Client Story: TotumVos
Client Name: Suzanna Kamphuis
Business Name: TotumVos
Business Website: getchews.com
Location: Keene, NH
Industry: Health & Supplements
SBDC Advisor's Name: Hollis McGuire
SBDC Client: 7 Years
We first introduced you to Suzanna Kamphuis, owner and founder of TotumVos Collagen Chews in 2024 (in case you missed that article, you can read it here).
With the NH SBDC by her side for the past seven years, Suzanna’s made a lot of progress and is growing quickly. We wanted to check back in with her to learn more about her recent patent experience and see where she’s headed next with TotumVos.
Quick Recap: The Story of TotumVos
Suzanna Kamphuis’ story of launching and manufacturing TotumVos Collagen Chews began with her mom’s osteoporosis diagnosis in 2017. Suzanna’s mother informed her she’d been diagnosed with bulging discs in her back and micro-fractures in her spine. She was also experiencing pain in her hips and knees and was even losing teeth.
Suzanna knew she had to find a way to help her and set out to do voracious research.
What she discovered is that collagen naturally declines, starting in our mid-twenties, at a rate of 1-1.5% per year. Which means, by the time a person is 60, they’ll likely have lost about 80% of their natural collagen.
Collagen is a huge factor in looking and feeling “your age” but it goes far beyond wrinkles and crow’s feet, providing structure, strength, and support throughout the body. Collagen is responsible for healthy function from gut villi to skin cells!
Determined to find a solution and make it easier for her mother to get the supplements she needed to feel better, she created a product that was both enjoyable and effective.
As Suzanna says, “The things we ‘should’ do for our health are much easier to do when we enjoy them!”
As a new entrepreneur, you don’t know what you don’t know…
Once she’d crafted her first batch of chews, she underwent the rigorous process of getting the chews tested and safety-certified for wholesale and retail. There’s a lot to learn when taking a food product to market, and starting a business in manufacturing wasn’t easy. Finding herself quickly overwhelmed with it all, Suzanna contacted the SBDC to guide her through. Thanks to regular meetings, strategy, and encouragement, the SBDC has played a pivotal role as Suzanna’s navigated everything from legal to manufacturing.
Determination: “Yes.” or “Yes, and.”
Suzanna’s advisor, Hollis McGuire (who was also one of TotumVos’ first subscribers), has helped Suzanna through the complexities of entrepreneurship by providing vital resources.
A major milestone for Suzanna was winning the Pitchfork Challenge at The Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship in Keene, NH, in 2019. The Pitchfork Challenge is a regional competition that allows businesses to “pitch” their idea for a product or business and get community and coach feedback. The winner takes home $5,000. With Hollis’ guidance, Suzanna used her winnings to cover the costs of obtaining a patent for her products.
Suzanna knew very little about patents and was directed, through the SBDC, to Nashua attorney Kristen Mendoza. Hollis stood by her side throughout the process, analyzing and evaluating risks as she guided her to consider the present and future financial ramifications of the patent.
As TotumVos expands its online sales, the patent offers more protection and makes it more attractive to consumers and retailers as they continue to grow.
Suzanna’s the first to admit that she’s “not the expert” when it comes to the patent process, but she’s learning as she goes and is quick to pour energy, time, and research into her small business.
In addition to patenting, Hollis and the SBDC have also supported Suzanna in the areas of:
- Customer Relations
- eCommerce
- Human Resources/Employees
- Legal Issues
- Business Management
- Marketing/Sales
- Social Media and Digital Marketing
- And of course, the effusive encouragement every entrepreneur needs!
“It's great when someone doesn't just see your vision as a problem to keep in check, but instead a seed to be watered and nourished.” - Suzanna Kamphuis
Future Goals
Today, TotumVos is sold online across the country as well as in select New England retailers, including the Brattleboro Food Coop, Monadnock Food Coop, and Nature’s Green Grocer. Based out of rural Keene, NH, most of Suzanna’s growth has come from word-of-mouth marketing and small wholesale partnerships. As she prepares for the next phase of growth, she’s working to purchase new machinery that will increase TotumVos’ production capacity as well as potential real estate to purchase a dedicated manufacturing facility.
With a strong foundation, the support of the SBDC, and an ever-growing customer base, Suzanna recently introduced a new sleep chew product and has plans to acquire new machines that will foster more sustainable growth and ensure product outputs match the demand.
Her entrepreneurial journey has evolved alongside her personal life, raising four children while growing a business. She embraces the reality that entrepreneurship looks different for everyone, especially for individuals balancing multiple priorities and wearing many hats!
At its core, TotumVos remains rooted in the mission that started it all: to create the best collagen supplements that improve lives, one chew at a time.