Alpen Fuel Brands - UnTapped
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Untapped makes unique and forward thinking natural fuel products. We wanted to get to know a little more about the company so we reached out to Ted King, one of the company co-founders.
Who started UnTapped? UnTapped has three co-founders: Slopeside Syrup, which consists of brothers, Roger and Doug Brown. Professional cyclist Ted King was introduced to the Browns by Andrew Gardner and they all had the idea of putting maple syrup into individual packages for fast acting energy and maple syrup on the go!
What year did UnTapped start? UnTapped was founded in 2013. The company took flight with a successful crowd funding campaign while Ted King was racing the 2014 Tour de France.
Where is the company located? We are smack in the heart of Richmond, Vermont at the base of the Cochran Ski Area.
How many people work for the company? We have six employees.
Tell us a little bit of the story behind how UnTapped started. Doug and Roger Brown were already making maple syrup on an industrial scale for restaurants, retail, and grocery. Moreover, they have a lengthy family history of elite alpine skiing that was started on the base of their family ski hill, the Cochran Ski Area in Richmond. On that hill, Olympic gold medals, world championships titles, and many professional wins were all hatched. Meanwhile, Ted King was racing his bike all across Europe in the ProTour, but he was sick and tired of taking traditional energy gels. Being from New England, he had long been scheming ways to take maple syrup on the bike. Ted was introduced to Slopeside Syrup by Andrew Gardner, who has a public relations company, PressForward PR, so with each partner quickly falling into their appropriate roll, UnTapped was formed and away the company went!
What sets your products apart from other brands? UnTapped uses pure maple syrup as the base of all their products. Maple syrup is a naturally superior carbohydrate for energy since it is inherently loaded with amino acids, antioxidants, and electrolytes, it’s low glycemic so you skip the energy rush and subsequent crash, plus it tastes delicious on its own. People quickly notice how clean maple syrup is on their digestive system, so there’s no more painful gut rot or gastro issues when taking UnTapped! Most of our line up is entirely USDA organic.
What is the most difficult thing you have encountered so far in starting and growing your business? It’s not difficult, but there’s a really fun challenge in seeking brand recognition. No matter how many expos you attend, races you support, athletes and teams you sponsor, shops you open up, and eyes you’re in front of, it’s never enough. That’s a fun every day hustle of any growing business.
Lemon Tea Mapleaid - Winner of 2018 Runner’s World Gear of the Year!
What can we expect from UnTapped in 2019? The best part of maple syrup is that it goes well with everything. We have a maple salted raspberry energy packet on the way with those three ingredients (maple syrup, real raspberries, and sea salt) that has been received to rave reviews in product testing. We launched the Chai Waffle in late 2018 and that continues to be a smashing success. We want to keep offering new delicious, high functioning products that make sense.