"After returning from Costa Rica, I had to get a job, because rent isn't free. I sat at a computer all day bored and miserable. A byproduct of that boredom was to eat the junk food in the company kitchen. That made maintaining a healthy lifestyle less than optimal. So I asked the office manager to bring in a protein powder to make smoothies. What they brought was a generic, dairy-based protein with flashy graphics and a list of ingredients just as bad as the junk food. Looking at that terrible ingredient list, an idea came to me to bring the honest simplicity of Costa Rica to my current lifestyle, and the busy lifestyle of others. I wanted to help people, stay fit people. A passion project was born I named fitppl."

Next: The Purpose

"I had to quit that job, it sucked. Luckily, I taught myself video from personal interest and started getting freelance gigs. This schedule allowed me to spend time traveling, so I linked up with a friend in Thailand. Unknowingly creating the catalyst for launching the fitppl brand which was still just an idea. While swimming near Koh Hong Island, I witnessed firsthand the severe impact of plastic pollution in the ocean. It was floating everywhere. The more research I did, the more alarming the situation became. The catastrophic plastic waste in the oceans was hands down one of the biggest problems facing our planet. The origins of the ditch the plastic initiative was born from the experience."

Next: Action

"Now with a fresh focus to launch a company with an authentic purpose for both people and the planet, I got to work. No investors or real business plan, I just started working on what I needed. I always relied on the convenience of protein blends, but was unsatisfied with the gimmicks and claims of being natural or clean, because I was still having to google ingredients. I was determined to create balanced, transparent blends without flavor chemists who love to over use artificial stuff. Food and supplement companies were also one of the largest contributors to the plastic pollution issue, those large plastic tubs and scoops were so wasteful. Conventional animal farming methods was causing as much havoc as plastic on the environment. So I stuck with plant-based ingredients. I began sourcing ingredients and creating the first fitppl blends every night in my kitchen."

Next: Launch

"By early 2015, I was juggling a busy freelance film schedule while carving out time to continue creating fitppl. I spent nights meticulously testing, tweaking, and tasting the final blends. One big challenge was finding co-packers that would work with me (because you can't make this stuff in your home kitchen.) I was incredibly stubborn about not using plastic. It was also important to keep all production and packaging close to Austin to reduce our transportation footprint. I didn't cut any corners and wouldn't budge about how I wanted things done. Finally in late 2015, after years of blind ambition, passion, and hard work, fitppl was launched with a mission to craft products that are better for people and better for the planet."

Next: Cleanups

"By 2017, I realized I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I was truly a David, in a Goliath industry. But I continued pushing our mission. We hosted our first active cleanup in June of 2017. This cemented my personal mission to raise awareness and get people involved in the initiative to preserve our oceans. A small idea back in 2013 turned into such a meaningful moment. I was really proud to say fitppl was the first environmentally proactive company in the food and supplement removing the trash and plastic created by our industry."

Next: Purpose & Future