In 1996, Matt Boldt quit his job as an Engineer to launch SAN Nutrition, a company based in Southern California, after recognizing an unmet market opportunity to introduce new supplements to enhance health and athletic performance. As the company has grown to sell products around the globe, Coupang is proud to serve as SAN Nutrition’s largest sales channel in Korea.
As an amateur competitive body builder during college, Matt was frustrated by the limited range of ergogenic aids available at the time. After graduating, he consulted for a sports supplement company and contributed to Ironman Magazine’s in-house line of supplements. The experiences were invaluable for Matt as he learned essential industry insights and gained exposure to product development. Still, he recognized the market was underserved at the time.
“The founding of SAN was driven by a desire to address a market gap,” said Matt, who has served as SAN Nutrition’s Founder and CEO since day 1. “We identified products that were missing from the industry and saw an opportunity to be both creative and innovative. Our focus extended beyond just product development – we also actively engaged in custom synthesis processes and worked alongside manufacturing experts and formulators to bring new products to market.”
Matt was born in the U.S. but raised in Germany, so as he launched his business, his passion for athletics, his personal experience with the science of body building, and his global perspective were all strengths he leaned into. “The goal was always to go worldwide and not just solely focus on the domestic market.”
Today, the company he founded employs approximately 30 people made up of full-time and contract workers, and sells products around the world. He’s especially tuned into the partnership with Coupang, SAN Nutrition’s largest sales channel in South Korea accounting for approximately 75% of his company’s sales there. When asked what has enabled the type of success he sees with Coupang, he points to communication, transparency and being easy to work with.
“The transparent forecasts Coupang provides helps with our planning and goal setting. It’s very refreshing to see that in our industry because sometimes, you can be left in the dark and don’t know what type of demand is coming down the pike. With Coupang, the team has been very forthcoming and collaborative – even to the point of providing valuable input to introduce new packaging sizes, like our 1200 gram performance creatine, exclusive to Coupang in the Korean market.”
