Rising Stars: Meet John Zortman

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Zortman. 

Hi John, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a retired Nuclear Pharmaceutical Chemist who grew tired of Big Pharma and decided to leave the profession about 20 years ago after my daughters had completed their schooling, were out of the home and on their own. I really wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do at that time, but I had confidence (that helps) in my abilities, so I moved to Colorado and set out doing some carpentry and teaching. I retired eight years later and boredom took over immediately. I spent most of my first month playing internet poker and actually got pretty good at it. Something was missing! Little did I know it would be a ripe, juicy REAL tomato! 

Tomatoes! I was sitting around one day and had a craving for a BLT (bacon, lettuce & tomato) sandwich for my lunch. Hmm, the tomato was missing. I went to the local food store in search of a nice big, delicious tomato to satisfy my craving. Much to my dismay, I could not find a REAL tomato! I was taught as a child how to discern a good tomato from a bad tomato and grew tomatoes in my gardens. It pissed me off that I could not find a REAL tomato. I thought Big Food is doing to our food supply what Big Pharma has been doing to our medicines. I spent the next day and a half driving through the Denver area looking for the REAL tomato! I went to all the Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, and a few mom and pops! Twenty-six stores in all … in a 90-mile stretch … and … not a single REAL tomato. In my own way, I thought this is unacceptable! Seriously! 

I spent the whole next day and a half calling all the Vegetable Growers Associations in all the states surrounding Colorado. No REAL tomatoes until … a breath of fresh air … I called the Missouri Vegetable Growers Association and by this time, I am asking, ‘Do you have any REAL tomatoes over there?’ A man answered the phone and said, ‘Get over here!’, then he hung up the phone. I got in my car, drove 930 miles one-way, and got there just about the time he was opening his vegetable business. Come to find out he was Amish and didn’t like talking on the phone. I have Amish roots and we were able to chat about his tomatoes and I understood his dislike for telephones. I bought 10 cases of his perfect and delicious tomatoes and spent the next 3 days on the corner of 75th and Broadway in Boulder, Colorado trying to sell REAL tomatoes! I only sold a case and a half in 3 days so I found a farmers’ market on Pearl St downtown in Denver to sell on Sunday mornings. I sold out in 30 minutes! People loved the REAL tomatoes! My journey for the next 12 years had started. 

I spent the summers in the Denver area for the next several years peddling Amish tomatoes and some of my proprietary goods, my body products, during the summers until POT became legal. After that, finding a place to live was nearly impossible. My last rental place had paper-thin walls and I decided that was enough of the Denver market scene. During the rest of the year, I started growing tomatoes at my newfound home in Goodyear, AZ. When I was in Denver, Kim (wife) would fly in every 2 weeks and we would travel to Missouri and sell tomatoes together. It was a great bonding experience for the both of us and we still talk about it. In fact, recently I bought her a ‘Tomato’ ring she had specially designed. 

Thus began the transition from Denver to Goodyear, AZ and my continuance of selling tomatoes. Only this time, I was growing my own and selling them at local farmers’ markets. It was working well for a while until I realized that I could not keep up. I started to buy tomatoes on the side and eventually, the business action from that took hold of all my growing activities. I could not keep up with both entities. I also began to sell organic, GMO-free, and locally grown produce of all kinds. My produce business went from selling out of one canopy to 32 canopies. I became the biggest in the state and the market I sold most of it at became the 5th best in the country. 

Next was a logical transition of all this. I would have herbs and such leftover from incomplete sales of perishable goods. We came up with the idea to purchase a dehydrator so we could co-market the herbal perishables in their powdered forms. It worked splendidly. Sales of the powdered herbs went very well with all these fruits and vegetables being present in abundance. I was in the habit of making fresh smoothies almost every morning and I naturally started to use the powdered forms of ginger and turmeric in my smoothies and looked forward to the benefits associated with these wonderful herbs. However, I was disappointed in the results. I was expecting a big energy boost, clearance of liver bile acid buildup, super anti-inflammatory effects, as well as phenomenal abdominal results. The powdered forms of pure organic ginger and turmeric were not doing much for me. With my background being what it is, it was time for a little more research. 

Voila’ 

GeT RAW!! It’s a potent antioxidant blend made with all organic ingredients. Why RAW? The active constituents of ginger and turmeric are reduced in powdered forms. RAW forms of ginger and turmeric are 250 to 300 times more bioavailable in the human body. Add a very small amount of pepper, now the absorption of turmeric is enhanced 2,000 to 3,000%. Serving size is a shotglassful, but in reality, it varies because everyone has different levels of inflammation, etc. Medically documented written benefits are numerous: Inflammation, Digestion, Immunity, Cognition, Anticancer, Antiarthritic, Hangovers, Cardioprotective, Liver Toxicity, Antimicrobial, Antidepressant, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Flatulence. Thus, our motto is GeT Healthy, GeT Well … GeT RAW the organic wellness shot. 

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?
I wouldn’t say it has been a rough road. I knew ahead of time what to expect and to be honest, we are still traveling through our journey … destiny. It does, however, consume a lot of energy and time. That is probably the most difficult thing to adjust to. I did not expect it to be easy. During the pandemic, supplies are the biggest issue, especially bottles. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a retired Nuclear Pharmaceutical Chemist. I left my profession almost 20 years ago to open new horizons and move on from the medical arena. I was fed up with the poisons and the $$ non$en$e. It just became too hard watching people decide between life … and, broke … and, even death. I ended up being about organics and using plant-based products to make our living easier and healthier. I think that’s also what I am most proud of; staying true to my convictions and still trying to help others make healthy choices in what might be considered everyday products. My products are all plant-based which is what I think separates me from many other manufacturers. Most, but not all, are edible (in small quantities). So, I’ve adopted the saying, ‘If you can’t eat it … don’t wear it!’ 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Without a doubt, the most credit goes to my wife, Kim who has stood by me through thick and thin. She goes the extra mile to see that I do not leave any stones unturned or to give praise when I have lost some mindfulness. Then I would say a few family members and some of my old employees who have been standing by and helping when needed. This all gives me a great feeling of warmth and gratitude. There is no doubt in my mind that I could do what I do and do it alone. These people all help me from start to finish 

Pricing:

• GeT RAW Shots 50 mL $3 ea or 2 for $5
• GeT RAW Pints 473 mL $15 ea
• GeT RAW Quarts 960 mL $25 ea
• GeT RAW Half Gallon 1893 mL $45 ea
• Bulk pricing up to 50% off

Contact Info:

• Email: kjjoy49@yahoo.com
• Website: www.getrawshots.com or johnsamishcountry.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/johnsamishcountry
• Other: https://get-raw-by-johns-amish.myshopify.com

Image Credits
Larry Hart