Off the record: He bet $15K on a product he'd never tasted. This month, he quit his day job.

Texting with Boostcous's founder about the blind bets, subway schleps, and one-star redemptions that built their protein-packed product.

Apr 09, 2026

Shopify In Stock banner. Left sidebar: "DATE: April 2026, TOPIC: Off the Record, no.58." Photo of a hand holding a Boostcous Protein Packed Couscous "THE OG" box at Natural Products Expo West. Title: "OFF THE RECORD: BOOSTCOUS"

In our monthly series, we text with founders about the wild, unglamorous, and sometimes unhinged moments that actually built their businesses.

Bar Bruhis started Boostcous with a kitchen experiment, $15K, and zero retail experience. The Colorado-based brand—offering a gluten-free, high-protein twist on couscous—has since moved 30,000 units, built a cult following, and graduated from garage sales to something that looks a lot like a real business.

This month, Bar quit his 9-5 to go all in. I texted him to get the full story.

The $15K blind bet

iMessage conversation with Bar Bruhis. Blue bubble reads: "Bar. I need to start with the fact that you dropped $15k on your first production run without ever tasting the final product. Walk me through that decision." Below, a photo of Bar in a hairnet and mask at a factory, holding a box of Boostcous Protein Packed Couscous. A typing indicator shows below

Bar: So we’d nailed the formula in a small kitchen. But the manufacturer’s minimum order was 12,000 boxes. There’s no “let me just try a few” option.

Bar: It was all or nothing. So we went all.

Erin: And if it had been terrible?

Bar: Then I’d have 12,000 boxes of a really expensive lesson 😅

Bar: Luckily, not only did we love it, but the people loved it.

What 500 garage customers taught him

Bar: We had such a diverse demographic of people come by. Everyone from 20-somethings to a 76-year-old named Rita.

Two photos: Left, a couple holding Boostcous boxes on a snowy street. Right, an elderly woman holding a Boostcous box outdoors in winter.

Erin: Rita <3

Bar: Despite how different our customers were, we started seeing patterns in why they were buying.

Bar: Most were trying to increase their protein intake. Some vegan, some building muscle. We even had a customer who had just started cancer treatment and needed to boost their protein. And we saw a lot of gluten-free folks getting to eat couscous for the first time in years.

Bar: That’s what made us lean hard into the GF positioning.

TSA’s most wanted

iMessage with Bar Bruhis. Blue: "I've heard that TSA has a bit of a relationship with your product?" Grey: "Oh, we're on a first-name basis at this point. Every time we fly, they flag Boostcous on the x-ray. We get the full inspection." Photo of TSA agent inspecting a Boostcous box with text: "PSA: IF YOU FLY WITH BOOSTCOUS YOU WILL GET STOPPED BY TSA (worth it...)"

Bar: We keep telling them it’s couscous. They keep not believing us.

Erin: To be fair, brown box…mysterious substance…it’s a tough sell.

One pot, one meeting, one shot

iMessage with Bar Bruhis. Blue: "How did you get the word out early on?" Grey: "I carried a full pot of cooked Boostcous through the NYC subway to our first live sampling event." Photo shows a large pot on a crowded subway floor.

Erin: That looks like rush hour.

Bar: At least I had a lid!

Erin: I also saw you attended Expo West (the Super Bowl of CPG) this year. How’d that go?

Bar: If by “attended” you mean snuck in pretending to be podcasters... then, yes 😬 We ended up meeting some of the biggest grocery chain buyers in the country.

Erin: They say it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

Bar: Precisely. Expo West, please don’t come for us.

Erin: Did anything actually come from it?

Bar: Funny you should ask! We have a meeting with Gelsons, a 28-store grocer in California, and we're hoping to be on shelves within the next few months. Fingers crossed.

Erin: 🤞

The one-star redemption

iMessage with Bar Bruhis. Blue: "I often hear entrepreneurs say to succeed you need to be customer obsessed. Do you agree?" Grey: "100%" "Early on, we got our first and only one-star review. Instead of brushing it off, I just called her." Video: "CALLING OUR FIRST One STAR Review STICK AROUND TO see WHAT HAPPens" "hey Maggie." Blue: "You picked up the phone and called a one-star reviewer?"

Bar: Yes! I was genuinely curious why she gave us that rating, and if there was something we could do about it.

Bar: She told us she was super excited to try it, but ended up disappointed with the texture after cooking.

Bar: So I gave her some pointers. Because it's gluten free, you can't always cook it the same way as regular couscous. I told her to try again, and if she still wasn't happy — full refund.

Erin: and…?

Bar: She’s actually one of our biggest fans now.

Erin: 🤌🤌🤌

Erin: Well Bar, this has been a ride. Thank you for the stories. Before you go, I heard there's some big personal news?

Bar: That’s right! I just left my role at KnoCommerce on April 1st to go full-time on Boostcous. It felt like the right call after watching the response over the past few months.

Erin: From side hustle to all-in, love to see it. Good luck 🚀

Bar: 🙏