From Seed to Shelf with Cycling Frog

Jerrid Grimm (05:11.853)

Ren, thank you so much for taking the time to share more about you, about Cycling Frog and the partnerships that are helping you drive growth for your brand.

Ren Robinson (05:42.068)

Hi, thanks for having me on today.

Jerrid Grimm (05:44.321)

Well, first of all, I’d love for you to tell us a bit more about the business of Cycling Frog. I’m really curious actually to the founding story, like how it all came about.

Ren Robinson (05:56.918)

So Cycling Frog was actually founded in 2014 by our CEO, Sequoia Price Lazarus. He’s got a deep history working within the cannabis industry and the sector. Back when it was first founded, he realized that the industry wasn’t quite ready for it. He’s kind of a revolutionary, he’s a fast thinker. And back then, people were still a little bit skittish about the industry. They’re like, what is this? Why are we doing it? Basically, they weren’t ready for him and his vision. So he took a step back. Took a hiatus and then decided to focus on how to develop a hemp-derived product that was more recreational versus medical. Some time passed and then he relaunched in 2021 with a fresh look and feel. And basically when he relaunched it started off with dummies and then from there, after some great positive feedback, he expanded into filters.

Jerrid Grimm (06:34.701)

Hmm.

Jerrid Grimm (06:49.101)

Cool, very cool. I’m Canadian and so we’ve had like cannabis, and I’m in Vancouver, so cannabis has been a big part of our culture for a long time and then now it’s, you know, it became legal in Canada quite early in, as far as other countries are concerned. So yeah, I know that there was also that stage in Canada that happened where it was like, people were a little like trepidatious at first.

Ren Robinson (06:58.422)

Mm-hmm.

Jerrid Grimm (07:14.337)

And it just takes a while for people to like fully understand the products, the benefits, and you know, there’s a lot of like stigma that might’ve happened previously with it. And so I imagine there’s a lot to overcome. So it’s interesting that, you know, it’s been around since 2014. Like that doesn’t sound like that long ago, but that’s 11 years ago, right?

Ren Robinson (07:33.187)

Yeah, actually it was a long time ago and now that you mention that I do remember that people knew about cannabis back then but it was mostly for people who had medical cards. It was very much a thing that you did if you needed it and if your doctor decided you needed it. So I can see how it was a realm back then but it like we said it wasn’t so accepted like it was and it makes sense that he took a step back and decided to pivot and relaunch in a time when people were ready and would be excited about the product.

Jerrid Grimm (09:06.007)

So Ren, I’m super interested to learn more about the products that Cycling Frog has to offer. So maybe you can explain a little bit around what products you have.

Ren Robinson (09:16.019)

Yeah, so as I mentioned, we’ve got gummies and then we have seltzers. We’ve got flavors such as Blue Raspberry and the gummies. And then for our seltzers, we just launched our 10 milligram line of our core seltzers. And those guys are Wild Cherry, Ruby Grapefruit, and Black Current. So they come in five milligrams and then they also come in 10 milligrams. And the great thing about our products are, the seltzers, are they’re sessionable. So they’re intended to be a single dose for a person where you can sip it throughout your day and not have to deal with that whole like, whoa, I’m super high. all of a sudden it’s more of them. You can take your time. You can go on a nice little ride with it. It’s, like I said, it’s fashionable for one person, just include it in your day.

Jerrid Grimm (09:54.958)

Yeah, you know, I find this interesting and one of probably the biggest benefits of, you know, regulation coming into place and real companies being a part of this is this idea of like some control, right? There was like a time where you might not know how much CBD or THC you were taking. This way it’s like it’s very measured, right? And that’s really common among like food and beverage products. We know, okay, there’s this much caffeine in it and there’s so much this much sugar in it.

Ren Robinson (10:07.829)

and

Ren Robinson (10:15.955)

Exactly.

Jerrid Grimm (10:23.243)

And now you just apply that same idea into like a THC type product. it makes, think it makes it not only just safer for people, but it does make it more comfortable for someone to know, you know, what they should expect as far as like benefits or effects from a lot of these different products that are out there.

Ren Robinson (10:42.345)

I agree, especially if you know your limits, you can say, okay, I look at this, I see that it’s got two milligrams per can, I know that I can handle this. Unlike, like you said before, maybe somebody made brownies in their mom’s basement and they’re like, I don’t know. And so you take it and not know what kind of ride you’re going on. The way we do it, like you mentioned, it does make it safer. It does kind of allow people to come into this with education. And so they can make an informed decision about how much they want to taper if they want to spread it out amongst a day or so.

Jerrid Grimm (11:11.445)

Yeah. And this has become a very competitive market, right? Like maybe at one point there wasn’t a lot of these products on offer, but now, you know, like you said, there’s, you know, edibles and there’s drinks and there’s seltzers. Like it’s gone, it’s come a long ways. What would you say that makes cycling frogs products unique in the market?

Ren Robinson (11:32.31)

Yeah. So like you mentioned, there are a lot of places or a lot of players in this space. You can probably Google THC sletzers and you’ll get inundated with a ton of brands. And what sets us apart from them is we own the full process from seed to shelf. And what that looks like is we plant our own seeds on our farms and then we harvest them. And then we do everything in-house. So we remove the impurities, we flavor all the products with real fruit juice, and then we ship it out for third-party testing. Once everything passes and we get our certificates,

We bring it back and then we package it and ship it off. So we know what’s happening with the product from start to finish. We care about it. There’s no artificial flavors or sweeteners or we’re pesticides and whatnot. We produce a product that tastes good. It’s responsibly sourced. And it’s something that you can trust because we know what’s going on.

Jerrid Grimm (12:22.775)

Yeah. Well, I like this. We’re talking about like, hey, you know what? It’s very well like measured as far as what the components of it are. You know, you can trust it. But it’s all it’s also really cool that this market has matured to a point where things like seed to table. I had never heard that line before, but I love that. Like the idea of seed to table. It’s almost like this food movement. It’s almost like you can become like a foodie in this in this way. Like real fruit juices. That’s quite an evolution.

Ren Robinson (12:48.521)

Yes.

Jerrid Grimm (12:50.413)

from where this industry probably started out, which was more about maybe the high that you get or the relaxation benefits. I think that’s really interesting. And do you find that your consumers are very interested in that? Like, that a thing that they talk about a lot? Do they talk about like the taste and the flavors of a product like this?

Ren Robinson (13:10.335)

They do, yeah. So what I hear a lot and what we see a lot from our reviews and feedback is that it’s genuinely a tasty beverage. I’m sure we’ve all tried them before and you recognize that some of them have like this interesting aftertaste, or you’ve got like this weird coating on your tongue. Whereas ours tend to be a lot more approachable and flavorful. And like I mentioned, we use real fruit juice. So that has an effect on the way that, let’s see.

So we use real fruit juice and you can tell like it shows up. It’s kind of like drinking and this is my own personal take but I see it as drinking.

for the most.

blinking on it, but it’s kind of like drinking maybe a waterloo or something like that where like you’ve got that flavor, but it’s not kind of across as aggressive or artificial. It’s just there and you’re like, okay, this is actual real fruit or something or yeah.

Jerrid Grimm (13:51.051)

Thank

Jerrid Grimm (14:01.101)

Yeah, it’s almost like I would kind of compare this to, you know, you have sugar free drinks and maybe they have aspartame or stevia and you have that like, there’s that taste and you’re like, this isn’t real sugar. Like it’s trying to be sugar. And I imagine using real fruit juice has that same effect when you’re talking about an ingestible like that. I mean, you’re eating it, right? So, or you’re drinking it. So you want to make sure that, especially if you’re doing this on a regular basis, it’s

Ren Robinson (14:19.349)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Jerrid Grimm (14:27.435)

my family was gluten free for a while and you really find out which bread is good and which one isn’t. And maybe one time you’ll put up with like a bad flavor. But if you’re going to have this as like a regular part of your life, you want something that you actually enjoy at the same time, especially because you’re paying for it. So, so why not? I think that’s cool that you’re having like real fruit juices. It’s coming right from a farm that you know, you guys are very vertically integrated, meaning you’re like growing the product, you’re processing the product, you’re

Ren Robinson (14:33.021)

exactly.

Ren Robinson (14:43.669)

Exactly.

Jerrid Grimm (14:55.277)

you know, going all the way through to the sale of the product. I think that’s important to know that there’s a lot of like control and trust just with Cycling Frog on that. I think that’s something as we start talking about like how you work with partners, I believe that’s really important to people is when they’re when a partner, whether that’s a creator, an influencer or a publisher or review site, they want to make sure that this product that they’re essentially like vouching for in a lot of ways with their audience, that it can be trusted and that they would like stand behind it themselves.

Ren Robinson (14:58.389)

Thank

Jerrid Grimm (15:25.585)

I’m interested to know about your role in the company. So as we shift from, you know, the company and the products that you have, why don’t you tell me a little bit about your role and, you know, what’s most challenging or exciting?

Ren Robinson (15:38.838)

Yeah, so as you mentioned, I am the e-commerce affiliate manager and essentially I am the face of the brand for the affiliate side of things. I am the person that they interact with and interface with day to day. I handle onboarding, I handle troubleshooting, I handle walking people through the products and education. So I essentially am that human face behind the brand for the people who partner with us and advertise on our behalf.

Jerrid Grimm (16:03.543)

Very cool. So tell me a little bit about your affiliate and creator programs. What are some of the goals that you have when you’re running these programs?

Ren Robinson (16:11.679)

Yeah, so a lot of our goals come behind our focus around new customer acquisition and education. We find that when people are educated about a product, they feel much more comfortable with purchasing it. They also feel comfortable with sharing it with their friends. So the more information people have, the more, I don’t want to say bold, but the more comfortable they are. And so that’s the approach I take from both approaching partners and working with them. It’s a…

I am here to hold your hand to make sure that you understand everything and that you feel comfortable and confident to go forth and advocate for this product.

Jerrid Grimm (16:48.321)

Yeah. Yeah. So you’re, mean, part of your role is not only educating consumers, but it’s really educating your partner so that they can do a better job of educating their audience and their consumers. Yeah.

Ren Robinson (16:59.281)

Exactly. Yes, and actually quite fun because not everyone learns in the same way so I get to constantly reiterate or I’m constantly coming up with these different ways to talk to people to get in front of them to provide materials and sources and so it just gives me this great repository of items to Give to people so if someone learns visually then I’ve got all these visual things if someone learns from you know having a face-to-face conversation then I’ve got

slideshows and decks and stuff ready to sit down and just walk them through the products.

Jerrid Grimm (17:31.329)

Yeah, I imagine that gives the partners a lot more confidence when they’re going out into the market with that. So how does the affiliate and creator strategy help you achieve those goals of new customer acquisition and educating the market?

Ren Robinson (18:45.205)

Yeah, so the education piece of this is where it really comes in. Like I mentioned, when people feel comfortable about what they’re talking about, they can go forth and they can spread the word. So maybe it’s that you’ve got this favorite influencer that you follow and they’re like, my gosh, guys, I just got this new flavor from cycling frog and it’s so great. And here are all the reasons why it’s great. Or here’s how it fits into my lifestyle. Or hey, maybe you’re getting together with your friends for a Thursday night kickback. Have you thought about this? Or maybe even you’re doing like a dry January or a California sober lifestyle, and then they include how this fits into there. So essentially it just comes down to the word of mouth and that social validation that comes from working with partners such as creators, bloggers, people within the top funnel space.

Jerrid Grimm (19:30.443)

Yeah. And with a product like this, I imagine people are buying it and using it in all kinds of different ways. Like you said, I know there’s this huge shift away from alcohol among like the younger generation, but you know, they still want to hang out with their friends and I like have fun and relax. There’s also, you know, people that have a difficult time. Maybe they have a really stressful job and what they might’ve done before is like come home and have like a beer and a cigarette. Let’s say it was like 20 years ago and they’re like, nah, that’s not really like

part of my healthy lifestyle anymore. I’m like getting home, I’m going to the gym after that and that’s how I’m decompressing. So you could have like all these different people that use that product in a different way, speak to their audience in a unique way, but still educating on the same benefits. So you guys get to control, hey, here’s what the product is, here’s what the product is for, here’s how it can use it. But then they get to say it in like their own voice to their own audience in like so many unique ways. I love that, super.

Ren Robinson (20:26.165)

Exactly. People get very creative. We’ve seen tons of mocktails come about it. We’ve seen people get together and have these parties that are kind of themed. And as you mentioned, people love sharing with their friends. We’ve got some people who write reviews about like, hey, this is really great. Before, like you mentioned, my go-to used to be to come home and have a beer and anything that went with it or whatever. And then they switch over and they’re like, well, now I do cycling frog. I come home and I have a cycling frog and it feels much better. It feels…

It feels like it aligns with my goals of living a healthier, cleaner lifestyle.

Jerrid Grimm (20:56.619)

Yeah, I love that. So what are some of the big successes you’ve seen in working with partners and feel free to name names at this point?

Ren Robinson (21:04.757)

Yeah, absolutely. So we’ve got a couple of partners that have seen over, you know, six figures working with us. We’ve got some partners that we work hand in hand with one of them in particular, CBD oil users does a great job. They kind of have a platform, like I mentioned, where it’s a very educative thing. list the products. It’s a lot of listicles. Let me just go back and say that. Like it’s a lot of listicles. It’s a lot of product reviews. And so I see that.

It works for them in the way of here’s a product, here’s how it stacks up against the competitors, or here’s a couple of other products in the space, and here’s how it’s different. Here’s how, or here’s why we like it and put our name behind it. So yeah, I say that’s kind of where we see a lot of success with our partners, where they are open and honest about the product and how it stacks up against other products in the space. And then here’s more information about it, or here’s where can find it.

Jerrid Grimm (21:55.916)

Yeah, and how many partners do you work with? Like maybe not an exact number, but is it, we just talking about one or two partners or do you work with quite a few different partners and creators?

Ren Robinson (22:04.405)

We work with about 250 active partners, and that’s not to speak of the partners who have not yet been onboarded and got up and running. So right now we’ve got 250 who are actively out doing things and spreading the word.

Jerrid Grimm (22:17.453)

Wow. That is like, you have these, the thing I love about this space is you take these like very unique partnerships where they’re saying stuff in their way to their audience. But then you can do that at a huge scale, like 250 different people that are, and partners that are talking about your different products. Like you think about the matrix of this, how many products there are, how many partners there are, what they’re talking about.

Ren Robinson (22:32.661)

Thank

Ren Robinson (22:43.711)

Mm-hmm.

Jerrid Grimm (22:43.799)

That’s incredible. It’s incredible that you’ve been able to scale this that well. think that’s testament to you and to Cyclone Frog. And of course, I’ll give a little bit of a props to like technology that can help support that. When you’re working with partners, what type of partners are you most? You’ve mentioned creators. It sounds like that’s an important part. How do you choose the types of partners you work with and which ones do you look for?

Ren Robinson (22:49.845)

Absolutely.

Ren Robinson (23:08.161)

Yeah, so in choosing partners, I look for people who have active, what is the word I’m looking for? People who have active links and sites. as you know, when you apply, can put which websites or like which site links or social channels and stuff. So I look for people who have active social channels and links. From there, I look to see if they are regularly interacting with their audiences or keeping their information up to date.

and if the links that they have on their website are ones that are trustworthy versus ones that send you off to some sketchy land. But I really want to make sure that we are working with people who kind of have the same transparent, open and honest and reliable information that the brand has as well. From there, I also want to make sure that we work with people who align with our brand ethos. The worst thing you can do is have people advocating on behalf of your brand who don’t share the same values and morals as you do because there’s kind of like this conflict and

It’s similar to you are the company you keep. So we look for the company that we keep within our affiliate brand are the ones who we would say, hey, this feels like an extension of us or hey, we’re the kind of you seem like the type of person that we would personally interact with.

Jerrid Grimm (24:18.317)

That’s very cool. Yeah. And again, I think trying to do this at scale is, be somewhat difficult where you’re, I mean, you’re vetting everybody, not only just for like, Hey, is this like a real person, but what did they talk about? So do you spend some time looking through their content as well? So are you looking through, let’s say like their Instagram feeds and trying to get a feel for them?

Ren Robinson (24:42.215)

Yes, sometimes I do feel like a stalker because I am going through your Instagram feeds. I am reading your comments. I’m reading the feedback. I’m hunting down all of your social channels. Even if you don’t mention them or list them, I truly do want to make sure that you’re not just listing one channel or a website and then you’ve got a name or like you’ve got a website and then on your personal life, which flows a little bit much. But if your personal channels are linked to your website,

I want to make sure that within your personal life, you’re not out there spouting things that don’t align with the brand. So I go pretty deep with some of these, with some of these checks.

Jerrid Grimm (25:17.185)

Yeah. Well, I think that’s important, right? Because you’re, you’re allowing another person to speak on behalf of your brand to their trusted audience. And you want to make sure that that like authenticity and that credibility goes all the way through that comes from your brand, through your partners, and then over to that audience and that audience. Once they start using the product, they become ambassadors as well in a way. So you want to do the best job upfront to make sure that they’re getting the right message. So then when they tell their friends about it, they’re able to kind of continue that.

Ren Robinson (25:41.685)

Thank you.

Jerrid Grimm (25:46.743)

that communication as well.

Ren Robinson (25:48.54)

Exactly. Misinformation spreads really quickly and my job is to make sure that we catch it before it starts or if it does happen then we’re course correcting or we’re educating people so it’s not a thing that continues on down the funnel or the telephone line if you will.

Jerrid Grimm (26:04.653)

Yeah, it sounds like you’re attracting a lot of different partners to your program. You have 250 active partners. I’m sure you’re like looking at them and vetting. You’re in a position where you can choose who it is that you want to work with because the product is like an attractive product. People like it. You know, you’re getting great reviews on it. On the other side, why should partners work with you and recommend your products and services?

Ren Robinson (26:27.285)

Ooh, because, that’s a good question. I think partners like to work with us or should work with us because as we mentioned before, there’s a lot of transparency. There’s a lot of openness, there’s a lot of honesty, and there’s a lot of education that goes behind it. We don’t just add people to the program and say, go forth and make things happen. Good luck on your own. It’s more so of, hey, welcome to the program. It’s welcome to the team. When they sign on, it’s welcome to the team. Here’s all the resources you need to be successful. And if you feel like something’s missing, bye.

My name is Ren. I’m here to help you along your journey. In addition to that, we also have several bonus windows where we give our partners opportunities to earn more money. And these happen to coincide a lot with our sales. So with the sales, have a lot of people come into the website. So there’s already that incentive. And then here’s the bonus for you to earn even more. And then with that, we also do some product seeding.

I know sometimes brands give out products, sometimes brands are like, good luck, buy this on your own. But we’re just like, hey, you’re getting started. Let us know what you need or what you would like to feature. And we can get that to you to help make you successful.

Jerrid Grimm (27:30.573)

Cool. like great product. Sounds like you have great support for them as well. You know, it’s less common than you would think that there’s like a person that they can talk to, you know, about the program because like we say, there’s a lot of this can be done at such a great scale using technology, but you still need this human element to be able to like work. You’re working with people, right? People love to work with people. Yeah.

Ren Robinson (27:53.435)

Exactly.

Jerrid Grimm (27:54.83)

I mean, I am incredibly excited that we have you as a partner at Impact.com. It’s so great to have you as a brand here. I think that if there’s partners out there, creators, review sites, influencers, if you want to be working with a company that cares a lot about like not only, you know, is this the right product, but does it have the right lifestyle fit for you? Are we using the right ingredients in it? You know, is it something fun?

Ren Robinson (27:59.542)

Thank you.

Jerrid Grimm (28:24.117)

I think you guys are a great brand to be working with.

Ren Robinson (28:28.213)

Thank you.