#074: Brent Laffey - Armada Nutrition History & Manufacturing Expansion

Nov 1, 2022

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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/brent-laffey-armada-nutrition-074

Brent Laffey of Armada Nutrition — a premier contract supplement manufacturer — re-joins the PricePlow Podcast to talk about Armada’s expansion. Armada is well-known for producing some of the world’s most popular supplements in their highly-acclaimed Tennessee facility, but now they’re expanding with an even larger facility in Salt Lake City, Utah.

We bring Brent onto the show to talk about Armada’s history, its other closely-related businesses (such as Prinova of the NAGASE group), supplement technologies such as blending, and the extraordinary amount of testing Armada performs on the products they produce. Then we get into the Utah expansion, which marks a major upgrade in the company’s capabilities and throughput. Along the way, you’ll learn about flavor technology, industry careers, and even types of dairy used in different whey proteins.

This is an incredibly informative episode for any supplement user or entrepeneur, highlighting how to do things the right way — a stark difference from episode #027, where we last invited Brent on the podcast to discuss the ABH Pharma indictment / scandal. The Armada way is clearly the better way.

Video Version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BRas9xHiKM

Show Notes: The History and Future of Armada Nutrition

(0:00) – Introductions
(1:00) – Discussion of Brent’s background
(3:50) – Founding Armada Nutrition
(4:40) – Scaling Armada in Tennessee
(6:30) – Focusing on flavoring
(7:26) – Buying the Capstone facility after the MusclePharm blow-up
(9:32) – Industry Transparency
(12:40) – Prinova’s Flavoring
(14:30) – Exclusive flavors
(17:35) – Are brands moving to control their supply chains?
(19:50) – Armada’s new Utah facility
(21:28) – Does Armada have any job listings for entry-level positions?
(22:30) – Careers in Contract Manufacturing
(23:18) – Is humidity a factor when deciding on a location?
(23:58) – Utah facility details
(24:55) – Blending
(27:45) – The TikTok girl who sold supplements from a blender
(29:00) – How involved is Brent in flavor reviewing and tasting?
(32:50) – Blending – How do you avoid having hotspots in a scoop?
(34:50) – Rauwolfia Example – How to spread very small doses?
(37:00) – Where do the carbs come from in a lot of these products?
(39:00) – How many lab tests are performed on a standard pre-workout supplement?
(39:53) – Armada’s third party lab
(40:30) – Will Brent lab test some mayonnaise for Mike?
(42:15) – At what point does a batch fail a test?
(44:55) – Do you ever mix batches of protein?
(47:11) – Up and coming brands
(49:13) – Mega-Scoop Formulas?
(52:38) – Vertical integration for Armada?
(54:39) – Armada’s own Trademarked ingredients?
(57:25) – Wrapping up, farewells
(58:04) – Carbon Culture Gym