As technology progressed, the food processing industry picked up the pace, and the market was flooded with numerous processed and ready-to-eat food items. While this proved to be an excellent option for the working millennials and the young population, very soon, the world realized how harmful it is to their health.
In recent days, internet penetration has made information available at the finger- tips of everyone. People started to look for healthy alternatives and were introduced to the food supplement market. As populations in the U.S., Europe, and Japan age, more and more people are looking for remedies to cure what ails them and elixirs to help them stay healthy well into their twilight years.
According to Leonard, the biggest mark they are going to make is with the Protein Sparkling Water Fizzique and 90′s throwback supplement brand STORM Lifestyles.
Consumers across regions have become more health-conscious, driving the growth of the dietary supplements market. In 2020, the dietary supplements market size was valued at USD 136.2 billion and projected to reach USD 204.7 billion by 2026, recording a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period. The market for dietary supplements is increasingly driven by shifting consumer preferences, rising health awareness, the growing geriatric population, and the adoption of a healthy diet.
The growing positive outlook towards health and nutrition would positively impact the supplements market. And to ensure that there are enough products in the market to cater for the needs of consumers, companies like Supplement Group are playing a huge role by getting various brands onboard and offering a wide range of products for the customers. With this, they are ensuring a healthier tomorrow by creating and acquiring unique and sustainable health and wellness brands.
There are always new ingredients coming out in the industry that have great properties to support different aspects of fitness and just general health.
Leonard K. Armenta Jr., Founder & CEO of Supplement Group, was with the CEOViews team to speak to us about their approach towards this growing industry and collective vision.
The idea of getting into the supplement industry
When started in 2005, the supplement industry was still in its early stages. When asked about what inspired them to start a business in such a new vertical, Leonard K. Armenta Jr. replied saying, “I’ve been working in the Supplement/- Functional Food industry for more than 20 years, and I’ve been able to build many companies, including MusclePharm. Things began to rapidly expand in June of 2020 when I met my business partner David Lovatt, and we acquired SINFIT Nutrition. In the short span of two years, we have acquired or started from scratch 14 different companies. We both have so many ideas for brands and what’s lacking in the marketplace”.
It’s their passion for fitness and creating better products that is keeping them going. They now have different product ranges for all kinds of people and health/fitness routines.
Journey of building a mark in the industry
As described by Leonard, things happened a lot quicker than everyone thought they would in the case of Supplement Group. They had a plan of how they wanted to build the company, stuck to it, and thus far, their goal is coming to fruition. People at Supplement Group knew they wanted to create an extensive repertoire of products to offer to our customers that were from different brands and serviced many areas of the industry. According to Leonard, the biggest mark they are going to make is with the Protein Sparkling Water Fizzique and 90’s throwback supplement brand STORM Lifestyles.
Tenacity for consistent performance
It is not every day that companies start their operations and conquer the market immediately. The hardship associated with that is tremendous and it is not possible to perform consistently for a long time. The tenacity required to be at that level is very crucial.
Speaking more about the same Leonard said, “It’s important to do your research and know everything about competing brands and then go and make a better product with cleaner ingredients. High-quality products are an essential part of our reputation with our customers. It’s important to be unique and stand out from others, and I think we’ve really created that with our new sparkling water protein drink called Fizzique. There’s nothing like it on the market. This gives us an edge, and our customers expect only the best from us”.
Trends in the industry
There are always new ingredients coming out in the industry that have great properties to support different aspects of fitness and just general health. Supple Group stays on top of things by going to the best tradeshows for ingredients as well as having the best minds in the industry helping to create their products. They will always be looking to innovate and come out with the best, most efficacious products on the market. From a marketing standpoint, Supplement Group have a strong all women-led marketing and graphics team that is constantly challenging us to come up with new brands and looks to fit and be ahead of the trends in the marketplace. They see 90’s throwback branding more and more, and it’s a good feeling to know that the marketing team was the first to bring that trend into the supplement industry with the brand STORM Lifestyles.
Driving innovation within
To be the frontrunner in any business, it is important for businesses to keep their innovations coming. And for the supplement industry, it’s even crucial considering the competitors that are coming up. To counter this, Supplement Group has made it their motto to keep inventing their product range.
Explaining more on how they do it Leonard said, “For instance, our brand STORM Lifestyles started off as an idea in my head of where I wanted it to go and what I thought about it, but my marketing team thought they could take what I had wanted and make it even better. I turned my all-female marketing team loose, and they made the brand what it is today, which completely exceeded my expectations. We have a patent on our sparkling water protein drink called Fizzique. It’s something we are proud to have on the market and sets us apart from other competitors in the beverage industry. Our protein bars from SinFit are for everyone. We recently launched plant-based protein bars because it was something we noticed a demand for on the market”.
The work culture at Supplement Group
Working at Supplement Group has been like being with family. In fact, Leonard’s daughter Lexi is running several different brands. She developed the newest brand, STORM Lifestyles with her team to be a brand catching the eyes of the competitors. And people are contacting them daily to see how they can be a part of what they are doing.
Also their assistant Brand Manager, Hailey who is the daughter of SVP at Supplement Group. But one thing they will tell you is there is no favouritism. They treat everyone the same here and want to see everyone here succeed. As their CEO describes, “We are a family that wants to see the best for everyone. I would also like to mention that communication has been key in our success. We have employees who work outside of our home town and with the constant communication, we have been able to create an environment where everyone is heard and valued”.
Final remarks
Leonard feels that running a business is not a one-man show. They have hired the best in the business to work with Supplement Group to bring their companies to the forefront of the industry. They have experienced people who are known to build businesses to success and use their knowledge to help mentor our younger, newer employees. A saying in the company is “No Egos Allowed”. If you have an ego, you aren’t built to work with the company as they pride themselves on building each other up and in turn, making the business a success that everyone can be proud to be a part of. They are all willing to pitch in and help with every job in the company, and no one sees themselves above others. The company Founder and CEO, Leonard has made sure to create a culture of hard work, hard play and family.
At the moment Supplement Groups’ HQ is in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, but they have employees all over the US and in Europe. Their plan is to be in as many countries as possible with their brands. The group has the great US and international sales team that is making that happen for them.
