AACE INTERVIEW: Alexander Choi of Natuur
Alexander Choi
I can still remember my grandma saying "Well, if people are going to buy [cannabis] anyways, why shouldn't they buy from Alex?" - Alexander Choi
Alexander Choi and I connected on Linkedin, when I read his profile, I was so impressed by this young man who took a college project to fruition with his partner Steven Bruening. Their passion, and with support from family and mentors, they have realized a dream from a class project. Alexander is what I consider the next wave of the cannabis industry, born after Prop. 215 in CA and immersed in more information over misinformation about cannabis, his generation will make cannabis bloom across the US and internationally. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. I am proud and hopeful for the future because of Alex and his generation. - Ophelia Chong
As a first-generation Korean American, how did your family assimilate, and also how did they incorporate Korean traditions into your family life?
My parents both immigrated at a young age, I think around 6 or 7 years old, so they grew up mostly stateside. My dad was raised in Queens, NY and my mom in the outskirts of Chicago, so they both grew up in kind-of-the-city-but-not-The-City areas. That definitely affected their upbringing since they both went to public city schools and spoke English with their friends and peers but would come home to Korean-speaking households: they bridged a huge gap across their social and family lives that operate in two totally different spheres of culture.
That's not to say my grandparents didn't also have to adjust: on both sides of the family, my grandparents operated small businesses that catered to mainly non-Asian customers in non-Asian communities. Everyone would leave the house in the morning (my parents to school and my grandparents to work), assimilate into the American cityscape, and return home to a Korean-speaking household with the Korean traditions and recipes they carried with them when they immigrated.
Even though I was raised in an English-speaking household in a non-Asian suburb, I find the lessons my parents learned on preserving Korean values in American society reflected in my own upbringing. For me, family time is the most "Korean time": when we gather (especially with my grandparents), that's when the Korean food, ceremonies, and games come out. But on a day-to-day basis, I find my Korean heritage reflected more subtly in how our core values guide my daily life: always to be respectful, and conscientious, and put family above all else.
What is nanoemulsion and how did you build your team to create your proprietary nanoemulsion?
To be honest, neither of us thought we'd take on Natuur full-time after we graduated. I had a job at BCG, Steven was going to Caterpillar, and when we had come up with the idea, which was initially to make granola bite edibles, it was for a class we were taking through the Booth School of Businesses! Our professor encouraged us to enter the university's College New Venture Challenge and to our shock (and delight) we were admitted. And then we made the finals and placed. And UChicago invested in us. This is still crazy to me because we effectively convinced a university to not only support but also fund a cannabis operator-to-be.
We immediately went out and raised a pre-seed round from family and friends to see how far we could take this. We were fortunate to raise enough capital for a food scientist and marketing agency to develop the brand and the bites simultaneously. The concept was fairly simple: create the perfect canna-curious entry-level product. Make the branding appealing, retro-future-Esque, and even slightly nostalgic, and make the bites vegan and gluten-free, precisely microdose with fast-acting THC. As most things are in life, easier said than done.
The biggest hurdle we faced was the fast-acting component which could only be delivered through a nanoemulsion. To summarize nanoemulsions in a sentence: they're cannabis extract broken down into tiny particle clusters (literally nanometers in diameter), small enough to rapidly absorb into the bloodstream when they're eaten, resulting in onset in as little as 10 minutes.
Every nanoemulsion provider turned our bites bitter, strange tasting, and added a slew of chemicals to our ingredient list that we couldn't accommodate if we wanted to deliver on our brand's value. That's why we turned internally to develop a nanoemulsion that met our specifications: flavorless, odorless, vegan, no bitter blocker chemicals, all while matching (or beating) leading competitors in rapid onset. Also easier said than done.
The breakthrough came in Fall of last year when Steven and our scientists finally cracked the code. We were thrilled that our bites could finally be made, but when we approached our co-manufacturer they were dead set on getting some of our nanoemulsion for their own edibles. That's when we realized the value of what we discovered. We promptly took ourselves into stealth to file a patent application and re-raised to pivot Natuur into becoming a B2B nanoemulsion provider; we landed on naming our little discovery Natuur Nano. We're gearing up for launch now in select markets including Massachusetts, and it has been a wild and rewarding journey arriving to where we are today!
How did you educate your parents on cannabis? How are they supporting you now?
My parents are strong believers in not drinking alcohol and not consuming cannabis; I don't think that will change. But they also understand that most people approach their consumption habits and live from an entirely different perspective in that consumption serves as an aid in relieving the trials and tribulations of everyday life. That perspective was incredibly helpful in getting their early support as I embarked on the Natuur journey and funny enough I can still remember my grandma saying "Well if people are going to buy [cannabis] anyways, why shouldn't they buy from Alex?"
The other thing that helped was my parents realizing how many people around them either worked in the cannabis industry, albeit discreetly or were consumers themselves. Even though it's still taboo to speak about consumption in certain circles, their gradual uncovering of how widespread consumption and support for legalization is helped significantly as Natuur became more and more real.
Over the past few months, I can confidently say Natuur has evolved and succeeded in large part thanks to my parents. Beyond helping me build the backend of this business and file our patent (both my parents are attorneys), their emotional support and perspective-reorienting advice have helped me stay (mostly) sane while working in the cannabis industry and all the craziness that comes with it. Knowing that they're willing to back both me and my venture at any given time has been an incredible feeling, and I am beyond fortunate to have the parents that I do!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Is it bad if I say that I honestly don't know? That's probably the most honest answer I can give because if you had asked me a year ago where I saw myself in a year, it wouldn't have been leading a cannabis nanoemulsion technology company!
If we're talking aspirationally, I hope to see Natuur as a major player in the American cannabis market, maybe even abroad too. I truly believe what we've discovered and are bringing to market can revolutionize cannabis for the millions of potential consumers who hold back on consuming cannabis for the variety of pain points that Natuur Nano solves. I'd love to see us nationwide, powering the next generation of cannabis edibles and beverages by making slow onset, unpredictability, and off-tasting products a distant memory of the past!
On a more personal note, I've also recently been signed by modeling agencies across a few cities and am in the beginning stages of my career. I've met incredible people, and worked with amazing artists, and ultimately hope that I can continue my involvement within this industry to increase the presence and visibility of API people for the millions of Asians and Asian Americans seeking a familiar face in the brands they buy from.
If you had a strain named after you, what would it be?
I think I'd like to name my strain OG Kimchi. It rhymes, but it also combines the "OG" bit from today's strains with the "kimchi" part of my upbringing!
Who are your mentors in the cannabis industry?
To start, Jun Lee and Vince Ning, co-CEOs of Nabis, have been phenomenal mentors since we connected with them back when we were still trying to make granola bites. Their perspective, scrappiness, and willingness to help us accelerate our growth through honest feedback and brain dumps has been irreplaceable, and to even be able to access their knowledge is an incredible resource.
Eric Rogers, the founder of Levia, has also played an absolutely essential role in our development. His kindness and wisdom, not to mention his contagious enthusiasm every time we hop on a call, has helped us navigate the cannabis industry and grow not only as a company but also as young entrepreneurs. We're beyond lucky to have Eric alongside Jun and Vince on our advisory board!
Beyond these wonderful additions to the Natuur team, I can't even begin to count the number of people who have lent their knowledge, perspective, and resources to us simply because we asked! From our attorneys to our consultants to our equipment suppliers, manufacturers, and customers readying to launch their first-ever Natuur Nano-powered products, we have learned volumes from their unwavering support. As the (cannabis) saying goes: a rising tide lifts all ships, and we at Natuur strive to lift that tide even more than it has already lifted us.
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