Kanyarat Naovaratanasopon knows what suffering looks like. A decade ago, she had to sit and watch her mother lying quietly on a hospital bed, day after day. While her mother underwent chemotherapy and radiation, Kanyarat could only look on, powerless to stop the creeping colon cancer.
Seeing the disease cause unthinkable pain and, ultimately, the premature death of her mother motivated Kanyarat to learn anything and everything she could to help herself and others live longer, happier, and healthier lives. On her journey of learning, Kanyarat discovered the importance of natural remedies, such as practicing meditation and eating organic foods, as well as a little known mushroom with a host of potential benefits.
Red reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma Lucidum) grow naturally in East Asia and have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. When Kanyarat started consuming the mushrooms, her health improved and the allergies she had suffered from for years went away. She became a believer in the power of the mushrooms, but there was a problem: they taste bad and must be consumed only in appropriate amounts.
Excited about the potential of red reishi to benefit others, Kanyarat joined hands with Nisa Pholpanich to create a safe, easily consumable capsule filled with the mushroom’s natural nutrients. Their premium product quickly found a home in Thailand’s niche market for healthy foods, and so the duo continued looking for new ways to make it easy for people to improve their health. Their search led to them to develop a red reishi extract that can be added to coffee and lattes, making these everyday beverages healthier and tastier.
“We love to see people change their behaviors,” Kanyarat said. “We do not like to see people spend their lives without healthy or nutritious food.”
After building a sustainable business in Thailand, Kanyarat and Nisa decided that it was time to help others outside their homeland too. However, they didn’t know much about entering new markets. Like their search for healthy foods, they soon were looking for solutions to expand their reach.
Their search led them to join Kenan’s Born Global workshop, a training designed specifically to help Thai small businesses sell their products globally. Kenan’s experts and successful entrepreneurs shared essential knowledge in using e-commerce platforms, digital marketing, and logistics that small business owners can use to export their goods.
Encouraged by what they learned from Kenan’s workshop, Kanyarat and Nisa are now focused on selling their products in nearby Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Kanyarat remains committed to helping as many people as possible, and so she dreams of taking her GanO KA brand as far as Europe and the United States.
Tragedies leave many people frozen, unable to move forward. Kanyarat, though, used a tragedy to fuel her passion for helping others. After all, she says the best gift you can give someone is the ability “live long with those they love, with good health and full of happiness.”
If you are inspired by Kanyarat’s journey, please share this story with your friends and family.
