Hey everyone! Today, I share the mic with Tero Isokauppila, founder of Four Sigmatic, a company that aims to make medicinal mushrooms a more heavily researched and accessible commodity.
Tune in to hear how Four Sigmatic became one of Amazon’s best-selling coffees, which platform is their key to promotion and why you might want to turn to mushroom coffee.
Time-Stamped Show Notes:
- [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Growth Everywhere Podcast!
- [01:35] Tero is originally from Finland and is a 13th gen family farmer.
- [02:54] Within the first five years of Four Sigmatic, there were a lot of ups and downs.
- [03:24] There are smaller competitors that have entered the market, but they are the premier wellness company that makes mushroom coffee.
- [04:20] Most wellness companies in their space are either woo-woo or very technical. Four Sigmatic likes to think they are a mix of both.
- [06:00] They have one of the best-selling coffee on Amazon.
- [06:21] They took an omni-channel approach in terms of sales.
- [06:32] They are an eight-figure business.
- [07:37] Tero’s goal is to have all Americans drinking mushrooms.
- [10:32] Tero wrote a book called, Healing Mushrooms.
- [11:05] This planet wouldn’t operate without fungi.
- [12:15] Mushrooms are prebiotic and can help with gut health.
- [15:35] Four Sigmatic makes instant and ground coffee.
- [15:50] Tero believes that you can’t even taste the mushrooms.
- [17:01] The product requires a lot of education, because it sounds weird initially.
- [17:20] Podcasts have been key to promoting the product.
- [20:10] Some podcasts promise a download count.
- [20:25] They usually estimate conservatively, so they don’t risk not delivering.
- [22:35] Tero finds that food trends have a hype cycle.
- [22:54] Seaweed and kelp are some of the best wild foods you can get.
- [23:12] Health tracking is going through the second wave right now.
- [25:15] Eric says to be careful with CBD, but it made him feel high, even though there isn’t THC in the product.
- [28:15] A polymath is someone who is interested or knowledgeable about a number of subjects.
- [29:03] The idea that the higher you are in the organization, the less you should be doing, is untrue. Everyone should always be both thinking and doing.
- [30:10] Tero took his farming knowledge and turned it into a business.
- [30:32] Joe Rogan is a good example of a polymath.
- [31:22] One new tool Tero feels has added value to his life is Spotify playlists.
- [33:05] One book Tero recommends is Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite and other books by Paul Arden.
Resources From The Interview:
- Four Sigmatic
- Four Sigmatic on Instagram
- Tero on Instagram
- Must-read books:
Leave Some Feedback:
- What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
- Did you enjoy this episode? If so, leave a short review here
- Subscribe to Growth Everywhere on iTunes
- Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed
Connect With Eric Siu: