Please take a moment to introduce yourself. Who are you and who is your team (if you have one) where are you based?

I’m Chris Templeton from Bothell, Washington! As of right now, Templeton Tonics is a one man operation; I run every aspect of the business from the creative process to making the products to shipping to customer service to social media and marketing. It’s a lot, but I love what I do.

How and when did you get started brewing your own products?

I just hit the three year anniversary of running Templeton Tonics last week! It’s crazy how quickly the time has flown by. I got interested in homebrewed pomades shortly after I graduated high school. It wasn’t long before I’d collected 50+ jars of product and become completely obsessed. I started paying attention to the ingredients that were in my favorite products and researching what these ingredients did that made the products so special. Eventually, I thought I had an opportunity to make a better hair tonic than what was available on the market at the time, so I started Templeton Tonics. What originally was a passion-hobby has transformed into my way of life!

What’s behind the name?

My grandpa owned his own barbershop after he got back from serving in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II. I wanted to pay tribute to his story and my heritage by keeping Templeton in the name for my brand. Plus, let’s be honest… it’s a pretty unique last name.

If you had to choose a ‘hero’ product/s from your line which would you say it is and why?

I’m proud of everything I’ve had the luxury to create, but I’m most proud of my Oasis Clay. It’s the product that has given me the most trouble, but it’s been incredible to see so many people absolutely fall in love with something I’ve poured my heart and soul into.

If you had any advice for budding home brewers who are interested in making their own products what would it be?

Always try to remember how much you loved pomade in the early days of the business. As your business grows, you’ll experience “growing pains” (taxes, formulation issues, wasted product, insane requests and expectations, etc.) but if you really love what you do, you’ll learn and adapt and eventually, those growing pains will be something you can deal with easily!

If not answered above, what are some of the challenges of being an independent brewer that the average consumer may not be aware of?

Your average homebrewer (myself included) doesn’t have a chemistry degree. When a formula gives you issues and I don’t know why it’s sometimes just guesswork trying to figure out why it worked before and suddenly started giving you issues. Everything factors into it. Temperature, humidity, ingredient suppliers, brewing equipment. It’s an incredibly complicated process that seems simple from the outside.

How important is packaging/labeling?

I’ve always looked at packaging as being a really important step in standing out from all the competition out there, but it goes beyond that. I’m really proud of my products and I want to show that with what my products look like aesthetically. Plus I spend so much time looking at these products every day, they might as well look pretty!

What can we expect from Templeton Tonics in the future?

I’ve got a bunch of products (permanent additions to my lineup and limited edition releases) planned for release in the next 3-4 months! My main goal right now is to get my Summit Pomade reformulation finished. I’ve learned so much about brewing since when I first released it and I know I can make it even better than it was initially. There’s way more that I’ve got in store, but I’ll keep the people waiting a bit longer for that info.

What do you do when you’re not working on Templeton Tonics?

I’m a huge hiking enthusiast. I go on a new hike every weekend and it’s been an incredible way to clear my head and destress from the long week of work. Aside from that, I’m constantly watching podcasts like Joe Rogan Experience, Your Mom’s House, and This Past Weekend. Those people’s success is so inspiring to me, and I love learning new things from them.

Thanks Chris!

Be sure to check out all of the great Templeton Tonics products available on our site here.