7 years ago, when I was pregnant with my son Bear, I wanted a prenatal vitamin that aligned with my diet. I wanted to take a vitamin made from the same type of clean, nutritious foods that I ate daily. Turns out, this search was no simple task! I wanted something organic, vegan, and with no chemicals, but everything I found either had lots of chemicals, it wasn’t vegan, or it was food-based but wrapped in chemicals. I realized that if I wanted a truly great vitamin option, I was going to have to make it myself.
So, I went looking for a partner, and the stars aligned with Garden of Life, a certified B Corp with standout sustainability initiatives. Together, we created an entirely new kind of vitamin line that is Certified USDA Organic, non-GMO-verified, and free of synthetic binders and fillers. That’s right—made with whole foods and love! I am beyond thrilled we provide a truly healthy farm to vitamin for you.
When I started with Garden of Life they were part of a Canadian company called Atrium Innovations. But not too long afterward, Atrium was bought by a huge UK-based private equity fund. I was unaware of this acquisition as it is common practice that deals of this nature are not communicated within either organization involved until after they have been finalized. Regardless, I am happy to say our core values have not changed and our great products have not been compromised at all.
We’ve watched mega corporations purchase tons of small natural and organic brands over the last few years. I think it speaks to the fact that really big global food giants acknowledge the market shifting to companies that prize health, ethics, and sustainability. Acquisitions of companies like Kashi, Annie’s, Larabar, Tom’s of Maine, Cascadian Farms, Muir Glen, and Vega are a few that come to mind. In similar footsteps to these companies, the private equity fund sold Atrium (Garden of Life’s parent company) to Nestlé, and by default, took our baby mykind Organics line along for the ride. Again, I was also not part of that decision.
While I am not an expert on Nestlé, like many of you, I have my concerns. I am looking forward to meeting with Nestlé this month to discuss their business practices, learn about improvements they’ve made, and encourage them to go even further with their corporate social responsibility and sustainability. What I know for sure is mykind Organics will maintain its mission and what we deliver. I can promise you I am 100 percent actively involved in the creation of every one of mykind Organics products from beginning to end. I started the line because I wanted to bring the cleanest, healthiest, nutrition to people everywhere and that will not change! This brand is my brainchild, so as long as mykind Organics exists this standard will be executed.
Greg Behar, the CEO of Nestlé Health and Sciences, assured me that this new ownership will not compromise who we are and what we do. He commented, “We [Nestlé] love mykind Organics and don’t want to change anything about it.”
From our organic farmers to the Clean Tablet technology we invented to make these vitamins possible (using only organic plant material to bind our tablets) to our fresh approach to sweetening our gummies with only organic fruit, and using fruit pectin (made from organic oranges and apples) instead of pig gelatin, even our new ways of extracting our future herbals (on shelves fall 2018!) with water – not hexane or GMO ethanol! – and packaging with post-consumer recycled content, we are leaders in innovation and sustainability for farm-to-bottle vitamins.
I commend you for asking questions and for your passionate activism. I’m involved with the creation of these products from beginning to end and have full approval over the product so there will be no deviations and we will continue to provide transparent, traceable, whole food-based vitamins. Sit back and relax, I got you covered.
