Meeting Recap for January 6, 2014
At first glance, it looks like the kind of small, disposable plastic dish you’d find filled with creamed spinach in your favorite super market’s frozen food section, but it’s become a virtual overnight culinary sensation and the local company that makes and markets it is worth, conservatively, $2 million.
Launched by Rotary Club of Sacramento member Christopher Johnson in November of 2012, the Rapid Ramen Cooker is now the #1-selling microwave accessory on Amazon.com and the #1 item on Amazon’s cooking accessories “wish list.”
Johnson, RCOS’s guest speaker Monday at the Red Lion, recounted how as a student at UC Davis he saw the need for a way to consistently and reliably cook ramen noodles using a microwave oven. College students eat a lot of ramen—but they want a faster, easier way to cook it.
“95 billion packages of ramen are sold world-wide every year,” he said. “But the instructions on each package only talk about cooking in a pot of water on top of the stove. It takes a lot longer than the instructions say because you have to wait for the water to boil. Students hate wasting time on that.”
So Johnson designed, trademarked and patented the small, reusable plastic cooker, then worked through friends and acquaintances to produce, market and distribute it. And through his tenacity, he wound up appearing on the popular ABC television show “Shark Tank” last October. That show, with its 8-10 million viewers, provided the tipping point. While still on the air, order volumes jumped to 30 per minute. Things had been going fairly well for him already, but the increase in order volume was about 18-fold. Three of the five “sharks” on the TV show offered to invest in Johnson’s company. Interestingly, Dallas Mavericks owner and “shark” Mark Cuban (who initially told Johnson his idea was “stupid”) eventually wound up paying $300,000 for 15% of Johnson’s company. Here is a link to Chris's "Shark Tank" episode, click on the link to view (episode starts at 26:52)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TGM4krsLFA
Johnson’s first few hundred sales were through a local Wal-Mart, but now the $5.99 Rapid Ramen Cooker has been shipped to every state and is available in California in most major supermarket and drugstore outlets.
When he and his wife first launched the company, they handled fulfillment out of their Elk Grove home. Now, they work through PRIDE Industries in Roseville, where 25 people have been hired just to package and distribute the Rapid Ramen Cooker.
What’s the next “stupid idea” from this serial entrepreneur who previously started his own staffing company, was the Metro Chamber’s Small Business Person of the Year in 2013 and was on the Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list? Think mac and cheese. The new product is due out next fall.
Johnson was introduced by Chair of the Day Becki Roberts. Joining them on the head table was DGE Fred Teichert, who sponsored Johnson into RCOS, and Nehemiah Corporation Scott Syphax, Johnson’s close friend and mentor.
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The head table included three current members, Heidi Hershenhouse, Jonathan Marz, and Kelly Huffman, that have something in common besides membership - YOUTH. All are part of our Under 40 membership group that is a target for membership recruitment. President-elect Susan Sheridan was sponsor of the day. She gave her three minutes to guest Linda Farley, CEO of the Girl Scouts’ Heart of Central California region.
During the “Roast, Boast & Toast” portion of the agenda, President Thom Toasted an outstanding holiday shopping experience at Grebitus & Sons, Dick Osen Boasted of his 50th wedding anniversary, PP John Frisch was both Roasted (slightly) and Toasted for having been named Sacramentan of the Year by the Metro Chamber and the Rotary Rooters Boasted (and presented a check for) $1,100 earned while playing holiday gigs around the county. Also making contributions to their Eddie Mulligan were: Ed Grebitus, to Boast his son's stewardship of the family business, PP Diane Mizell & Jeanne Reaves, to Toast PP John for his Metro Chamber award. PP Diane Mizell also contributed to her next Paul Harris.