Meet Sam Richardson | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sam Richardson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The long story short is that I was enduring the drudgery of a long commute across the San Francisco Bay to and from work and I could see my life flash before my eyes. I wanted adventure but I wanted to accomplish a lot professionally. So, one angsty morning I wrote down all the ways I could get to and from work: biking, running, walking, and kayaking. Determined and with a plan in hand the next morning I threw my backpack over my shoulders, ran to the local train station to cross the Bay, and ran the twenty miles to work. Thrilled and exhilarated by the adventure I had that morning I began to believe I could have an adventure on an otherwise normal day. On those long morning and evening quests I brainstormed ideas for sharing the story of a day’s adventure and believed that making nutritious and delicious foods would be a great way to spread the word.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The business I started is called Sam’s Adventure Snacks. We make tasty and organic or regenerative organic premium nut butters handmade in small batches. Sourcing from the world’s most water and soil forward orchards and sharing the story of a day’s adventure sets us apart from others.

Something I am very excited about is trying to unleash the skill of our first employee, Cherish Ansanelli. A completely dominant sales and business person, she embodies exactly what our mission stands for: hardworking and zest for life.

An example of Cherish bringing significant value is with our pistachio spread. I wanted to limit the production of the pistachio spread because of its extreme difficulty in producing whereas Cherish saw the way it resonated with our farmers market customers and encouraged me to believe in it. We continued tinkering with its production, making small improvements everyday, and have had a massively positive reaction since committing to it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For the best time ever in San Francisco with my best friend we would do a mix of shark cage diving near the Farallon Islands, take a ferry to Angel Island in the Bay and camp on a beach with a view of the SF skyline, and eat Puerto Rican comfort food and drink several pitchers of sangria at my favorite restaurant, Parada 22, on Haight St.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The two men who deserve a MASSIVE shoutout in our very modest success are my two brothers, Jack and Will.

I was fortunate to live with Jack in San Francisco during my first year of business and Jack would ask me questions, inquire, probe, and offer a helping hand when I seemed to need one. He would be right there when I was working through a challenge, helping me make important decisions, and reinforcing my own confidence in where I was headed.

Will served a different and equally as valuable a role. As his older brother one of my biggest hopes is to make him proud so when the going gets tough and the nights get longer I know I have someone who has my back and wants me to achieve everything I can.

Always vocal in their support for me, both have been my rocks during this journey.

Website: https://www.samsadventuresnacks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samsadventuresnacks/?hl=en

Image Credits
Rob Canali (for the product photos of the jars).