Our story began in a classroom: four students wanting to learn more, to do more, and hoping that one day they might change the world.
When Scott Serdoz of Lexington, KY began the Entrepreneurship MBA program at the University of Louisville, he had no idea that his job researching new plant varieties would ultimately lead to the creation of a new company. In 2005, Scott began working with chia, a plant native to Latin America. He spent his days on the university's farm, helping explore chia's potential to grow further north than ever before. In 2010, Scott began spending his nights on UofL's campus learning about what it takes to turn an idea into a business.
Scott then teamed up with classmates Jacy Cruz, Keith Starling, and Zack Pennington to move the research into the marketplace, and in 2011, Kentucky Chia was formed.
We went on to win top honors at local, state, national, and international business plan competitions with our plan to produce chia seeds in the US as a feed additive for horses.
After completing our MBA program in 2012, the Kentucky Chia team was enthusiastic about launching the business and Zack Pennington was selected as the company's CEO.
In 2013, Kentucky Chia began producing its own chia seeds. We knew that the real world would be unpredictable (especially in the agriculture business) and that every mistake would be more costly producing on a large scale. We partnered with top notch producers who shared our vision and were equally excited about the opportunity to bring a new crop to the United States.
After successful production runs in both Kentucky and Arizona, we officially changed our name to US Chia to reflect the scope of our operations and to emphasize the value and pride we take in producing our products in the United States.
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© 2024 US Chia.
