Two Long Island rock-and-rollers have created a new dietary supplement they say will revolutionize the market and to prove the point, they’re offering up the guitar of a well-known rock star to one lucky customer of the Whole Foods Market of Jericho this month.
To the uninitiated, a bag of Rockin’ Wellness Total Body Nutrition Shake powder might come across as yet another newcomer in the over-crowded whey protein market. But according to co-creator Seth Luker, Rockin’ Wellness is not a protein at all, but a blend of beans, seeds, vegetables, fruits and leaves, taking the form of a vital energy nutrition shake.
“What we want to do is make our brand a force to be reckoned with. We feel we’re bringing something new to the table,” he said. “It’s vegan, it’s gluten-free, it’s non-GMO and it tastes really good.”
Luker, originally from Texas but now residing in East Quogue, was formerly a rock music tour manager until two bouts with cancer—both successfully conquered—caused him to re-evaluate his life and take it in a different, healthier direction.
“I battled colon cancer when I was 27 and again at 30. I overcame tremendous odds, but I’ve been cancer-free for eight years now,” he said. “I was making poor health choices and I needed to make a change.”
The impetus for that change came when Luker met Hicksville resident and fellow Rockin’ Wellness co-founder Mike Wall, who was also in the music industry at the time and actually suffering with his one health issues as well.
“Seth has his own issues and I had a progressive muscle disease that I’d been dealing with for years,” he said. “We were talking about how we both adopted healthier lifestyles and how we were into health drinks. Rockin’ Wellness happened pretty organically from there.”
So far, there are three different products under the Rockin’ Wellness banner; a chocolate smoothie, a vanilla mocha swirl smoothie, and an energetic tea blend. They started out small, initially selling their product online as well as from a table located outside of the Whole Foods Market in Jericho. It wasn’t long before they developed quite a following, Luker said.
“We came and started our business right here at Whole Foods. We were out-selling everyone else outside all day long,” he said. “We became so popular while selling our product outside that we eventually started selling Rockin’ Wellness inside Whole Foods. It took two years to do that and now we’re officially the number one brand here at Whole Foods.”
As a promotion to celebrate this milestone, Rockin’ Wellness held a free contest at Whole Foods in Jericho through the end of June. In-store customers could fill out a raffle for a chance to win a slick, custom-made electric guitar designed, built and autographed by one of music’s biggest names—Mark Tremonti of the rock band Creed.
“Our passion is rock and roll and health and wellness. Why can’t we do them together?” Luker said. “So we got with our friend Mark Tremonti and he donated one of his guitars—a black PRS Tremonti Single-Cut, made by his own guitar company—for us to raffle off to celebrate becoming number one here in Jericho.”
Since finally getting a foothold in retail, Rockin’ Wellness has expanded rapidly. It’s currently available at Vitamin World in 450 of their stores nationwide, as well as numerous Whole Foods Markets in the northeast and other health food stores across the country.
One customer at Whole Foods was more than happy to attest to the positive impact Rockin’ Wellness can have on one’s lifestyle. Two years ago, Elmont resident Tom Firshing weighed almost 700 pounds, but through diet, exercise and a generous helping of Rockin’ Wellness, he said he has managed to lose nearly 388 pounds so far without having to resort to surgery.
“You have to hit the gym, you have to eat right and Rockin’ Wellness helps get you going,” he said. “It definitely supports weight loss, without a doubt. When you drink it, you’re already doing something better for yourself and replacing stuff that’s bad.”
To find out more, visit www.rockinwellness.com.
