Skoop of health

BOULDER – Mom always told you to eat your vegetables.

Now, food entrepreneur Greg Stroh, television wellness guy James Rouse and advertising guru Alex Bogusky have created “A Game,” a 21st-century response to mom’s admonishments.

The food powder is said to provide micro-nutrients equal to eight servings of fruits and vegetables. A 30-serving bag of “A Game” costs $65.

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Stroh, Rouse and Bogusky are the brains behind Skoop LLC, the company they started recently to sell “A Game” products. The food powder comes in “sweetgreens” and “chocofresh” flavors.

Angel investors, including the founders, are funding the startup company for an undisclosed sum, Stroh said. Stroh founded Izze Beverage Co., which was sold to Pepsi Co. (NYSE: PEP) in 2006 for an undisclosed sum. Rouse is a naturopathic doctor who co-founded Mix1 Beverage Co. with Stroh. The protein shake drink company was sold to Hershey Co. (NYSE: HSY) in 2013. Bogusky is the former partner in Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, a national ad agency with offices in Boulder.

For a business person or for anyone who is reacts to stress by eating unhealthy food, adding a scoop of the “A Game” powder to a daily diet is a start down the path to feeling better, Stroh said. Both he and Bogusky swear by the product, the ingredients of which include Chinese herbs.

“We have good intentions, but life gets in the way,” Stroh said. “I think people are sick of being lectured to. So this is hopefully a fun, easy way to get some really good nutrition.”

Among a small but growing number of people in the local community, “to skoop” as a verb is quickly becoming a shorthand term for a way to feel more calm and focused during the day, Bogusky said.

“If I’m grumpy, my assistant would say, ‘Did you skoop today?’ Bogusky said. “You don’t usually feel a difference with supplements. At least I haven’t. But apparently I’m a nicer person with Skoop.”

Skoop LLC workers get their product into customers’ hands through social and direct marketing techniques. About 50 personal trainers, nutritionists, yoga instructors and others who work in health and fitness jobs sell the food powder, Bogusky said. It also can be purchased online at healthyskoop.com.

The unconventional sales route is expected to help the new company grow quickly, Stroh said. That’s because traditional grocery store chains charge food companies “slotting fees” to stock products, meaning that companies are charged for preferred placement on grocery shelves, Stroh said. Stores also often ask startup companies for product discounts, which tend to put small companies underwater financially, Stroh said.

The unconventional marketing model works well with products that don’t weigh much and are easy to ship, which makes “A Game” products a perfect candidate, Stroh said. Skoop operates out of a Boulder warehouse, he said.

The unconventional model creates more jobs, too, and distributes wealth in a different way than a company that goes through traditional grocery store retailers and distributors, Bogusky said. While some former companies have given “social selling” techniques a bad reputation in the past, Skoop is operating under a new model, he said. One of the main differences of Skoop’s social selling strategy is that the company ships products directly to consumers, so sellers don’t have to buy unused inventory, he said.

“People like to buy from people they know,” Bogusky said.

In response, Skoop is working on building its network of salespeople, Bogusky said.