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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Jeremy Wyatt jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000
40 West Chesapeake Avenue, Ste. 600 Towson, MD 21204
Inside This Edition
1.
Facing Conflict Without Combustion
2.
Powerful Paths to Profit
3. The Wild History of the Wild West’s Stump Houses 4. Plant-Powered Profits
From Couch to Culinary Star A CASHEW KING’S COMPELLING RISE
A little over a decade ago, Joshua D. Velasquez called his aunt’s sofa in the Bronx his home while attempting to make something of himself in New York City. At the same time, he struggled with a health issue affecting more than 30% of the U.S.
based cheese using an uncommon source: cashews. Soon, he and Hamilton launched Clean Simple Foods, Inc. — New England’s first plant-based cheese producer — and brought their creations to market under the brand Nuttin Ordinary. Last year, the duo rebranded their products as Shire’s Naturals. Unsurprisingly, the clearest sign of the company’s growing success was that Velasquez could finally stop couch surfing. Now based in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Clean Simple Foods, Inc. manufactures its ever-popular items out of an 8,000-square-foot facility. Shire’s Naturals products are available at over 300 food retailers in the Northeast, including Whole Foods and Market Basket. Last year, the company’s sales rose 96% from April through December, marking a dramatic increase in market recognition and profit. A Health-Focused Honoree With plant-based diets growing in popularity across the U.S., Clean Simple Foods, Inc. continues to generate sales and
population: lactose intolerance. One day, he had an epiphany: Why not address both problems simultaneously by going into business as a plant-based cheesemaker? Fast-forward to 2025: Velasquez and his partner, Adam R. Hamilton, lead one of the nation’s most respected plant-based food companies … and it all started by finding inspiration in a popular snack. From Crunch to Capital In 2014, Velasquez transformed his parents’ basement in Harrisville, New Hampshire, into an ad hoc fermentation lab to develop the perfect non-dairy cheese. After four years of research and development, he succeeded in fermenting plant-
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