The Story Behind the White Tub

Despite Riomax having grown to become a leading tub brand in North America, (the tub that pays for itself), there have been a few ranchers over the years who have asked for a cheaper option. They claim that they just can’t let themselves pay that Riomax upfront price, even if it is a low cost-per-head-per-day, and even if it does pay for itself…

So finally after much discussion we decided to explore the idea, as an addition to the Riomax range. We referred to it as the White Tub — an alternative to our current product. Less ingredients, lower levels, less science and technology built in…and less money upfront. Apparently, there were going to be people out there that would sacrifice results to scratch the “cheap upfront” itch. Fair enough.

So the development moved forward, and the White Tub went into production. In the days that followed, the reality of what that decision could mean for the men and women in ranching - our customers - started worry Duane Paskewitz, CEO of the company. In fact, it was a Saturday morning, just days after the White Tub was launched, that Duane messaged his business partner and brother-in-law, Trevor Greenfield. The message read something like this…

“Does it really line up with our purpose and line up with who we are?”

It was a great reality check for the owners who are unashamedly purpose-led, with every decision in the company is made through the lens of Rio’s purpose “Driving profitability back to rural North America” Four minutes later Trevor replied to Duane’s message. As usual, they were on in lock-step.

“Imagine if someone used that cheap tub and put good faith in us and then had scour issues or had conception rate issues…or didn’t save as much hay?” Trevor fretted out loud.

At Riomax, we’re not building tubs — we’re working with real livelihoods, and real families who depend on the profitability of their operation. It’s much bigger than business. It’s about being true to the people we serve; the rancher is at the heart of everything we do.

When it became clear that a cheaper tub wouldn’t align with our purpose, the decision was made. We wouldn’t move forward with the new product. The assurance of living true to our guiding principles was sweet, rewarding experience. “This just feels right”, the partners agreed to each other.

“We pivot ourselves around the people we serve. The rancher.”

For over two decades, that mindset has guided every product decision, every formulation, and every choice behind the scenes. “We’ve been doing it for 23 years, and we’re not about to quit anytime soon.”

And as we speak, the Riomax steam train just keeps chugging, delivering measurable, tangible results to the people we serve, the tub that truly pays for itself.

And  the White Tub? Well, it never did ever become a product, and we’re okay with that.