Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Harris
Hi Joel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Zax Snax Started in my family kitchen when I was very young. The idea came from my older brother, Zach, as he was messing around in the kitchen. He threw together what is still our original flavor, Coconut Munch. My Mom took that idea and created many other awesome recipes with his original concept. She eventually opened Zax Snax by selling at the local Tomball Farmers Market in 2013 where I sold for her from the age of 12 until 17. She used Zax Snax to pay the bills for me and my 7 siblings as we grew up. We all helped as much as we could or were able, so Zax Snax has always meant a ton to me. At 17, I stepped away to go to college and upon graduation, started my career as an accountant for a Woodlands based payment processing firm. in 2021, after barely hanging on through the covid shutdown, my mom decided to shut Zax Snax down in favor of a full-time position. About a year into my career, I realized that I wanted to pursue something of my own and give myself an opportunity to build something and continue my mom’s legacy. In September of 2021, I quit my corporate job, talked to my mom and decided to pick the company back up. I started with a couple small dehydrators, my one-bedroom apartment, and her awesome recipes to go off of. In the past three years, with help from many in my family and beyond, I have been able to open a 1,500 sq. Ft. facility in Tomball where we make all of our products. My fiancé and I now run Zax Snax together and we sell nationwide in retail stores, online, and as many local Houston farmers markets as possible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has NOT been a smooth road. I am blessed continuously by having a large and supportive family whom I can consider some of my closest friends. I have received a lot of help from them and other close friends along the way. However, it has been the most challenging pursuit of my life. Starting at 21, with only what I had been able to save from my year of accounting, funding was very difficult. I cut down on almost all personal expenses and dedicated everything to building the company. I learned very quickly that in order to create something viable, it would take most of my time and most of my money and accepting that was definitely my first obstacle. Along the way, there have been constant obstacles but I expect nothing less. learning how to work with local government and local health departments has been one of the largest obstacles. I have found that it is extremely important to be more educated than the officials that enforce code or regulations and to double check any information you get even if the one informing you should be educated. In multiple scenarios, I have been misled by health inspectors and local government officials because they just don’t always have the best understanding of the law that they enforce.
We’ve been impressed with Zax Snax LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Zax Snax is a snack food manufacturer in Tomball, Texas. We specialize in coconut based snack mixes. we use exclusively gluten free, vegan, and all natural ingredients. We are family owned and operated. Our snacks stand out for their uniquely simple ingredients and incredible crispiness. We do coconut different by dehydrating instead of toasting and we have found that almost every time someone who hates coconut tries our snack, they love it! We also, have ventured into the savory snack space with our Crispy Garlic and Smoky Chipotle flavors. We still use coconut as the base because, as it is well known overseas, coconut does not have to be sweet. We get lots of funny looks before tasting our savory coconut snacks, but Crispy Garlic is one of our most popular flavors to date.
What makes you happy?
At 25, I am still working on the answer to this question. I love spending time with family and we all enjoy playing board games and playing sports together.
I also love being able to freely give and support those who may not be as fortunate as me or may just need help in their current scenario. Growing up in a low income household, I see the impact of generosity and selflessness. I have been blessed and supported by many people who had no reason to do so other than out of the kindness of their heart and I hope to be able to return that in kind as much as I can throughout my life.
I would say, what makes me the most happy, is to feel confident that I am working towards making the world around me at least a little better.
Pricing:
- We have free shipping on our wesbite for any that want to try Zax Snax.
- our small snack bags are 4 for $24 online and 3 for $18 at local Houston Markets.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zaxsnax.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/zax_snax/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaxsnax
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zax-snax-llc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ZaxSnaxLLC
