Larry DuPont, the owner and founder of LRS Foods LLC, known to the Reef2Reef forum members as Reef Frenzy (foods), posted an interesting look inside how Reef Frenzy foods are made. We thought it would be useful to post it again here in the article section.
So how did a hobbyist with lots of passion but little funding, no partnerships, no business
experience, and almost no advertising budget launch a food which cannonballed into the marketplace and made such a splash?
It's fairly simple.....start with ingredients of the highest quality, don't cut corners, do lots of R&D and let transparency do the marketing for you. We also had a little help from R2R and social media.
So what are some of the reasons LRS foods are so sought after?
If you are new to reefing or R2R this is what our packaging looks like:
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We start with fresh, chemical free seafood delivered to us by a wholesaler who services restaurants all across eastern North Carolina. We go through TONS and TONS of shrimp, scallop, fish, clams, oysters, etc. These shrimp all get hand peeled, and the exoskeletons are discarded.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
These scallops belong on a dinner plate next to a steak, but instead they go into the "fish food."
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Here you can see "The Boss" who has been managing the production team for the last 5 years since I was booted out of the kitchen and tasked with marketing and solving logistical problems.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Here you can see the fresh seafood being blended with krill for our "Chunky" predator blend.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We source locally obtained fish eggs for our "Fish Frenzy®" blend which also gets live blackworms and biosecure, farm-raised, polychaete worms. This is the ultimate food to get finicky feeders eating!
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
The food gets packed via a pneumatic packing machine and stored at -20F before shipping.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We get two Fed Ex pickups a day and ship around the globe using over 3000 pounds of dry ice each month. Thick walled coolers and using dry ice means the food is never permitted to thaw in transit. This is vital to preserve the quality of the food.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
You can search our map by entering your zip code on the "BUY" page at LRSFoods.com
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Look for this logo at your LFS to see if they carry Reef Frenzy® and our other blends!
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
This is our "Fertility Frenzy®" product as used by public aquariums, aquaculture facilities, universities and hobby breeders across the US. TheTestimonial page of our website has even more details about some of the amazing breeding projects that have used LRS foods over the past few years.
"Who's your daddy!?" ;Happy;Happy
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We were even invited down to the University of Florida's Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory for a sneak peek at the blue tang juveniles before the captive breeding success was made public. The broodstock were conditioned using Fertility Frenzy for several months.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
In closing one of the most important reasons for our success is our reputation of providing excellent customer service. We have built close relationships with our retailers and through social media have connected with thousands of end users. Our daughter has been managing LRS for over a year handling everything from answering the phones, drafting invoices, collecting payments, ordering seafood, and even running payroll. She comes to work every day with a smile and our grandson in tow. She does an amazing job and brings years of experience from the hospitality industry to our company. When you buy a pack of LRS food you are directly supporting a multi-generational family business which produces a product which is MADE IN THE USA!
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Thanks for all the support from our friends in the R2R community over the years!
If you wish to learn even more about our business and products you can watch this video tour with Mark Callahan.
Larry DuPont
Owner & Founder
LRS Foods LLC
www.LRSFoods.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's hard to believe that it's been almost seven years since I blended up the first batch of food for our own fish on the kitchen table. I don't think anyone, myself included, could have imagined the popularity of the food would result in such growth with over 500+ dealers stocking it in nearly nine countries! Not to mention the dozen or more captive breeding projects our foods have aided along the way at aquariums and universities. Our foods are crafted in small batches with much attention to detail to make the final product truly unique and beneficial to consumers.
So how did a hobbyist with lots of passion but little funding, no partnerships, no business
experience, and almost no advertising budget launch a food which cannonballed into the marketplace and made such a splash?
It's fairly simple.....start with ingredients of the highest quality, don't cut corners, do lots of R&D and let transparency do the marketing for you. We also had a little help from R2R and social media.
So what are some of the reasons LRS foods are so sought after?
- Using fresh FDA inspected human-grade seafood results in a diverse and beneficial nutritional profile. The fatty acids and proteins are more intact than if using previously frozen ingredients.
- The short supply chain of acquiring fresh seafood, processing it locally and shipping it out promptly to retailers means the consumer gets an uber-fresh product. This means it is healthier and more attractive to the fish, hence the incredible feeding response LRS generates.
- Hand processing, discarding exoskeletons, and extensive rinsing results in a very clean food which means fish get optimal nutrition while waste in the aquarium is minimized.
- LRS foods are supplemented with laboratory tested active cultures of probiotics. We've been adding them since 2013 and our Fertility Frenzy food has even more strains.
- Pigmentation enhancers such as Beta-Carotene and Astaxanthin give our foods their tinted colors. These supplements can increase yellow, orange, and red coloration in your fish.
- LRS foods are used by many fish breeders to help condition broodstock to lay larger and more viable clutches of eggs. If it works for them, your fish can benefit from the same nutrition!
- LRS is the only specialty food to add genuine PE MYSIS shrimp to our blends.
- LRS is a family owned business, consisting of a husband/wife team as well as our two adult children. We are a family of "Reefers" with a passion to turn out the best product possible!
If you are new to reefing or R2R this is what our packaging looks like:
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We start with fresh, chemical free seafood delivered to us by a wholesaler who services restaurants all across eastern North Carolina. We go through TONS and TONS of shrimp, scallop, fish, clams, oysters, etc. These shrimp all get hand peeled, and the exoskeletons are discarded.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
These scallops belong on a dinner plate next to a steak, but instead they go into the "fish food."
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Here you can see "The Boss" who has been managing the production team for the last 5 years since I was booted out of the kitchen and tasked with marketing and solving logistical problems.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Here you can see the fresh seafood being blended with krill for our "Chunky" predator blend.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We source locally obtained fish eggs for our "Fish Frenzy®" blend which also gets live blackworms and biosecure, farm-raised, polychaete worms. This is the ultimate food to get finicky feeders eating!
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
The food gets packed via a pneumatic packing machine and stored at -20F before shipping.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We get two Fed Ex pickups a day and ship around the globe using over 3000 pounds of dry ice each month. Thick walled coolers and using dry ice means the food is never permitted to thaw in transit. This is vital to preserve the quality of the food.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
You can search our map by entering your zip code on the "BUY" page at LRSFoods.com
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Look for this logo at your LFS to see if they carry Reef Frenzy® and our other blends!
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
This is our "Fertility Frenzy®" product as used by public aquariums, aquaculture facilities, universities and hobby breeders across the US. TheTestimonial page of our website has even more details about some of the amazing breeding projects that have used LRS foods over the past few years.
"Who's your daddy!?" ;Happy;Happy
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
We were even invited down to the University of Florida's Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory for a sneak peek at the blue tang juveniles before the captive breeding success was made public. The broodstock were conditioned using Fertility Frenzy for several months.
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
In closing one of the most important reasons for our success is our reputation of providing excellent customer service. We have built close relationships with our retailers and through social media have connected with thousands of end users. Our daughter has been managing LRS for over a year handling everything from answering the phones, drafting invoices, collecting payments, ordering seafood, and even running payroll. She comes to work every day with a smile and our grandson in tow. She does an amazing job and brings years of experience from the hospitality industry to our company. When you buy a pack of LRS food you are directly supporting a multi-generational family business which produces a product which is MADE IN THE USA!
Photos are courtesy of LRS Foods, LLC. ©2018, All Rights Reserved
Thanks for all the support from our friends in the R2R community over the years!
If you wish to learn even more about our business and products you can watch this video tour with Mark Callahan.
Larry DuPont
Owner & Founder
LRS Foods LLC
www.LRSFoods.com
