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I Founded Ralph's Garden in 2016
Start-up Story: Ralph's Garden
At Ralph's Garden, the mission was to make people feel good.
In a world cluttered with unrecognizable additives and mass production, we brought back the basics, starting with a small batch, handcrafted, hemp-infused salve. We sourced only the best, natural, plant derived ingredients.
When aches and pains don’t require strong medicine, consider plant-based wellness to encourage the unencumbered lifestyle. Massage your aches and pains with the healing qualities of hemp and essential oils from arnica, chamomile, marigold, eucalyptus, and lavender. This was the best of nature, carried with you.
Entrepreneurial Experience
Developed skills in product development, retail distribution, and grassroots marketing. Gained experience in vendor negotiations, event partnerships, and managing third-party testing processes. Strengthened abilities in brand positioning, market research, and consumer engagement strategies.
A few Photos from the Business
The Ralph's Garden Story
Ralph's Garden: Launching & Leading a Consumer Product Brand
Ralph's Garden: Launching & Leading a Consumer Product Brand
Inspired by key lessons learned in Colorado and recognizing a unique market opportunity on the East Coast where I grew up, I founded Ralph's Garden. This venture was about building a high-performance consumer product brand from the ground up, focused on delivering superior, natural CBD topicals for active individuals and aging athletes. As Founder and General Manager, I engineered every facet of this Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brand, from breakthrough product formulation and rigorous testing to strategic market penetration.
Facing significant industry advertising bans, I innovated a lean, retail-first go-to-market strategy. I personally executed hundreds of in-store product demonstrations, transforming direct consumer engagement into powerful sales and marketing channels for our product line. This hands-on approach drove immediate sales, fostered deep consumer insights, and secured placement in 74 independent natural food stores across New England. My efforts consistently generated over $200,000 in annual revenue with 50% margins, proving successful product positioning and market traction against competitors. I also strategically sponsored athletic events, directly connecting our product with its core demographic and reinforcing its benefits for recovery and performance.
Ralph's Garden demanded continuous strategic agility and resilience. Navigating evolving regulations and market shifts, including the pandemic's impact, honed my capacity for adaptable marketing and brand development within the CPG landscape. This experience is a testament to my ability to translate market vision into viable, profitable consumer products, build strong brand narratives, and execute impactful strategies in challenging environments – qualities directly transferable to leading your marketing initiatives.
Here are some of the Products we Handcrafted in Boston
Our Top Selling Products
These products were carried at 74 natural food stores throughout New England
One Ounce Salve
Our one ounce, two hundred milligram CBD Salve is the perfect on-the-go accessory. Fitting conveniently into your pocket or pocketbook, you have it for when you want it.
This salve is mango butter, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, and beeswax based. It also contains arrowroot powder, tocopherol (vitamin E) and essential oils of lavender, eucalyptus, arnica, chamomile, and marigold. Our hemp is organically grown in the United States as part of the Farm Bill.
Three Ounce Salve
Our three ounce, six hundred milligram CBD Salve is mango butter, hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, beeswax, and coconut oil based. We also add arrowroot powder, tocopherol (vitamin E) and essential oils of lavender, eucalyptus, arnica, chamomile, and marigold. Our hemp is organically grown in the United States as part of the US Farm Bill.
This product is perfect for your home or office and features an easy to open top for those with arthritis in their hands.
Blue Tansy Roll-On
Blue tansy is a flower originating in Morocco traditionally associated with inflammatory and skin soothing properties, while naturally providing the remarkable color. This roll-on is alcohol and witch hazel-based and is our most concentrated CBD topical.
Three Skills I learned There
Product Development
- Created a line of handcrafted hemp-based topicals designed for aging athletes, focused on natural, high-quality ingredients.
- Implemented rigorous quality control protocols and third-party lab testing to ensure safety, consistency, and compliance.
- Oversaw product ideation, ingredient sourcing, packaging design, and pricing strategy from concept to shelf.
Go-to-Market Strategy
- Secured retail partnerships with 74 natural food stores across New England, targeting health-conscious and athletic consumers.
- Personally conducted three weekly in-store demos to introduce products, educate customers, and drive trial purchases.
- Partnered with regional endurance events and athletic organizations to position the brand directly in front of its core audience.
Marketing
- Featured on NBC Boston as a recommended, third-party tested brand in the region’s rapidly growing hemp market.
- Became an official sponsor of regional multisport events, including The Whaling City Triathlon/Duathlon and Cranberry Trifest, boosting brand visibility within target fitness communities.
- Developed and executed grassroots, event-based marketing initiatives that complemented retail
Who Was Ralph?
Ralph Was my Dog
Ralph was Alex's dog and the inspiration for Ralph's Garden.
Ralph was a red-nosed pit bull who lived his first 6 months as a stray on a Navajo reservation in northwest New Mexico. He loved the beach, chasing tennis balls in the yard, and Boston's many dog parks.