A Dickinson alum credits his former roommates with inspiring him to start his own business. Justin Gold ’00, founder of the Boulder, Col. based Justin’s, a company that makes all natural nut butters and peanut butter cups, spoke to an audience of about 75 Dickinson students and professors in Althouse on Friday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. The talk was part of the Career Center’s networking alumni weekend.

Gold said that building his business was one of the most challenging things he has ever done, but the experience has been rewarding. “It’s been 12 years I’ve been doing this and as of this year it’s become a dream job,” said Gold.

After graduating from Dickinson with an environmental studies major, Gold, who grew up in Pittsburgh, moved to Boulder where he waited tables while he figured out what he wanted to do. “I thought, ‘I’m going to find something that I’m really passionate about’,” he said.

“Most entrepreneurs, what I’ve learned, they develop thing that they want for themselves,” Gold said. “For fun I made peanut butter and almond butter for protein,” said Gold. He started making his own because there weren’t many options at the time and it didn’t taste good. “I would add honey and cinnamon and maple syrup and blueberries and bananas…it was really fun,” said Gold.

“I lived with a bunch of roommates and, generally, what happens when you live with roommates is whatever is yours is theirs,” said Gold. When Gold’s roommates began stealing his homemade nut butters, he would label his jars “Justin’s” and “that’s kind of how it all started,” said Gold.
Gold says he fell in love with Boulder instantly. “If you can get inspired by where you live, and love where you live, it makes you a happier person. Everything else becomes just a little bit easier,” Gold said. Boulder is “an inspiring community of entrepreneurs,” he added. “A lot of really cool natural product brands were founded there,” Gold said.

From the beginning, Justin’s has been committed to sustainability, something Gold credits to his time at Dickinson. According to the Justin’s website, the company is working to reduce its carbon footprint, source ingredients for its products as locally and organically as possible, and create a fully compostable squeeze pack. Gold said that while companies need to make money, they should also do what’s right.

“He was an engaging speaker because he was very honest. He didn’t have a plan, he just told us his story,” said Jacqueline Goodwin ’17, an environmental studies major. Goodwin added, “I couldn’t stop thinking about it throughout the next couple of days. Business is something that I’m not normally exposed to so I thought it was interesting to see it in a sustainable perspective.”

Today Justin’s products are sold in Whole Foods Markets nationwide in addition to Starbucks, Target, and thousands of grocery stores across the country, and on campus at the Devil’s Den. Gold said, his products “became all of these things I never even anticipated.”

“It was really important to me to live somewhere that I wanted to live, that I chose,” said Gold. He added, “For me, lifestyle comes first.” According to his biography on the Justin’s website, Gold enjoys activities such as backpacking, running, mountain biking, and skiing.
To learn more about Justin’s visit www.justins.com