Dean Herkenrath has played sports all of his life. From basketball to weightlifting, Dean is obsessed with all things athletic. However, one sport has characterized his entire life: baseball.

The 18-year-old grew up in California and later moved to Idaho during his freshman year of high school. Through that transition, he used baseball to find his community. Sports, especially baseball, are his life, which is why he realized he wanted to take action against nicotine use in the sports world.

After seeing many baseball dugouts filled with players using nicotine pouches, Dean had an idea. Why not fill those pouches with something else? From there, Deckiez was born in 2022. Deckiez is a play on the term “upper or lower deck,”  like baseball but the meaning is to put a Deckiez caffeine pouch in one’s upper or lower cheek and gum. Deckiez is a play on the term “upper deck,” meaning to put a caffeine pouch in one’s upper lip.