OFI 522: When Adversity Leads To An International Business And Your Parents Retire To Go To Work For You | Forrest Smith With Gluten Free Oats

 SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS: 

There are stories, and then there are stories!  Today’s guest, Forrest Smith, could appear on either one of our FFA SAE editions or a Friday Edition Episode, like he is today.  His business, Gluten Free Oats, began in childhood and really took shape in the FFA.  But he has grown it and run with it since then, now shipping product internationally.

Forrest was born with celiac disease, and until he was diagnosed he was in mortal danger, almost dying at one point.  Once doctors figured out that he could not eat gluten his parents were able to change his diet and help him control his disease.  However, something was missing from Forrest’s life, and that something was a no-bake, Monster cookie, that he wanted to make (and eat) with his grandmother.  This marked a goal, or as Forrest would put it – a scheme, in his life.

Ultimately Forrest found himself in the FFA and needing to create a project for his supervised agricultural experience.  He decided that he wanted to produce and sell gluten free oats, and ultimately this led to his company – Gluten Free Oats.

Forrest explained to me that oats do not have gluten in them.  However, oat fields frequently have enough volunteer wheat, rye and barley to give normally grown oats a high percentage of gluten.  Therefore, Forrest began his business by sorting through harvested oats by hand and removing any seeds that were not oats.  Through this process he was able to insure the absence of gluten in the oats that were left when he was done.

He started selling these oats, and word of mouth began to grow.  His reputation continued to grow to the point that he was featured in some high profile publications.  Ultimately this caused his business to explode.  Today, at age 30, Forrest’s business requires 1200 to 1500 acres of oats to fulfill all of his orders.  He has trained FFA students from his former high school how to walk oat fields and inspect them for the presence of volunteer grains that contain gluten.

Forrest has several farmers growing his special brand of oats under contract.  He also employs around 15 people in his community full-time.  And, his parents retired from their jobs to work in his company.  It is truly an amazing story.

ADVICE FROM FORREST:

SUPPORT: Take advantage of the support you have available to you in your community.  Forrest got his start with a $250 loan from his FFA chapter’s parental support group.

ADVERSITY: Your perspective is important.  Adversity can be looked at negatively or it can be seen as an opportunity.  In Forrest’s case he wanted to have that cookie, and his business was born out of solving the problem that his disease placed in front of him.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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Other Places You Can Listen To Us:

Check us out on the D&B Supply Show where we get to focus in on very specific farming issues like tank heaters, fencing, regulations, etc.

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