original extra crispy, you want mashed cheese and gravy corn. And I'll just check all the boxes for you and just tell me how many people you want to feed.
Speaker 2:So I just simplify the ordering process so okay and then most people you just you know.
Speaker 2:And then I, whatever I had in stock, I would give them that If I knew I had a lot of corn, I would corn a cob for them, and in Massachusetts gravy costs were always staples. So I just became really good at telling people I want to feed, I'll do a mixed assortment. So instead of being like a 10, 20-minute call, it became a two-minute call, a one-minute call, so just having party menus. And then my goal was to get these party menus out to every dealership possible. And I had it in the store, right, okay. And I had my little section in the store at the restaurant Let us party for you, let us throw a party for you. Sure, I remember doing that. And this was like we're talking about 1990, 1995. No one ever thought about doing catering, now, right, so that I was really the pioneer of that, right, okay. And then so I just, and then I and then and I would buy KFCs at different locations around LA. It became, it became a distribution point and I remember buying two KFCs. It was my buy one KFC, get one for free, right, and it was a liability for me. I said, perfect, no problem, I'll buy that KFC because it's just making a distribution point. For me, it didn't matter what the sales were, okay, it's a collateral, it was losing money left and right. Right, I said, perfect, I'll take that. Because it became a distribution. It's kind of like a ghost kitchen for me. Yeah, the idea of a Now I could do that area.
Speaker 2:And I realized that part of and I said I'm making good money a weekend, what can I do to make money on weekdays? So I was the first person to ever get fast food into school lunches. So I started doing maybe over 150 to 100 schools. I first started off in Islamic schools. I started doing halal, chicken strips and whatever. Again started off in Islamic schools. I started doing halal, you know, chicken strips and whatever. I started doing all the Islamic schools around LA right, and then I started getting into regular school district. So I would just, you know, go to the school board and make a proposal for different schools. I started with private schools and then it became so easy because some of these schools, like they didn't, they didn't want to. You know, they want to have a successful food program.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And having KFC, you know, was a, was part of that. And then I got a Taco Bell franchise as well, right, so it was like Taco Bell KFC. So I was making a bunch of money just catering, yeah. And then I remember I was taking stores I was just doing so poorly and it just became like a distribution point for schools, for business catering, for fax orders and at one point I had the highest volume KFCs in LA.
Speaker 2:Just having this restaurant and I think part of it was just completely thinking outside the box and not thinking in a linear way and in some way that was really was like I was the best at it. And then on top of that I said, well, let me try doing halal, because it's my own personal preference. I didn't like the way I sat on the portrait committee for KFC. I didn't particularly like the way they're slaughtering chickens. So I bought a warehouse in LA and it was a us state facility. I converted.
Speaker 2:I just you know, I was able to get paperwork done become a us state facility and I used to go to buddhist slaughterhouse and be able to like, cut chickens how long chickens? Okay, and then I take it to my facility, my us state facility and cut your kfc specs and and bring it to my own restaurants. So it's complete vertical integration, right? So at one point I had my own fresh chicken, halal, because in the 90s, 2000, it wasn't possible to get your own. It wasn't like halal distribution was not available, there was no like. So a complete vertical integrated, we're talking. Well, it's like in my 20s, right?
Speaker 2:I remember doing all this right. And people are coming in in. I said, what is this chicken?
Speaker 2:this is crazy right, this is good tasting food, right, and even I put hello kfc, hello chicken in the taco bell, okay. So, wow, this is crazy, it's like we're the good taco bell, right, okay. And then, and, and at the time, kfc was really known for like, like, um, um, you know, like just having fresh packaging made in the store, right, I think today's KFC is like freezer to fryer, right, but at that time it was like fresh chicken going into, like, and I remember like having halal KFCs at the same price as non-halal right.
Speaker 2:In fact, I just converted everything to halal right Cutting my own chicken, processing my own facility, take it to my own restaurant and completely verdict integrated right, okay, and, and this was something that was completely outside of like um, like uh, what anyone ever thought of, okay, and so that's what I mean, like I've really I think I was the best you know franchise out there, right, and even I got to the point where, like, I even got the phone number 1-800 call kfc and so all the, all those like andFC, and so that was my phone number, right, so all the catering would go to my four stores, okay, and then my Taco Bell. So I'd be like, oh man, this is crazy.
Speaker 2:So just imagine the volume we're doing. We're catering from every dealership in Southern California. We're doing school lunches. Businesses were calling us right. So I was taking small franchises and just becoming multi-volume restaurants.
Speaker 2:I remember that distinctly. Then I remember KFC calling me and pulling the plug on the Halal program. I remember that. I remember the day I got the call and I happened to have one of those old brick phones and do you know where I was? I was in Mecca doing Hajj when I got the call from KFC and said, listen, you need to just continue this halal food program because it's really in violation of your franchise contract, because it's just really like you're doing something outside the fold of KFC. And I remember that and I said, well, since I was running the Ka, because it's just really like you know, it's just you know that you're doing something outside the full KFC. And I remember, I remember that and I said, well, since I was running the Kaaba, I was like, okay, alhamdulillah, this might be a good sign for me to sell.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And guess what happened? I sell all those franchisees, right. So many people want to buy it because it was a high volume restaurant, right, and I told that. I told the buyer that, listen, the only reason why he's doing so well is because I'm doing halal, I'm doing catering, I'm doing deliveries. But once it, once KFC pulls a plug on that, it's not going to be the same.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And they said, no problem, we'll still buy, okay and anyhow. So then, so I sell the restaurant at the top dollar. I make a lot of money on the restaurant, right, okay? And then, and then I remember, hummed to a lot. This was in 2005 when the economy was like really humming this was right before the mortgage crisis, right, Okay, and.
Speaker 2:And it was like money everywhere, right Okay. And then people are shocked why are you selling this stuff? But I just became very disillusioned with KFC. Why? Because I knew the halal. I even told them halal is an international standard. Why are you doing this? And I realized KFC was a dumb company, Just dumb Dumb Because at the time I remember Chipotle was coming up making fresh food and KFC was getting into frozen and basically freezing the fry right, Taking away this concept of making fresh food at the restaurant.
Speaker 1:Sure, sure, sure.
Speaker 2:I thought, man, it's just dumb, you know. And I said maybe it's a sign from Allah, right, yeah? And then I sold it and I made a lot of money on the sale, sale and then just a crazy thing that happened is that maybe 10 years later, all those KFC friends that I own, they all went bankrupt.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And I'm not sure if you know anything about my KFC it's not doing so well, but that was a sign from Allah. And then from that I got into some other new businesses. But I used that money to buy um by my my warehouse right okay, and completely pay it off right, and that warehouse was like a, like a food manufacturing facility and so, but it really was, uh, um, something that I thought would be a negative experience.
Speaker 1:It ended up being a really positive experience for me yeah, so when you sold between that and, like you know, founding, finding um, being the founder of Hardy Foods, how did you make that transition? How did you figure out that you want to get into this line of?
Speaker 2:business to making products, my own products and selling it to restaurants, right? So my first product was called Crave Rose, okay, and I remember like, and this was like a failed Taco Bell product okay, it was like a taquito, I guess, right. And so I said let me start, you know, making my own frozen food, crave Roast I'm not sure if you back in the 90s and 2000s there was no real legitimate halal frozen food products and most of it was just antiquated just outside of the house selling nuggets and that kind of stuff. So let me start doing my own KFC or not KFC, but my own product called Crave Roast. At the time my franchise corporate name was called Crave Foods, right, yeah, crave Enterprise. Okay, and I said okay, so I started selling Crave Roast and I remember I started selling my own frozen food items in the restaurants.
Speaker 2:I mean into grocery stores right and getting UPC codes and putting nutritional facts right and a restaurant and selling at different stores, right. And then, uh, and I remember like um doing pretty well with that, okay and then, but the problem I had with that business was like I was able to sell it, get into a lot of halal stores, halal locations, right okay, because the sales were coming easily, but I had a hard time getting paid, right, okay. So it became like, um, you know somebody like I'll go to uncle auntie please, can you, please pay me now, right, okay. And then it became very, very, you know somebody like I'll go to uncle auntie, please, can you please pay me now right?
Speaker 2:And it became very, very tough, right, Okay. So then I realized, well, let me see if I can get samosas into Whole Foods. Sure, that was my first venture, right, Okay. So I came up with a company called Crave Foods. You know, we started Crave Samosas, right, Okay. And so I remember like this, around 2002, 2003, right. And then so I said, okay, well, let me see if I can get samosas into Whole Foods. And I got a tip that one of the buyers at Whole Foods they used to go to work at 4 am in the morning, right, Okay. So I sent him an email and his name was Brad at the time. Right, I said, hey, Brad, can I meet you at 5 am? Yeah, Okay. And then I said deep down inside I said, and I think it's from USC everyone likes somebody like themselves.
Speaker 2:If you want to sell something to somebody, you have to like you know like if you like bowling you have you know, if someone likes bowling.
Speaker 2:You know you're trying to sell someone who's uh, whatever it is, whatever the interest is, you have to kind of like, be like that, okay, so like, so I knew he's an early bird, so well, let me see if I can send me, you know, every early bird much like another early bird, right, yeah. So I sent him an email. I said, listen, can I meet you at five in the morning? And he happened to be the buyer in in northern california office, right, I live in la, right so. And he said, yes, I'll meet you. And I said I want to sell samosas to you, right, okay, and then, anyhow, so I tell my mom to make these samosas for me, okay, and I make the best fricking samosas possible, right, yeah, okay, and and, uh, okay, and then I go down to, uh, I drive that the night before and I meet Brad, five am in the morning, yeah, and I said can you buy your samosas? Why?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I said well, and he said don't say, they're the best.
Speaker 2:Don't say that because everyone thinks their product is the best. Yeah, and I said, oh, okay, I said the reason why I should buy my samosas is because I'm going to demo it for you. I'm going to come from la, okay, and I think whole foods had maybe 30, 40 store at the time in that in the 2000s, right in northern california, right that district. Yeah, I said I'll come on weekend and I'll I'll demo them for you, yeah, okay, and I'll do three stores, four stores right now, and I'll give me about maybe six weeks to eight weeks to do every store in southern cal, I mean in Northern California. Okay, so every that weekend I would go to every Whole Foods and demo the samosas for them. And I said, and he told me you know, that's, that's a really good answer, rios, because you know people, when people try it, they're going to buy it. Yeah, okay, so that was it.
Speaker 2:And then something crazy happened, right, so I, I, so I also went to Costco in Northern California and I said, listen, I want to be part of the roadshow of Costco. Yeah, okay, and Costco, what a roadshow is? You go in for the weekend, you basically sample a bunch of products and you bring in a Friday, okay, and then you're out by Monday, right. You're out by Sunday, okay, and then whatever sales you did you keep, okay, and then whatever sales you did you keep. But I remember going to Costco roadshows in Northern California in early 2000.
Speaker 2:And I think I handed out about 10,000 samosas every weekend, yeah, and I remember telling listen, we did pretty good at Costco, selling samosas to Costco on that weekend roadshows. But what I did was and I would tell every customer listen, if you love your samosas so much, go to Whole Foods and buy them. It was just serendipitous that I was able to cross over that way and anyhow. So the Costco was happy with us, we were having good products, right, and then the whole food scale just took off. Okay, so then from that Northern California I got to Southern California region, I got into Midwest, I got into Hawaii, I got into all these different stores all over the Western Hemisphere, and these were all halal samosas. I was doing chicken ground, beef, lamb samosas, sweet potato samosas, spinach samosas, right, and then I had maybe like six different lines of samosas and whole foods at the time.
Speaker 2:But then, anyhow, that was like and I was really proud of it. I was the first person ever get a lot of products into these stores, like a lot of people think it was. It was other company that did it right. I was the first person to ever do it okay, and and um, and I did it without brokers. I just did it with just pure sales. I did it with just being being um, creative in my response, you know, being being diligent and working going, doing demos right, and then also also I also there's also an element of like, um, you know that allah, allah, is in charge, right, okay, and, and I had no idea that handing out samosas at costco, yeah, okay, you know it would would be a catalyst, like you know, to grow our whole foods business, right, yeah, yeah, but so, alhamdulillah, I know there's a lot, a lot of like now, once you start realizing, looking back at your life, allah is so kind and merciful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know. So now this is your second big, big venture that's taking off. How did you go from that to deciding to start selling on Amazon and formulating hearty foods?
Speaker 2:Well, so back in those days, you know like, I got good distribution right and then getting into KFC I mean getting into Whole Foods, getting into Costco I got into Sam's Club with that right, so I got a good offer for that company and I was young I was young at the time. Let me take this offer, because what happened was the orders were getting bigger and I had bought this one big machine out of Japan. It was an egg roll machine that I converted into a samosa machine Because there's no way to hand roll these samosas, so I had to buy a machine Anyhow. So let me sell this business because there's no way to like, um, there's no way to like, you know, do the orders right. But what happened was right, um, you know, it's just, it's just. You know, I didn't realize that distribution was so valuable but I saw the restaurant, I saw that business.
Speaker 2:You know now, knowing now what I, you know it, I, I understood the company because the company that bought it from me became a 30 40 million dollar company, okay, and and I sold it for so little, right, not knowing how your distribution is around 2010.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then I saw man that suck, you know, okay, but I haven't realized. I mean, everything is good to you, right, in some way. Right, because that allowed me to pay off my building, pay off my house, all that stuff, right, and that money I made, right, okay. And then I went to the same Whole Foods buyer right, can I tell the Whole Foods buyer? And I said you know what, what product should we do next? So he said you know what I said. You know what he said every time we do gluten-free. This was around 2010.
Speaker 2:So, gluten-free. I said well, if you could do a gluten-free pie shell for me? Yeah, it's a gluten-free. I said no. I said well, if you could do a gluten-free pie shell for me, gluten-free pie shell, okay, for the, for the um, you know, for the, for the third quarter, for christmas, for thanksgiving time, you know, I think that'd be a good product, okay, and if you do it, I'll give you end caps and it catches like where, the, where, the, where the store, yeah, and of the aisle right here right in the front of the store ending the aisle, okay, I'll, I can't, I'll give you, I'll give the end caps, I can't.
Speaker 2:and if you do pie shells and if you do a pumpkin pie gluten-free and apple pie gluten-free, apple pie If you do a pie shell, if you do the three pies and I had no idea how to do gluten-free, right, but I remember my mom told me, unrelated to gluten-free or anything, she said go buy china flour. For me, china flour is like like garbanzo flour yeah, okay, at the grocery store, in your grocery store and, being indian, you just okay.
Speaker 2:well, I said, anyhow, so I I went to go buy china flour and I and I made a pie shell that it took me a week to figure out how to make a pie shell and I give it back to Brad. Well, here's a pie shell for you. He said, wow, this is freaking good. He said that's a good idea. Make a garbanzo bean pie shell. And I add a little bit of rice flour and tapioca flour to it and I said, wow.
Speaker 1:So anyway.
Speaker 2:So it's my first generation pie shell so I get into like oh, like 30 whole foods or 35, 45 at the time, 40 whole foods and um and whole foods, right, okay, and all end caps, okay, without paying slotting fees, without broker fees, and I and I make a pumpkin pie for them in apple pie. So I'm in about 35 stores, okay. And then, and then, and then, and then I I look at uh, and then I started google on my phone. I went to google maps and said where's the corporate office for um, for um, stater Brothers, just all local, like Southern California, like grocery store chains, and I got a meeting with the Albertsons guy.
Speaker 2:I said, listen, I have a gluten-free pie show, gluten-free pie, so I think it's a good idea to start getting gluten-free in the stores. And the guy says, okay, come up for a meeting, come, come by, have a meeting with us, you know. I said, sure, I, I go meet the guy, right, okay. And I tell him I'm doing it, hopefully, right now they're doing pretty good, right, okay. And and then uh, and then he says um, um. He said, okay, well, you know, give me the statistics on it, okay. I said, well, this is what we're doing, yeah. And he said I, I don't think gluten-free is going to be good for us. We're just too early, right, and?
Speaker 1:I remember using a line on him that really, really worked. It was like a really crazy line.
Speaker 2:And the guy says okay. And I said well, I can give you all the statistical answers on why gluten-free should work for you, right, but you may or may not accept it, right. But the one thing I could tell you is um, let me, let me give you an emotional argument. And he looked at me, said the strange way, what do you mean? Emotional argument? Why should I gluten-free? I said do you remember abraham? And what abraham you know? The biblical abraham, okay, so yeah, I'm abraham, you know. And then he said I tell him. I say, you know, know, abraham's father was trying to tell Abraham something that wasn't true.
Speaker 2:And Abraham says something to him and you know what he said. And the guy says, Brad, I'm just buying it.
Speaker 1:What did Abraham say to his?
Speaker 2:father. And Abraham said to his father our knowledge has come to me, that has not come to you. That's chronic ayat, by the way. And he looked at me all right, that sounds interesting. And he sent me a purchase order. Oh, wow, and I used that answer. That was it. And what was crazy was I got into about 10 Albertsons. Right, and Albertsons gets bought over by, I think, bond, safeway or something, and those 10 Albertsons become 300 stores.
Speaker 1:Wow, Over like a two or three-year period right.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, I just grow with them. It's like just hum-noo-da-la, right, okay so?
Speaker 2:then I started doing apple pie, pumpkin pie, pie shells, I said let me start doing cheesecakes for you guys. Okay, I started doing gluten-free cheesecakes for you guys. Okay, I tried doing a gluten-free cheesecake. So original strawberry, you know different flavors, right. So I have like maybe like six, six to eight different lines of cheesecakes and pies at albertson's bond safeway, yeah, and I said wow, okay. And then and then about six or seven years later, right, but the problem that business was high volume, low margins, okay, that's okay, so that's a problem.
Speaker 2:So it's like it's all third quarter, fourth quarter, going crazy, right. And then, and it's just, and I realized, man, this is too much. And then I said, and I remember doing the wallah, man, let me get an offer for this because it's too much work. There's too much work, right. And then, uh, but then I get a good offer on that. Then an investor calls me up and says we want to buy your business. I said, no problem, buy it.
Speaker 2:And then an investor did buy it. What's crazy was the reason why they bought this. I know the investor group was, but I think they're representing either Murray Calendars or some investor and the whole goal was to buy the company. So I can kill it Because it was frozen. It was a freezer space in the store, right, okay? And then so they don't want Vaughn Safeway Albertson to keep buying my product because there's only a certain amount of freezer space you have available right.
Speaker 2:So the more they give it to me, the less I can sell to other people.
Speaker 1:So it's zero-s research space you have available right, so the more they give it to me, the less I can sell other people, sure? So zero sum game, zero sum right, so like, so they only bought it to kill it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, I didn't to me, I didn't care, right, I just take the money around, right, okay, and I take that money around, okay, and so this around 2019, right, so, alhamdulillah. So now, so, and I and I realized that the problem with the cpg business getting into retail, it wasn't a very profitable venture because it was like you know, it just became like it was just low, like high volume, low margins, right. And I told myself, listen, I want to get into e-commerce.
Speaker 2:I remember like telling a friend of mine I want to start doing e-commerce, right? I remember my friend told me you're crazy, Riaz, because you're still at Windows 2000. You know anything. What are?
Speaker 1:you talking about? How can you get into Windows?
Speaker 2:I want to start a company called Hearty Foods, yeah, and start selling. And I remember, like I remember the name Hearty. I had a friend of mine that was. I hired him to help me with the come. I hired him to help me with the new brand.
Speaker 1:Hearty.
Speaker 2:Foods and I remember he said do Hearty.
Speaker 1:Foods and I said I don't understand the name, it's kind of dumb, but I wanted a name that was trademarkable.
Speaker 2:No one else had. He said it's healthy, but take the L out. It had an R to it. So Hearty Foods, right. So, ok, sure, I took it and then so I started doing hearty food. But it originally was. It was a flour line, so like apple flour, banana flour, sweet potato flour, carrot flour, these are flour that's made up really big. Miss my imagination, yeah, and anyway. So then though, okay, so so I started this company, okay, and then right to the 19, I think you know, you know I, I get on amazon, right, okay, and I started shopify store and I and I was very creative and how I sold the product, right, okay, like putting in ice cream cups, okay, so if you go on my website now, you still see these, like flower cups, flowers and different ice cream cups right, okay.
Speaker 2:And then, um, okay. And then 2019, I start the company. You know, we did pretty good sales. Wasn't like nothing to cry, like nothing, like really like nothing spectacular. But then 2020 comes around, covid comes around. I happen to have a flower company during COVID, right, and it was a gluten-free, unusual flower company and we just killed it during COVID, and I realized the power of Amazon at that moment. Sure, okay, so why even focus on my website? Focus on Amazon, okay. And then I remember hiring a consultant. I took a consultant. You know, listen, I want to start doing halal collagen, halal gelatin, that kind of stuff. Right, I can't. And this is like this is like 2021. Now, right, okay. And then okay, and and because I knew, I knew like, um, that was good business, right, but deep down inside, you know, I've always been a halal food business. Halal, right, okay. And then, uh, even the cheesecakes.
Speaker 2:Most cheesecakes, by the way, are not halal or most pies are not halal, by the way. You have to get that in mind too. Okay, and most people like even murray calendars you go to like some of the stores they use lard in there, in there, oh wow, okay, that's right now.
Speaker 2:So so I wanted to, I want to get back and somehow in the halal business, right, and I remember I hired this consultant. I, I told the consultant listen, I want to start doing Hello College, hello Gelatin, and the guy said you have a vegan flower company. You're not going to be able to. It doesn't make sense for you to sell Hello products. You're going to upset your vegan flower company, your vegan customer base. But I said, but I'm a wellness company, I'm not a vegan company. I want to be in the wellness space and I don't. I don't particularly believe in veganism and there's some value to it, I agree, right, but but I rather, I rather, and I think we could still put on the hearty name, sure, okay, and and I started around 2021, I started selling collagen and gelatin. How long, okay? And and that slowly, slowly, it did, you know, it started taking off. My goal is to get 100,000 units a month.
Speaker 2:That's the goal for me, right, okay, so like, okay, and so I, right now, we're I think we're number one in all all uh, gelatin sales on amazon. The first time, a halal product and most of my customers are not muslims, by the way okay, and okay, and and and I'm not sure if you know, but amazon, you know it's the winning team right now. Right, because I have a billion customers a week and I realized if I I focus on Amazon, I think I'll grow with them, right, so, anyhow. So now we I think we're number one in gelatin, on all gelatin on Amazon, right, and then we have a second product that's doing pretty well. It's a Gar-Gar which is like a vegan gelatin. Right, okay, and I think we're number one in that. Okay.
Speaker 2:I think we're number one in halal collagen in Canada. We're number one in not halal, it's all. I think halal collagen. I think we're in the top 20 in collagen in Canada right now. Right, yeah, okay, and I think our goal is to get to number one in all collagen sales in Canada. Yeah, and I think we're number one in all gelatin sales in Canada, and Amazon Canada as well, right, and so I think the goal is to get to 100,000 units a month and I think that'll put us at maybe about $25 million of sales annually. But as far as that's from a business perspective, that's where I want to be within two, three years. And then as far as personally, I think personally I want to be able to travel more, I want to get the best shape of my life. I also want to be able to contribute Islamically to my community as well Contribute to have good kids, to have good family, all those things. So those are the things I want to accomplish.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you sharing your journey. I was going to do a wrap-up. It's like one fun question and then a reflection, what I call big three.
Speaker 2:What is it that you do versus what people think you do? Well, I think, I mean, I think there's no gap. I think when people meet me, they know who I am right.
Speaker 1:I own who I am. I know, I know what, what, what my narrative is right, okay.
Speaker 2:So I think, in some way, like my goal is to is my night to be like my day, right? Everyone has a day and a night, right? Okay, I want my day and night to be the same, okay, so my day, whatever, like, I'm trying to be as transparent as possible. I try to be the way I talk to you're an adult or an older person, right?
Speaker 1:Or whether you're you know anyway, I just try to be the same way to everybody.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just try to be as sincere as possible and try to be as transparent as possible, right, because I think if you're sincere, you shine automatically. Yeah, I think there's no gap. And then the second is, I think, one thing I also that really, really helps. It's a prophetic example of just properly listening to people, looking people in the eye, positioning your body that way, making people feel good. You know, like um, try to greet people in the most positive, happiest way possible, right, okay, and and try to give good advice to people. So that's why I think that's it, but I don't think I really answered your question, but I think I did too, right? Yeah?
Speaker 1:And then just the last three questions here. If your past self could see where you are now, what would they say to you?
Speaker 2:Well, my past self, I think. Well, my to like to be as pious as possible, right Okay. So like I've always. One thing that, like I don't think I ever missed a lot, even as a kid, yeah Okay. So in some way like never missing a lot really was the biggest um contribution to my success, like, even as a child. I think that's one thing that was beautiful about my parents was, even as a kid, I always prayed namaz with them. I don't think I ever missed namaz, even as a kid. Even now I don't miss namaz, right, okay, and I think that's the thing. So my past self, any namaz I miss or any sins I've committed, I think I don't mean that that's the only thing I have regret for right.
Speaker 2:But in the end, I think you know, I would say, like you know, I know that there is a correlation between you know, like if you want to be like great in life, you have to connect your heart to something that's great, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:And that's how you become great, okay, so. And the greatest of all things is the divine. You know, that's how you become great, okay so, and the grace of all things is the divine. You know the divine, you know a lot, right, okay so, yeah, so, if you want, if you want to be connected to something that's like infinite, you have to connect yourself to be something that's infinite, okay, and? And by being that, then you have, like, this abundance mentality. You're like, you're not like limited in any way, right so, like I, I like, and I always say to myself no one's gonna outwork me or outpray me, yeah, okay, so. So that's the key to my successes. I'm gonna, I know, I just know in my mind, if you outwork me, then you're not gonna outpray me, sure, so, that's so. Those are two things. But, if I can put that on any entrepreneur, right, is that you know, like is know that there is an unseen force that manages this world, right, and if you could tap into that unseen force, then you'll be successful in life.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's a great answer, man. What advice would you give your present self and what advice would you give your future self?
Speaker 2:I would say just be more disciplined. Yeah, be more disciplined, know, you know, to um like um, just have like, just just, uh, confidence that that everything is going to work out well, okay, and and I, and so like I think that's it okay then, and and try to block any negativity out of your mind, right, okay, and and and then also, like I like this one hadith. It's a hadith I could see where allah says I am what my servant thinks I am.
Speaker 2:Okay and so have a good opinion of your Lord. Okay, and if you think you have a good opinion of Allah, then Allah will be what you think he is.
Speaker 1:If you think Allah will save you, he'll save you If you think Allah will help you he'll help you right.
Speaker 2:So have a. Just be completely pious. And most people don't realize that this. We live in a spiritual world, right, and the physical world. There's a physical world and a spiritual world. The spiritual world is dominating the physical world, and once you tap into the spiritual world, then the physical world becomes very, very manageable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it, riyaz how could people get a hold of you if they wanted to ask questions or follow up on your company? Well, heartyfoodscom is my website and then if you go to info at Hearty Foods, I have a personal assistant that manages that email, and any entrepreneur needs any kind of advice or any kind of life advice. Whatever I always do, that needs any kind of advice, any or any kind of life advice. Whatever I'm, I always try to do that right and I I get a lot, of, a lot of enjoyment out of it helping people, especially entrepreneurs, and how to like, succeed in our business. Right, okay, so, and um, and and and. There's a lot of friends and family or a lot of people that I know are successful in our community and they have come to me for advice and, and I've been um, and and I've been able to help guide them, so I find a lot of satisfaction and help your community grow like that riaz, I really appreciate uh you taking the time.
Speaker 1:You're a very busy guy. I love your story. I'm sure listeners will love your story, uh and uh. I can't, I can't wait to share it with them. So thanks again for coming on our show my pleasure riaz story was quite insightful.
Speaker 1:Most people I know would not have enjoyed working at a fast food restaurant, but Riaz isn't like most people. He saw an opportunity to run a profitable business. He looked beyond just foot traffic and turned his franchise to earn well over a million dollars a year. After his KFC days, riaz kept exploring and learning. He used that curiosity to get his product into Whole Foods and eventually formed his Hearty Foods brand. The one thing that stayed consistent his belief in himself and his determination. Every day, he just kept showing up, which is oftentimes the main ingredient that is missing. If you want to touch base with Riaz and learn about his products, you can visit him at heartyfoodscom. Until next time for Riaz, this is Ahmad, if I Could Podcast signing off. Thank you.
