ENCINITAS — Carson Bauer and Lana Lippe, two seniors at The Grauer School, have distinguished themselves as go-getters. While Bauer’s interest in business and pets differs from Lippe’s love of biology and the ocean, they have initiative and dedication in common.
Over the last three years, Bauer has launched and promoted a canine health supplement business called Furvor. He sells bone broth food toppers and nutrient chews to provide additional nutrients to pets’ diets. Furvor is number three on Amazon’s best-selling bone broth supplements.
Lippe has found a home in academia rather than business. She has volunteered with Project Kolika for four years, raised over $12,000 for mako shark research and recently went on a trip to Baja California, Mexico to study fin whales.
Leaders at the small college preparatory school in Encinitas, which serves grades 7 through 12, have applauded the two students for their endeavors.
“At The Grauer School, one of our core values is intellectual curiosity, and both Lana and Carson are exceptional examples of what happens when our students are given the space and the time to explore their personal interests while still being engaged in a rigorous college preparatory course of study,” Dana Abplanalp-Diggs, Head of School, said.
A passion for canine health
Bauer grew up with his active dogs Holly, a Bernese Mountain Dog, and Oakley, a Brittany Spaniel. He and his dad like to take them on long runs, but when they looked for ways to support the active lifestyle through their dogs’ nutrition, they came up empty.
“When we go on runs, we have all of our nutrition supplements to put in our drinks,” Bauer said. “Why is there nothing like that for dogs?”
He experimented with adding bone broth to his own dogs’ water and kibble and noticed a positive impact on their health and endurance.
Now, Furvor sells bone broth food toppers and chewable supplements that are gaining popularity nationwide.
“I got the mail one day and I received a postcard from someone in the Midwest, who had a service dog,” Bauer said. “It was a postcard saying how they got Furvor and how it’s really impacted their life in a positive way. We have that stapled up in our kitchen right now. It was just so awesome to see an actual impact, from something that I did, across the country.”
Bauer works closely with his father to run day-to-day operations and expand their customer base.
He said he finds a few hours after school to talk with his dad about what needs to get done, from promotions to community outreach. Bauer trained a service dog a few years ago and decided to donate one percent of Furvor’s annual sales to Next Step Service Dog and Good Dog! Service Canines.
His goal is to reach the top spot on Amazon’s pet supplement bestseller list.
“Seeing it in action, helping dogs, it just makes me want to put in more and more time,” he said.
Protecting ocean ecosystems
Lippe has always had a close relationship with the ocean and especially with marine life.
She knew she wanted to pursue marine biology when she was in fifth grade, when a doctoral student gave her a tour of Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
“When I was younger, every weekend during the summer, my family would go down to La Jolla Shores and snorkel with the leopard sharks,” she said. “La Jolla Shores is a breeding ground for female leopard sharks, so during some months, it’s hundreds that congregate there.”
Lippe’s passion for the ocean and conservation led her to local ocean conservation nonprofit Project Kolika. She started four years ago, helping with outreach and beach cleanups, and now serves as a research intern.
She was able to fundraise over $12,000 to help Project Kolika’s efforts to tag mako sharks on the Pacific coast. She also got to participate in the field work, actually going out to tag the sharks herself.
Lippe recalls jumping off of the research boat and being surrounded by swimming sharks.
This was quite different from her recent trip to Baja California, Mexico to study fin whales. After partaking in a UC San Diego summer course on marine biology with Professor Fernanda Urrutia, she was invited to spend three days studying the migration of fin whales.
Urrutia used Lippe’s photos to identify the fins on fin whales, which are unique to each one.
“I was the only person who had a camera that had the ability to take photos of fin whales because they’re super elusive,” Lippe said. “They’ll pop up once and go under for like 10 minutes.”
Lana sees her research as vital to ocean conservation, and she hopes the data gathered will help protect shark populations through new policies and regulations.
“Mako sharks are a keystone species, which means they’re a key indicator of the health of the ecosystem,” she said.
In addition to her work with Project Kolika, Lana volunteers regularly for beach cleanups in her community and has gotten her friends and family involved in conservation through her efforts.
“I feel like everyone has that innate love for the ocean and wants to help in some way,” she said.
