It’s not often that a chance encounter with an Uber driver is one of the key things that helps you bring your entrepreneurial idea from a dream into reality.
Yet, sometimes things that seem impossible do happen, and they happen spectacularly.
For one entrepreneur in California, a discussion with his Uber driver laid the foundation for how he would create a packaging and distribution model for his fast growing nutrient additive company, and the driver himself played a significant role in making this come about.
You never know where a friendly round of small talk might take you.
Yousef Benhamida is the founder of Humboldts Secret Supplies (HSS). “So much of the success with plants that you can have will depend on what you are feeding them. That’s one reason I began my company: I wanted to create additives, fertilizers, and other products that would empower more people to experience the simple beauty of plants and flowers.”
Yousef (better known as Ben) explains, “I grew up growing anything and everything I could get my hands on,” he remembers, “and when I got older, I became known for producing the best flowers in Southern California. At one point, I was so passionate about growing that I spent 24/7 in my greenhouse for three years.”
As a leader in the agricultural growing community, Yousef noticed that there was a need in the nutrient additive marketplace. “Some of them were just too expensive, to be honest. I have the heart of an entrepreneur, and I thought to myself that I should make an additive so good that it could be used as an all-in-one additive,” Yousef remembers. “I had to do a lot of fun experimentation, but eventually, I developed Golden Tree. The idea was that any tree that got a taste of it would turn to gold for the grower.”
While this idea stage would typically stop most people from moving forward, Yousef continued working on his products, and by 2016, he had completed his nutrient line. “I found an enthusiastic market for it,” he says. “Because my formulas gave growers the ability to grow at a lower cost yet still see wonderful results, people kept asking for more.”
But what about the Uber conversation?
Yousef shares, “One bottle that I made in 2012 became popular throughout the United States, leading to the impossible task of making 10,000 bottles in two weeks – a bit of a challenge!” he recalls. “I got an Uber driver to help me every day for two weeks. I always feel grateful to that man for helping me take HSS to the next level.”
Today, his products are so effective that HSS has emerged as one of the major plant nutrient manufacturers and suppliers to hydroponic/agricultural distributors in the United States.
“I can always spot a plant that isn’t being given nutrients and additives,” Yousef says. “It lacks energy and isn’t as glorious as it could be. Plants need food just like humans do. You have NPK/microelements and additional additives that are meant to increase yields. A plant needs baseline nutrients, and we provide this in the form of our Base A & B. The additives can increase a plant’s aroma and increase its yield, among other benefits.”
Since its inception, Humboldts Secret Supplies has grown at an average of 30% year over year, one of the fastest-growing additive and nutrient players in the gardening industry.
Yousef attributes this to his company’s custom formulas as well as the passion of his employees. “We have hundreds of thousands of customers because of two reasons: our products work, and they were designed with the express goal of bringing more joy into people’s homes. Our employees want your plants to bloom and grow as much as you want them to, and that desire has resulted in the products that will make your plants be spectacular.
For more information on Humboldts Secret Supplies, please see its website.
