Today we’d like to introduce you to Leela Spriggs.
Hi Leela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
During COVID, I used to be a background investigator. Work was kind of scarce. I decided to embark on a journey that I always wanted to do, which is to start my own business. I started doing keto and vegan baked goods because at the time my journey was weight loss. It grew from that to me deciding to approach stores, after about a month. I was not treated well at one of the farmer’s market I was selling at where they didn’t know the difference between keto and regular baked goods and they sort of saw me as competition. I had pre-sales and would have people come to pay and pick up when and the other baker that was there, complained about it and saw me as a threat, and they told me about it. I decided to start approaching stores. I got my 1st yes from the Amish market from Upper Marlboro. That gave me the confidence to continue approaching stores. In the midst of it, I got many no’s. I decided to start building out my own facility where I could bake my own products and it took me 3 years. I have a 3800 square foot factory that I built out in Prince George’s County. I took no loans to get to where I am now. Just took a leap of faith in myself and sold product and kept it moving. This journey started in 2019 and now, We’re in our 3800 square foot facility, I actually only moved in maybe about a year and a half ago. I have about 10 people that works for with me at my facility. The majority of people that work for me are women. They put their kids on their school buses and come to work and get back home in the afternoon that is kind of the premise of the business initially. Because I have 13 year old twins. And that’s what I do. I put my kids on a bus and I hop in my car and I go to work. The business has grown tremendously in the last 2 to 3 years. We’ve seen quadruple sales that includes 2 distribution companies that distributes our products throughout Virginia, DC and Pennsylvania. And we have well over 120 stores that sells our products. Some of the stores that sells it includes Golds gyms, David’s natural market, Yes! organic markets. and Amish markets. To name a few. We’re also in a few government buildings in in DC.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Navigating complex regional regulations and strict product compliance has actually been a powerful catalyst for our brand. While establishing our footprint came with a steep learning curve, overcoming those local hurdles ultimately refined our operational model and proved how adaptable our brand truly is.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What I want readers and my customers to know is that a lot of people who embarked on a journey of sea moss has not done the research and the background work to ensure that they build a brand that can be around for a while. I’ve tried sea moss from different countries and narrowed it down to texture, taste and smell. Then I landed on the St. Lucia one and I saw that there was a program called Export St. Lucia. So I reached out to the government of St. Lucia. And I actually became a part of their prototype that they had going on where I was actually assigned one of the people on the island that specializes in sea moss.
I was able to have the pleasure of going to St. Lucia, to meet the people that I do business with and I was also able to, as part of the journey, went out on the ocean, harvested sea moss, met with the people and saw where the sea moss is being dried. Most people when you ask about sea moss, you ask them where their sea moss is sourced from, they have no idea, because they purchase it from another person. Whereas me, I don’t purchase from another person. There’s no middleman with me. The journey of the sea moss is the ocean, the person that harvests, customs and me, the only middle person is customs actually, who verifies the fact that the product is legitimate and it has all the certifications that it’s supposed to have to enter the United States. That is the unique story behind my product. I do not purchase my sea moss to sell wholesale. I purchase it to turn that product into all the different products that I make.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Right now, we operate our own processing plant and every single bottle of our sea moss water is mixed and crafted by hand to ensure the highest quality. Our 5-10 vision is all about scaling that passion. We hope to prepare for automating our production line down the road, which will unlock the high-volume capacity needed for nationwide distribution. Ultimately, we are building LPG into a household wellness brand, positioning it as a premium asset that will naturally attract strategic acquisition interest from major beverage conglomerates.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leelaspuregoodness?stkn=MWZhZGlsM3c3OGNkbA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HahZTzbQM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lpgseamoss?_r=1&_t=ZP-99qzxDhyUXv
