But currants were already growing wild across the northern United States. And breeders had long ago developed new strains of currants and pines that were immune to blister rust. The feds lifted their ban in 1966, but as of the 21st century, 12 states still had restrictions on the books. Among them was New York.
Quinn went to Albany, the state capital, and began knocking on doors. He returned once a week, walking the halls, leaving his business cards, and begging for appointments. But he made little headway—until one day, a Wall Street Journal reporter interviewed him for a story. After it ran, state senator Bill Larkin's office called to invite Quinn to Albany. Six months later, both houses unanimously passed a law allowing currant farming.
Quinn ordered seedlings from Canada and started planting. Now he just had to introduce America to the currant. Because of its strong, sharp flavor, the black currant was nearly always processed rather than eaten as a fruit. Juice seemed like the best option for reaching the most customers. The British product Ribena already did $200 million a year in the United Kingdom and Ireland alone and another $58 million worldwide. The pomegranate was showing the way in U.S. grocery stores, and açaí, a berry out of Brazil, was starting to hit shelves too. Neither was as high in antioxidants as the black currant.
Quinn started importing black currant juice concentrate to kick-start the market. Working with New Zealand growers, he combined varieties to develop a bottled concentrate called CurrantC. Now into its fourth year, CurrantC is making money.
Down the road, Quinn would like to fund studies and clinical trials to look deeper into all the health benefits—real, rumored, and legendary—of the black currant. "It's a big deal in the world," he says, "a super-fruit. I've got to keep spreading the word here. It's just too good to keep it a secret."
Getting Ahead with Greg Quinn
Q: How has your background helped your business?
A: I spent nine months visiting all the farmers in countries with the largest currant growers. The languages I learned in the Army came in handy. I do business in Poland. My Czech is close enough that I can stumble through, and it's improving.
Q: What wisdom would you share with aspiring entrepreneurs?
A: Entrepreneurs see opportunities where others see problems. We're willing, even eager, to take risks and are generally more passionate about what we believe in. The single biggest problem is that we are often terrible when it comes to counting paper clips or managing people. I would strongly suggest delegating the day-to-day management to the best people as soon as the venture is up and running.
Q: What's the best advice you've ever received?
A: What I hear every time I fly: "Put the oxygen mask on yourself before you help anyone else." You can't help anyone if you yourself are struggling.
Q: Any tips for finding distributors for a brand-new product?
A: It takes a great product with a good story and a tremendous amount of shoe leather and hard work. Once we had our nectar in the bottle, we literally took it around in the trunk of the car calling on individual stores. When we had enough stores under our belt and some track record, we moved to the next level: taking it to larger chains and distributors and so on and so on.
Q: Do you have a business philosophy?
A: From an entrepreneurial standpoint, if you're not passionate about an idea, don't waste your time. There are too many other good ideas out there.
Q: How do you spend your downtime?
A: My favorite things are turning wooden bowls, fly-fishing, cooking, and gardening. When you're starting a new company, however, these often take a backseat.
Q: Did you ever worry that things wouldn't work out?
A: I'm more cognizant about what a failure will do to my employees and my family than to myself. The fear of failure is what drives me to succeed.
译文:
果汁事业成功的背后（下）【读者文摘】----tinazhu版
接Shaunna的上部分：果汁事业成功的背后（上）
然而醋栗在北美已经开始疯狂生长。而且在很久以前种植者们就研制出了醋栗和松树可以抗松锈病的新品种。联邦政府早在1966年就解除了对种植醋栗的禁令，但到21世纪，有12个国家仍然有书面限制。纽约是其中之一。
奎因到纽约的首府奥尔巴尼，开始到处走访。他每个星期回去一次，在各个会堂间游走穿梭，递名片，请求会见，但没取得什么进展----直到有一天，一位《华尔街日报》的记者采访了他，让他叙说自己的故事。这篇访问发表后，州参议员比尔·拉金的办公室打电话邀请奎因去奥尔巴尼。六个月以后，两个议院都一致同意允许醋栗的种植合法化。
奎因从加拿大订购幼苗，然后开始耕种。接下来他只需让美国与醋栗相互认识。因为醋栗强劲刺激的味道，它不能纯粹当水果食用，而总是进行加工。而果汁是为大部分客人接受的最好的选择。英国生产的利宾纳每年收入达20亿，而单是爱尔兰就能另外获利5.8亿。石榴进驻美国的商店起到很好的带头作用，而阿萨伊果，巴西的一种草莓，也开始热卖。而两者都没有醋栗这么富含抗氧化剂。
奎因开始进口醋栗浓缩果汁来带动市场。他与新西兰的种植者们合作，结合多样品种，研制出了浓缩果汁----醋栗C。现在迎来它诞生的第四年，醋栗C一直收益不菲。
将来的某一天，奎因想投资对醋栗进行研究和临床试验，深入发掘它对人体健康的益处：或真实或传说或神奇式的作用。他说：“它在世界上是一个真实的存在，是一种‘超级水果’。我要在这里继续宣扬这个名字。因为它太值得让全世界知道，而不是默默无闻。”
与葛瑞格·奎因一起前进
问: 您过去的经历在事业中起到怎样的作用呢？
答: 我花了九个月的世界，去拜访那些最多醋栗种植者的国家的农民们。我在部队当兵时学到的语言派上了用场。我在波兰经商，而我的捷克语接近当地语言，所以我能勉强结巴着说出来，现在不断进步中。
问: 您有什么金玉良言送给有抱负的创业者们吗？
答: 别人只看到困难的时候，创业者看到的应该是商机。我们愿意，甚至是渴望去冒一些风险。而且我们通常对我们相信的东西更具热情。最大的唯一的问题是我们常常为数回形针或是管理员工这样的事而头痛不已。我强烈建议在风险已经开始时，尽快把日常管理委派给最有能力的人做。
问: 您听到的最好的建议是什么？
答: 每次我听到的时候我都能变得思维开阔：“在解救别人之前，自己先带上氧气面罩。”自身难保的时候，你没法帮助别人。
问: 为新的品牌产品找经销商的时候，您有什么建议吗？
答: 这需要非常棒的产品，非常棒的故事和大量皮鞋（因为要走很多路），以及艰苦的工作。一旦我们有了琼浆玉液，我们就放进汽车箱中，走访一家家的商店。当我们有了足够的商店愿意与我们合作，当我们创下一定业绩时，我们就进行下一个阶段：推销给更大的连锁店和经销商们，等等等等。
问:您有一套经商哲学吗？
答: 从创业者的角度来说，如果你对一个想法没有足够的热情，不要浪费时间。还有其他很多好的主意等着你。
问: 您如何打发业余时间？
答: 我的爱好有旋转木碗，钓鱼，烹饪和园艺。然而当你建立一个新公司的时候，这些都被抛诸脑后了。
问: 您有担心过事情会不顺利吗？
答:我更敏感的是失败对给我的员工和家人（而不是我自己）带来的坏处。对失败的恐惧促使我成功。
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