![First to market: Natural products pioneers reflect, look forward First to market: Natural products pioneers reflect, look forward](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt10215e3515f78bb0/64ff196fefe586085f05e200/ita-first-market-promo.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
In 1978, Bob and Charlee Moore opened Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods in Milwaukie, Oregon, and, by 1990, took the business nationwide. In 2008, Bob's Red Mill relocated to a larger space, increasing its gluten-free manufacturing facilities and expanding to more than 100 gluten-free products. Two years later, on his 81st birthday Bob announced that every employee would now be an employee-owner, through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that truly puts its "people before profit" mission into action. SRP: $4.99
Health advocate and pioneer Paul Bragg opened Bragg's Health Food Store in 1912, featuring branded products from sweeteners to supplements. Beyond its famous Apple Cider Vinegar, Bragg's product lineup today consists of a wide range of offerings including apple cider vinegar shots, olive oil, seasonings, salad dressings, beverages and more. Most recently, Bragg announced a line of Apple Cider Vinegar supplements. SRP: $2.79
Celestial Seasonings was founded in 1969, when a group of young entrepreneurs began harvesting wild herbs from the fields and forests of the Rocky Mountains and selling the teas in hand-sewn muslin bags. By 1979, two of the brand's flagship blends—Red Zinger and the bestselling Sleepytime—hit store shelves. Today, Celestial Seasonings offers a robust line of herbal, green, black, wellness and cold brew tea, made from more than 100 ingredients sourced from more than 35 countries. SRP: $3.29
Dr. Bronner's was founded in 1948 by Emmanuel Bronner, who used the labels on his ecological soaps to spread a message of unity for people of all religions and ethnicities. By 2003, it became the largest personal care company under the USDA's National Organic Program and achieved Fair Trade status four years later. Dr. Bronner's also instituted a set of progressive business practices: 5-to-1 compensation cap between the top salaried employee and lowest-wage warehouse position; 100% health coverage; and all profits not needed for business dedicated to progressive causes and charities. SRP: $5.49
Follow Your Heart began as a seven-seat soup, salad and sandwich counter in the back of a natural foods store in Southern California. When the founders realized their vegan mayonnaise was actually not-quite-vegan, they decided to make their own. The egg-free mayo launched an entire brand that now includes dairy-free vegan cheeses, salad dressings, yogurt and VeganEgg. In a nod to its roots, the Follow Your Heart Cafe and Market in Canoga Park, California, offers a full vegan menu and a fully stocked local and organic market. SRP: $6.99
Gaia Herbs was founded in 1987 to connect people, plants and planet, and has been certified organic since 1997. Each year, Gaia farmers produce more than 5 million individual plants, representing 45 different species of herbs. The soil on its 350-acre plot of land in western North Carolina is enriched with organic fertilizers and biodynamic compost. Its social impact program, the Gaia Roots Initiative, prioritizes Black, Indigenous and people of color in its social impact work, which includes grants, partnerships, advocacy, education and access. SRP: $14.99
Albert Lundberg committed to sustainable farming in 1937, and the tradition continues today with 168 certified organic, non-GMO products farmed, dried, stored, milled, manufactured, marketed and distributed from its California operation. A founding member of both the Non-GMO Project and California Certified Organic Farmers, Lundberg Family Farms' commitment to sustainability takes shape in a manufacturing facility fueled by 100% renewable solar and wind energy. The brand also earned TRUE Zero Waste certification, by diverting 99.7% of on-site waste from landfills. SRP: $3.99
Nature's Path was founded in Vancouver in 1985 and, over the past 35 years, has grown to become North America's largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company, boasting a product line of more than 150 cold cereals, granolas, hot oatmeal, waffles, bars and cookies. In 2010, Nature's Path became a founding member of the Non-GMO Project and, the following year, was the first in Canada to carry its label. SRP: $6.99
A family-owned company since 1968, NOW began as a health food store chain in Chicago and expanded to become one of the natural products industry's most recognizable brands with a product line of more than 1,400 dietary supplements, functional foods, sports nutrition and health and beauty products. Its dedication to sustainable sourcing, eco-friendly packaging, green facilities and community partnerships has earned it various accolades, and its charitable efforts span the globe. SRP: $29.99
Pamela Giusto-Sorrells, a third-generation baker, found herself packing up soy and rice cookies for customers with dietary restrictions in her family's bakery. In 1988, she decided to make it a company: Pamela's leveraged Giusto-Sorrells' skills to create delicious and satisfying baked goods for those with gluten sensitivity. Today, Pamela's provides gluten-free baking mixes, snacks, cookies and more. In 2020, the brand was acquired by Quinoa Corp. SRP: $7.99
Reviva Labs was founded in 1973 to offer safe and effective natural skin treatments that produce visible results at a reasonable price. Since the beginning, it has committed to being completely cruelty-free, and free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, mineral oil, petroleum and other harmful ingredients. Today, Reviva Lab products include anti-aging, brightening, defense, hydrating, specialty skincare and more. SRP: $42
In 1976, Rudi's Bakery (now Rudi's Rocky Mountain Bakery) opened in Boulder, Colorado, to offer nutritious, flavorful, preservative-free breads, rolls and buns. It started using organic ingredients in 1991 and participated in an organic certification program by 1998. Its gluten-free products hit shelves in 2010. Today, the brand is a leader in small-batch organic and gluten-free breads. SRP: $4.49
In 1980, after making from-scratch tempeh to share with friends and family, Seth Tibbott opened his own company in Forest Grove, Oregon. By 1995, Tofurky debuted its first Holiday Roast for a meat-free Thanksgiving, and the product line has since expanded to include Chick'n, deli slices, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, grounds, pockets, and the tempeh that started it all. As the company grows, it advocates for animal welfare and reinvests in a variety of environmental initiatives. SRP: $5.99
In 1980, after making from-scratch tempeh to share with friends and family, Seth Tibbott opened his own company in Forest Grove, Oregon. By 1995, Tofurky debuted its first Holiday Roast for a meat-free Thanksgiving, and the product line has since expanded to include Chick'n, deli slices, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, grounds, pockets, and the tempeh that started it all. As the company grows, it advocates for animal welfare and reinvests in a variety of environmental initiatives. SRP: $5.99
If you ask Celestial Seasonings general manager Tim Collins, it takes great vision to be the first of anything. It's what drove founder Mo Siegel to begin hand-picking botanicals at the company's headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, for its first teas, and it's why Albert and Frances Lundberg headed to California in 1937 to start farming rice in a way that leaves the land better, not barren. In 1948, Emmanuel Bronner printed his vision right on his product's label and, 40 years later, Pamela Giusto-Sorrells was one of the first to form an entire bakery brand for a gluten-free consumer base.
While the vision of these and other natural products pioneers persists today, the world around them has changed significantly. When Bronner founded his namesake soap company, he didn't have salespeople or advertising—he sold his wares by word of mouth, emphasizing his brand's commitment to advocacy, activism and product purity.
"When my grandfather started making our soap in 1948, most people were not interested in a simple ecological soap," says Michael Bronner, Dr. Bronner's president, "but rather wanted detergents made with all kinds of 'new and improved' chemicals." Same went for Pamela's a generation later, which earned a niche following before "gluten-free" became a household term.
"When my dad and uncles first started selling organic rice under the Lundberg name, it was to—in my Uncle Wendell's words—long-haired hippies who filled their VW buses with rice," says Grant Lundberg, CEO of Lundberg Family Farms. When Tofurky first hit shelves, there were very few brands catering to a plant-based lifestyle, says CEO and president Jamie Athos but, today, there's a plant-based alternative for practically everything as "flexitarians, curious carnivores and conscious consumers alike are turning to plant-based foods." As time went on, more and more people became interested in what the natural products industry had to offer.
Dramatic changes in the industry
As a result, the market has exploded. "The natural products industry is almost entirely new compared to 30 or 40 years ago," says Dan Richard, NOW Foods family owner and vice president of global sales and marketing. "I started at NOW full time when we had about 12 employees. We have approximately 1,500 today. That's the kind of dramatic change I see internally and externally as well for our entire industry."
Consumers are not only interested in natural products, but they also want to integrate them into their daily routines. This has been an opportunity at Bob's Red Mill, which introduces its classic, wholesome ingredients to new consumers with on-the-go offerings like bars and crackers, while staying loyal to its mission.
"We strongly believe that simple classics like whole grain oats and all-purpose baking flour will never go out of style," says founder Bob Moore, "so we make sure to keep those core items going strong, even as we're introducing exciting new products."
Competition has changed, too. At today's trade shows, big brands like Kraft and Coca-Cola market their natural acquisitions, and natural brands are "competing for shelf space with some of the biggest mainstream brands in the world at retailers like Walmart, Target and Kroger," says Chris Murphy, vice president of sales and marketing at Pamela's.
Over the years, natural industry mainstays have managed to set themselves apart with education and transparency. At Bragg, the company's mission to inspire and nourish healthy lives with time-tested products goes hand-in-hand with a responsibility to share wellness wisdom and credible, science-backed benefits. "Education has been at the core of our brand from the start," says Linda Boardman, Bragg CEO, as it has been for many natural products pioneers. It's in part how they've earned consumer trust and, subsequently, continue to earn their dollars at retail.
While the industry has experienced many milestones and turning points over the years—the creation of the National Organic Program and the passage of Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) come to mind—Boardman believes we're in the midst of another watershed moment with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the past year, consumers sought health and wellness solutions to boost their immunity, but also had the time to learn about and prioritize daily wellness.
"Individuals are going to want to keep these wellness routines in place and ensure that their health remains at the forefront of their daily priorities," Boardman says, and natural brands must be ready with innovative products to help consumers meet these newfound goals.
Bronner believes that socially conscious consumption also represents the future of the natural industry, as consumers realize the impact their dollars have on the potential for a better and more equitable world.
"Climate change and plastic pollution are reaching critical limits right now, so people are waking up to the fact that change must happen soon before we pass the point of no return," he says.
The question remains: How will natural brands differentiate on the shelf in the coming years? If you ask Athos, natural and plant-based products will find a home among their conventional counterparts, welcoming new consumers into the category with products that are comfortable and familiar. For Richard, the key also remains in prioritizing the independent natural food stores that supported the industry in its earliest days.
"The independent store will need to sharpen unique offerings to keep customers coming back to stores," he says. "The natural products industry should continue to grow and needs to differentiate itself from mass offerings. Quality is the main thing that needs to be the top priority."
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