This is key to it all because it provided inspiration and motivation. It all lead to the brothers’ experiencing serious change in their lives.
“That moment made me realize we can do things outside of our daily work and what society tells us to do,” Lance said. “It gave me a vision. Along comes this Grunts idea by Landin and it sounded awesome. I wanted to be with him to do it because it is exciting. It has made us better people. We have grown into more positive, loving and caring people throughout this journey and that is the real thing I’m grateful for. It is changing our lives and who we are for the better. My brother and I didn’t really talk in our 20s. We were not close. We were polar opposites. Sometimes, brothers don’t get along. He has changed. I have changed. We have just connected. We are there for each other, if one of us is having a bad day, no matter what in life, business and hunting. We bounce each other back up. It is nice to have.”
Four years ago, Landin and Lance were on the same moose hunting trip, but were not together in the same area. Landin was interacting with a mature bull moose. The ungulate was roughly 80-yards away. Landin was battling a sickness at the time and it proved costly.
“I put out a cow call,” he said. “I had a cold and I screwed up the call. The bull caught wind of it and he took off and was gone. In that moment I wondered if there was something out there for hunters to help them when they are sick.”
The brothers started an exhaustive search. They came across a fact about balsam fir having health benefits for sickness and also being a good way to naturally cover the scent of humans.
“It was like wow,” Landin said. “It was meant to be and we were suppose to do this.”
The brothers found a lozenge manufacturer in Canada and got the lozenge made and put their branding on to create Grunts. The brothers have had Grunts on the market for two years. They sell mostly in stores in and around Thunder Bay. Grunts is also sold in Alberta through hunting distributors. The brothers are working on a deal to get their product sold across Canada in a national retailer.
Grunts are made of balsam fir, eucalyptus, menthol and echinacea. The balsam fir works to mask scent and improve overall stealth. The lozenge is an expectorant to help clear the throat and improve calling techniques. It also acts as a natural insect repellant. The lozenge also helps relieve symptoms of cough, cold, and nasal congestion, while temporarily soothing sore throats. Grunts also help strengthen immunity and shortens duration of upper respiratory tract infections.
“There are multiple benefits to use Grunts,” Landin said.
The brothers split duties to make the company run in-between their careers. They work shifts, so when one brother has free time, he will do what has to be done from selling, marketing, updating social media, sending out orders, contacting people and anything else.
“It has been a crazy ride,” Lance said. “I never envisioned us as businessmen. We are a team with everything. We have a big dream. We make good money with our other jobs. My purpose is not to be a nurse for the rest of my life and retire at 65. Life is too short for that and my brother agrees. We want to grow a sustainable and ethical hunting brand and show we value these things.”
Grunts are sold in packs of four ($15.99), eight ($31.99) and 12 ($47.99). Each pack contains 12 lozenges per pack.