Hi everyone,
Have you ever noticed a fishy smell or taste in your Super Body Fuel or Basically Food shakes? (tell us – take the survey here!) We’ve talked about it before. It all started around the end of 2019, beginning of 2020 – that moment that will mark our memories forever as the time that we added algae-based DHA to our formulas, and well… life has just never been the same since. :d
We were able to mitigate the fishiness issue a bit by lowering the DHA dose and adjusting our manufacturing processes, such that the problem seemed to be resolved by the end of 2020. But no – even this year we’ve had reports of entire Super Body Fuel orders ruined by fishiness, especially when shipping to places known for their hot weather, like Australia or the Southern US, as DHA can be sensitive to heat. :/
And the problem has been more prevalent again with Basically Food orders, since the rebrand. Maybe you’ve noticed! :p It’s just one of the many little disappointments we’ve had with the contract manufacturer that we hired to make these first Basically Food production runs – on top of the literal years of spurious delays since we first made the order. :s
So, as we’re starting to move forward with a shiny new manufacturer, we are faced with a big decision: Do we continue including DHA in our formulas, or do we attempt a return to our pre-DHA glory days?
We want to know what you think. What you’ve experienced so far, and what you care about.
So we made this DHA survey, so you can tell us. Please take the survey now if you have a minute! :3
Are you so fed up with the fishiness that you won’t buy again until the DHA is removed? Let us know. Is DHA your favorite nutrient and the entire reason that you started trying Super Body Fuel (or Basically Food) in the first place? Let us know! Think we should compromise and cut the dose in half again (down to the minimum DHA intake described here)? Please let us know in the survey.
In other news…
Plain flavors are available to order on the Basically Food site, yay! :D
We made them ourselves in small batches at the Super Body Fuel facility, and they finally have been received at the Basically Food warehouse in Illinois and added to the website. :d Aww yeah… No monk fruit, no flavor, no problems. B)
Because we made them ourselves, we used bags instead of tubs but with a Basically Food makeover! :) (Thanks to Arrow for hopping onto Illustrator to make the labels!) Our intention is still to switch over to HDPE tubs for future production runs, so, uh, enjoy (or endure) it while it lasts, I guess. :d
But also, now that we’re done with the last of our manufacturing, we’re been looking for someone who wants to take over our San Francisco production and warehouse space! We’re still on the hook for rent (not just any rent, Bay Area rent, people) until our lease expires at the end of January. :p
So, we’ve been looking for two months now, and still haven’t found a tenant to replace us. For a few days it was looking like we’d found the perfect replacement in the form of Final Foods, a plant-based meat manufacturer whose lease was up right when we wanted to leave our space, by the end of August. But at the last minute, it turned out that there was literally not enough electricity going into our unit to power their custom pea-protein meat-making machine. :o
On the bright side, I did convince them to move away from using seed oils in their products to minimize linoleic acid content (inflammatory omega-6) and transition from sunflower oil to high-oleic sunflower oil to, ultimately, avocado or coconut oil. So, you’re welcome, vegans. ;d
But overall, the main challenge is that most businesses that would want to move into our space are food businesses, that need more equipment or ventilation systems than are currently built in, and can’t afford the time and expense to make those modifications themselves. :/ Theoretically, it could also be good for biotech or cosmetics (or, you know, supplements), or of course warehouse storage, but there’s just not as many of those businesses around. At least, not that we know of.
Do you know of any? :3 Please let us know! We really need to find someone to take over our lease. If you have any suggestions or leads, we’d love to hear from you.
Heck, if you want to start your own ‘lent company in San Francisco, you can have our old mixer. And a bunch of stainless steel scoops. And a stainless steel work table if we haven’t sold it by then. :d I might even help you set up a bunch of spreadsheets to manage your operations, if I’m feeling generous. Please reach out. We have the perfect space for you. ;)
It will be a huge relief once we have said goodbye to our old Super Body Fuel space after eight long years of service. Ready to pour our energy into new things with Basically Food. :]
I’ve been hanging back for the past month, trying to find a new tenant and sell off all our old equipment while the rest of the team has been taking a well-deserved month-or-so off (paid, of course – don’t worry!) after years of grinding. Hopefully when Rhodel and Arrow come back refreshed in a couple weeks, we’ll have a clean slate with an empty warehouse and no rent to pay. :)
If you can help us with that (or if you’re in SF and you want a mixer for cheap, or a very powerful but slightly dusty fan, or a new, unopened chalkboard…) please get in touch. Thanks.
And take the DHA survey. ;3
Also, don’t forget to use the coupon code SUPERBODYFAM for 20% off all orders and subscriptions of $100 or more at Basically Food until the end of this year.
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Here’s the Basically Food announcement post if you missed it, or in case this wasn’t long enough and you really just want to keep reading, for some reason. :d
Okay. Thanks for reading. Take care. :)
Alex Cho Snyder (axcho)
