“I didn’t really know exactly what I was looking at, but somehow and now I can say in hindsight—I got the chance in the 90s to look at the future.”

—Neil on discovering stick packs in Japan

Some innovations arrive with a bang. Others quietly sneak up on you, disguised as a cocoa packet on a grocery shelf in a new country.

In the early 1990s, I found myself wandering a grocery store in Japan. I was jetlagged, curious, and (as usual) appreciating the wildly different packaging styles. What I saw would eventually change the course of our business. But I didn’t know that yet.

“It was exhilarating in a way I can’t even really put into words… It was the aisles of my dreams.”

The shelves of convenience stores and grocery stores were lined with packets: cocoa, tea, and coffee. They were sleek little stick packs I’d never seen before. They weren’t flashy, but they were smart. Efficient. While I didn’t fully understand the possibilities, I remember thinking: “This is the future.”

From 1992 onwards, I returned to Japan a few times. I’d walk those aisles and file away the inspiration. There wasn’t yet a business case, but something stuck.

Come 1996, something shifted. We had clients representing forward-thinking brands. Our relationships were strong. They began asking for innovation in single-serve, and not just sachets. They wanted cleaner, more portable, more modern.

The dots began to connect.

We formed a relationship with Sanko, the Japanese company that invented stick packaging. We brought the technology to the United States. Then we took a risk: we invested our own capital into production equipment so our brand clients could test the format without needing to sink a ton of capital.

“Some clients said, ‘We won’t move forward unless we have a U.S.-based partner to commercialize this with us.’ That became us.”

Soon after, one of our client’s teams came up with a phrase, and it changed everything. “Wake up your water.”

The tagline went viral (well, viral by 90s standards). The product took off. What started as a long-shot trip to Japan became a defining inflection point for T.H.E.M.

Looking back, I realize how fortunate we were to be paying attention. The aisles of my dreams weren’t just filled with cool packaging. They held a glimpse of what American consumers would come to demand: clean, portable, portion-controlled products that travel well, feel premium, and create brand value.

It all started with a quiet moment of curiosity.

Why does this matter to our customers?

At T.H.E.M., we go beyond filling orders. We help our clients spot opportunities and scale them with precision.

Stick packs are just one chapter of the story. They capture what we stand for: global perspective, long-term partnerships, and the ability to lead when the map hasn’t been drawn yet.

I told this full story — and a few others — on the Growing Up B2B podcast. If you want the behind-the-scenes version, listen to my episode on the Growing Up B2B podcast. Click here to tune in on Spotify.

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