The PricePlow Podcast

Following Episode 133 with Lee Wright, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, we head back to the company’s 2024 Brand Summit in Dallas, TX to take a look behind the scenes with some key leaders on the formulation and regulatory side of the company. Inside the Vitamin Shoppe Brands Episode 134 of the PricePlow Podcast is a double feature — first, we talk to Senior Brand Manager, Tabitha Daley, and Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Brian Tanzer. After that, we patch in a conversation with Dustin Elliott, who was also Senior Brand Manager at the time of recording. In this episode, you’ll understand how The Vitamin Shoppe approaches formulation within their house brands, manages relationships with their third parties, and deals with regulatory concerns regarding dietary supplement ingredients. We learn a bit about PLNT, BodyTech Elite, and VThrive, three major parts of the Vitamin Shoppe’s strategy — these aren’t just traditional white label brands! https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/vitamin-shoppe-brands-134 Video: An Inside Look at The Vitamin Shoppe’s Brands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikO8FwxmngY Detailed Show Notes (0:00) – Introductions (3:00) – Vitamin Shoppe Summit (7:00) – New Ingredients (11:15) – PLNT (14:30) – Employee Insights (18:10) – Education (24:30) – Ozempic and the Supplement Industry (27:45) – Dustin Introduction (33:45) – Testosterone-Boosting Supplements (41:45) – Other Products (45:45) – Private Label Where to Find Brian, Tabitha, and The Vitamin Shoppe The Vitamin Shoppe Instagram: @VitaminShoppe LinkedIn: Brian Tanzer, Tabitha Daley Thanks again to The Vitamin Shoppe for hosting the 2024 Brand Summit, and for everybody’s time we were allowed to take up! Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your platform of choice, sign up for our Vitamin Shoppe blog alerts below, and leave us reviews on iTunes and Spotify!

Our coverage of the 2024 Vitamin Shoppe Brand Summit continues, following up with special guest Jocko Willink on episode #132. To get a better background on what the Brand Summit is all about, and the direction of The Vitamin Shoppe itself, we went straight to the source — the CEO himself: A Quick Discussion with Lee Wright, The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, has very quickly gained a tremendous amount of respect both within the company and in the dietary supplement industry at large. Reason being, he leads from the front and practices what he preaches. Prior to this podcast, Lee, who’s normally a modest and private man, gave a speech to the company detailing his own weight loss journey, and how The Vitamin Shoppe’s own products and employees have given him an edge. There may not be another major retail CEO who’s visited more stores in such a short amount of time, and he’s been able to figure out what the stores really need. A big part of it is continued education and training. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/lee-wright-vitamin-shoppe-133 Video: Lee Wright, The Vitamin Shoppe CEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wggd5rRQevc Detailed Show Notes (0:00) – Introductions (1:30) – The Vitamin Shoppe Brand Summit (2:30) – Lessons Learned from Lee’s Trips to Stores (6:15) – Is it Just “Widgets” in this Industry? (7:15) – Regulatory Concerns: Will Lee be Fighting in Washington DC? (9:00) – Learning the Brands and Getting into the Supplement Industry (12:00) – In-House Brand Development (14:00) – Closing out Show Notes to be continued… Where to Find Lee Wright and The Vitamin Shoppe LinkedIn: Lee Wright The Vitamin Shoppe Instagram: @VitaminShoppe Thanks again to Lee for your valuable time, especially with all of the other employees in town. We’re looking forward to the next meeting. You can subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform, sign up for our Vitamin Shoppe blog alerts below, and leave us a great review on iTunes and Spotify!

While at the 2024 Vitamin Shoppe Brand Summit, we were honored to have none other than Jocko Willink of Jocko Fuel on the PricePlow Podcast for Episode 132. Jocko Willink: Founding Jocko Fuel and Jocko’s Supplement Stack We had a quick discussion about the founding of Jocko Fuel, how they strive to do the right thing and formulate supplements in the safest way possible, and we get to hear Jocko’s entire supplement stack from start to finish. We also talk about some of the ongoing regulatory activities, and learn that Jocko is very well aware of some of the challenges that the industry faces. This is a great continuation from Episode #111 with Brian Littlefield, Jocko Fuel’s co-founder and formulator who hosted us in Maine late last summer. At 23 minutes, this is a short but powerful episode — you can understand the ethos of Jocko Fuel in just a few minutes of him talking. Just like Jocko himself, Jocko Fuel is the real deal. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/jocko-willink-132 Video: At The Vitamin Shoppe with Jocko Willink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLh1EmjoJaE Detailed Show Notes with Jocko (0:00) – Hot Mic! (0:20) – Introduction (1:00) – Being a Leader in Sports and Active Nutrition (1:15) – The founding of Jocko Fuel with Brian Littlefield (6:00) – Formulating Beyond Jocko’s Use (7:30) – No artificial sweeteners! (12:15) – Jocko Fuel Living in its Own World (14:45) – Jocko Fuel getting involved in regulatory challenges (17:00) – Jocko’s Supplement Stack (22:00) – Jocko Magnesium! (22:15) – Caffeine Before Jiu-Jitsu? Where to Find Jocko Willink and Jocko Fuel Jocko Willink Instagram: @JockoWillink Jocko Fuel Instagram: @JockoFuel Jocko Fuel on PricePlow: PricePlow.com/jocko-fuel Thanks again to Jocko for your valuable time. It was a pleasure talking with you both on and off camera! You can subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform, sign up for our Jocko Fuel news alerts on PricePlow, and leave us a great review on iTunes and Spotify!

For Episode #131 of the PricePlow Podcast, we sat down with Rob Rogers from Axcess Global, the parent company of Ketone Labs, Real Ketones, Vault, and many others. Ketone Labs is best known for selling goBHB, the patented exogenous BHB dietary supplement ingredient — which is the main topic of this podcast. Rob and his business partner Gary Millet recently marked their 10th anniversary working together. This was filmed on a morning before the doors of Expo West started, and Rob brings a strong message: goBHB is back on the Market! After a wild few years in the late 2010s, where BHB supplements were seemingly everywhere, things shifted with the new decade. This conversation dovetails into the end of Episode #106 with Mike McCandless, who had a BHB-based supplement company heading into pharmacies that was devastated in spring of 2020. Ketone Labs was forced to pull back on the sales of goBHB, taking this time to remove infringing products from the market. They never stopped conducting research, however, and sold BHB-based products in their Real Ketones brand. The big announcement here and at Expo West 2024 is that Ketone Labs has brought goBHB back into the market for other brands, and some incredible new applications outside of weight loss. Rob, Mike, and Ben get into Rob’s background, his sports career, the genesis story, and then talk about the incredible ways goBHB can be used in supplements for performance, nootropics, mood/stress relief, concussion prevention, and even sleep. We also learn a few things about the L-BHB isomer that is oft-neglected lately! https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/rob-rogers-131 Video: Talking BHB, Baseball, and Business with Rob Rogers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIEfaXbRPc Detailed Show Notes (0:00) – Introductions (7:15) – Startup Challenges: How to Harness BHB Before Keto Goes Big (13:45) – Brand Protection (21:30) – Ketone Mafia? (31:15) – Ketones Beyond Keto (38:00) – The Science Behind BHB (46:45) – Introduction to BHB (52:45) – BHB in an RTD (1:00:00) – BHB as Medicine and the Untapped L-Isomer?! (1:12:00) – Wrap Up Update: A follow-up episode on the research is live – listen to Episode #138 with Gary Millet! Where to Find Ketone Labs and Rob Rogers LinkedIn: Rob Rogers Ketone Labs Instagram: @KetoneLabs Real Ketones on PricePlow: https://www.priceplow.com/real-ketones Vault Energy on PricePlow: https://www.priceplow.com/vault Thanks for heading to our BNB and joining us early, Rob! Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on any platform, sign up for our Ketones Labs news alerts on PricePlow, and leave us a great review on iTunes and Spotify!

The supplement industry is abuzz with changes, and one of the biggest announcements has been the hiring of Aaron Heidebreicht as Applied Nutrition’s USA CEO. This brings with us a major shift to AN’s North American strategy, all covered in this podcast. Aaron Heidebreicht Joins Applied Nutrition to Take on The Americas This podcast was recorded early in the morning before Expo West, where we got to sit down with Aaron and dovetail quite a few storylines. Many of our listeners know Aaron from his appearances in Episode #097 at GNC and Episode #105 at The Vitamin Shoppe, which came with Kaged, where he was the chief commercial officer since late 2022. Applied Nutrition’s first foray into the American market was with All Black Everything, a brand named from Europe’s best-selling pre-workout supplement that shares the same name. To understand the original mission of the business, see our Episode #114 with TJ Humphreys, their previous CEO. Aaron’s job is to keep the ABE vision, but take it larger, bringing a whole new series of AN Performance supplements to North America… and far more! https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/aaron-heidebreicht-applied-nutrition-130 Video: Up and Early with Aaron Heidebreicht at Expo West 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm8joHE1aNw Detailed Show Notes: Applied Nutrition is Coming to the USA in a Big Way (0:52) – Applied Nutrition Background (1:34) – Applied Nutrition USA (2:54) – Applied Nutrition’s Vast Array of Products (4:18) – AN’s ABE Story Arc (6:18) – Aaron’s Transition From Kaged to Applied Nutrition? (7:05) – Aaron’s Journey (8:24) – Why Applied Nutrition? (11:35) – Who’s Aaron Bringing Over to AN? (12:38) – Why Not A Startup? (14:37) – AN’s North American Strategy (16:36) – Marketing Specifics (18:08) – Brand Ambassadors (19:45) – ABE’s Current Influencer Content (20:56) – ABE vs. AN, Building Brand Awareness (22:27) – Expanding On The ABE Nation Model (24:21) – The Untapped “Mature Nutrition” Market (25:30) – Strategies For Innovation (27:17) – The Growing Importance of Informed Sport (28:06) – AN’s New Branding vs. ABE Nation (31:13) – AN’s Unified Brand Strategy (33:16) – Myprotein As a Precedent For AN’s Strategy? (33:54) – Lessons Learned From Myprotein (36:25) – AN’s Strategic Priorities (38:19) – Mike’s Reflections on Aaron’s Career (38:54) – Upcoming Releases Where to Find Applied Nutrition and Aaron AN Instagram: @AppliedNutrition ABE Instagram: @ABENation LinkedIn: Aaron Heidebreicht ABE on PricePlow:… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

The industry is abuzz with changes, and one of the biggest realignments has happened down in Houston, TX, where Joey Savage (formerly of Glaxon) has started his own consulting firm, Savage Nutra. Joey Savage Launches Savage Nutra Consulting This podcast was recorded at the Arnold Sports Festival in early March 2024. At the time of recording, Joey had already announced his venture into consulting with Savage Nutra, so Mike and Ben dig deeper to see what he really wants to work on in his perfect world. The conversation is as wild and interesting as you’d think it would be, with a lot of discussion on novel probiotics, performance, the perfect stool, and crashing rockets into the firmament where water bears survive thanks to the carbohydrate trehalose. Joey’s not interested in making pre-workout after pre-workout, but if you’ve got an epic idea for him to work on, then he’s all ears. Only the most special projects will get the official Savage Nutra collab label, though. Note: Since recording this podcast, there have been updates to Joey’s employment situation, which are discussed in a disclaimer in the beginning of the show. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/joey-savage-nutra-129 Video: Mike, Ben, and Joey at the 2024 Arnold Sports Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAo1CBD5E4c (0:00) – Disclaimer – Joey is No Longer with Glaxon / Zero Day Nutrition (5:00) – Sponsored by Path Forward Formulator (5:45) – Interview With Joey Savage Begins (Savage Nutra Scoop) (7:00) – What About Glaxon? (7:45) – What Is Savage Nutra All About? Any Collabs (12:00) – Joey’s 5-Year Plan: Beyond Sports Nutrition and Ideal Projects? (14:00) – Joey’s Ideal Microbiome: The Human Trash Compactor (15:45) – More On the Microbiome (16:50) – Vulture Story Background and Vulture Power (19:00) – Joey’s Passion: Lots of bacteria! (21:45) – Importance of Protecting Intellectual Property (23:00) – Hordenine’s Legality (24:45) – Giving Back to the Industry (25:50) – Industry Ignorance (26:30) – How To Plan New Supplement Research (29:00) – Advantages of Probiotics and Real-World Precedents (30:00) – Next Research Step After Caco-2 (34:00) – Digital Biomarkers (35:40) – Cannabis and Melatonin (39:15) – BHB in beverages? (42:15) – Caffeine vs. BHB and BHB with Carbs? (49:30) – Tardigrades (53:45) – Carbs and electrolytes (56:45) – Potassium (1:00:35) – Potassium problems (1:03:15) – Fiber Fusion (1:07:00) – Fiber and psyllium husk (1:08:45) – Niacin and The Flush (1:14:00) – Niacin Pre-Workout and Reduced Performance (1:16:00) – Passing THC Tests? (1:20:15) – Cannabis enhancement supplement (1:23:30) – Microplastics (1:25:45) – Food source adaptation (1:28:00) – The state of the supplement industry (1:30:45) – A new generation of supplement industry leaders (1:35:00) – The regulatory battleground (1:41:30) – The danger of precedent Where to Find Joey Instagram: @SavageNutra LinkedIn:… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

Every year, the who’s who in the supplement industry make the pilgrimage to the famous Arnold Expo. It’s a hectic, buzzing environment that showcases all the industry has to offer for the year, and brands use it as an opportunity to commingle with industry leaders, athletes, and consumers. The Cage is Back, Baby! One element that has been sorely missed for the last several years was the Animal Cage, which we talked about with Jason Budsock from Animal on Episode #80 of the PricePlow Podcast. Well, the folks at Animal heard the people loud and clear. As we discussed in our article titled “Animal is Bringing THE CAGE Back for the 2024 Arnold Expo“, the famous booth has made a triumphant return after being bent since 2019. We can say with resounding confidence that the return of the Cage was the highlight of the event, and we had the opportunity to sit down with Jason at the main event. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/animal-cage-2024-128 Video: Animal Returns The Cage Back to the Arnold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5emwBonchJc Detailed Show Notes: Mike and Ben From the Cage (0:00) – Welcome back Animal Cage! (5:45) – Evolution of the Cage (9:00) – Athlete Partnerships (13:00) – Generational Shifts (17:30) – Creatine Tablets (20:45) – Massive Squats (24:45) – Rudy Joins! (30:00) – Individual Expression in the Cage Stay in touch with Animal: Instagram: @AnimalPak TikTok: @OfficialAnimalPak YouTube: YouTube.com/@animalpak LinkedIn: Jason B and Rudy Checo Thanks for having us in the Cage, Jason and Rudy! This was a great time. Until next time, subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform, and please leave us a great review!

This is the second of two new episodes with Dr. Cameron Sepah, founder and CEO of Maximus, and this is the one that everyone’s going to get excited about. Previously, we talked about the Maximus Blood Flow Protocol in Episode #124, but for Episode #127, we’re happy to announce a major update to the Maximus Testosterone Protocol: An Oral TRT Breakthrough: Maximus Combines the Best of Both Worlds This is a direct follow-up to episode #062, where Dr. Cam introduced Maximus and his testosterone-boosting drug (which does not shutdown the HTPA axis), enclomiphene. Enclomiphene works incredibly well (roughly 2x free and total testosterone), but what about those who want even more?! That generally means exogenous testosterone, whether it’s injectable or transdermal… but… Oral TRT + Enclomiphene = A Testosterone Win-Win Not anymore! By combining new oral TRT technologies with enclomiphene in the Maximus Testosterone Protocol, Dr. Cam and his team at Maximus have found the best of both worlds, a way to significantly increase testosterone without nearly as many side effects or shutdown consequences. It works more in line with the male body’s natural daily hormonal rhythms — meaning it’s non-suppressive! This one’s going to be a gamechanger, and we’re proud to be part of the announcement. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/oral-trt-maximus-dr-cameron-sepah-127 Video: Dr. Cameron Sepah Enhances Oral TRT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2YKsAttTUk Detailed Show Notes: The Maximus Oral TRT Breakthrough (0:00) – Introductions and the Big Announcement (3:15) – Catching up on Enclomiphene (8:00) – The Drawbacks of Traditional TRT (11:45) – How Oral TRT Works (22:09) – Retaining the hormonal rhythm (30:15) – Misconceptions about enclomiphene (41:25) – Administration mechanics – take with a fat source (48:00) – Metabolism of oral testosterone… when’s the peak? (55:00) – The process of transitioning from injectable to oral TRT (1:08:00) – Personalized approach to hormone therapy (1:15:15) – SHBG and IGF-1 (1:28:45) – Mike’s Hormone Panel (1:34:15) – Wrap Up Where to Follow Dr. Cam: Twitter: @DrCamRX Instagram: @DrCamMaximus Website: https://www.maximustribe.com Discord Community: https://discord.maximustribe.com Previous Podcasts with Dr. Cam: Episode #062: MAXIMUS: Testosterone Enhancement with Dr. Cameron Sepah Episode #070: The Maximus Lover Protocol: Dr. Cameron Sepah Boosts Libido (this one has been reformulated to what’s in the next episode) … Read more on the PricePlow Blog

It’s the story everyone’s been waiting for. James Boccuzzi joins The PricePlow Podcast to explain his side of the story in the 2019 Blackstone Labs indictments, where he was found guilty for conspiring to defraud the FDA and spent a bit over a year in prison after a 51-month sentence. James is now out, and came on to PricePlow to tell his side of the story and get re-settled into the supplement industry. James Boccuzzi: The Blackstone Labs Indictment and Prison Time “Boca James” first talks about his background, which includes employment at iForce Nutrition, USPLabs and more. But it’s the mania during the Blackstone Labs heyday that everyone’s here to listen to, and James explains the situation from his perspective as a salesman. It’s a long discussion with many worthy moments, including a cheerful story about how Aaron Singerman had him treated well in prison, likening it to “The Godfather” movie series. The most interesting part of this? James was the only one of six indicted who did not plead guilty. You’ll need to listen to the story – this apparently got him some ‘cred’ in prison. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/james-boccuzzi-126 Video: James Boccuzzi Explains His Side https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZRganmXNR8 Detailed Show Notes: James Boccuzzi (0:00) – Introductions (8:30) – USP Labs (15:15) – Blackstone Labs Booming (30:00) – The Raid (42:30) – To cooperate or not? (50:00) – Leading up to trial (1:06:00) – The Trial (1:23:00) – Understanding your legal risks (1:29:30) – Conviction and Prison (1:34:30) – Prison Time and Aaron Singerman as “The Godfather” (1:40:00) – Prison was… fun?! (1:44:45) – Ego in the fitness industry (1:48:30) – An eye towards the future A big thank you to James for telling your story on PricePlow. As always, subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your platform of choice. Leave us a great review if you enjoy it!

In Episode #125 of the PricePlow Podcast, Ben and Mike welcome Michael Alfaro, the founder and CEO of Master Foods Lab, a specialty contract manufacturer in the supplement industry that focuses on functional foods and high-protein snacks. The focus of the podcast is on functional foods, specifically baked goods, which we delve into after a tour of the Master Foods facility and some flavor tastings. But first, we get into Michael’s business background, which started in CrossFit, and eventually learn why he’s called the “Head Rhino”. This is a long episode, so we dive heavily into a lot of ingredient science. It will explain a lot of common questions that brands have when attempting to create a new functional food. For instance, Michael answers why you can’t just easily make a collagen protein bar that has 100% collagen protein. Things also get spun when Michael asks Ben and Mike a question that takes the podcast into a different direction regarding the success of supplement businesses and the role of influencers. It’s an all-around great episode, and more content will be coming out, so make sure you subscribe to PricePlow’s Master Foods Lab news alerts at the end so you don’t miss out on the other parts! https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/michael-alfaro-master-foods-lab-125 Video: Michael Alfaro of Master Foods Lab in Miami, FL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ1tWGp4A7o Detailed Show Notes: Michael Alfaro, Master Foods Lab (0:00) – Introductions (9:30) – Transition to functional foods (16:30) – The launch of Master Foods Lab (25:30) – Manufacturing challenges (36:45) – Innovation as a core driver (43:15) – Experimentation and brand alignment (49:30) – Ingredient science (58:30) – Ethics and liability in food manufacturing (1:03:30) – A forward-looking approach to functional foods (1:13:45) – Trends (1:19:15) – Collagen and plant-based alternatives (1:24:15) – Research and development (1:30:15) – Testing, uniqueness, and brand protection (1:38:45) – Betting on brands (1:49:30) – The influence of TikTok (1:59:45) – Engaging content (2:10:00) – Elements of brand success (2:20:45) – Wrap Up Where to Follow Michael and Master Foods Lab Michael Alfaro on Instagram: @HeadRhino Michael Alfaro on LinkedIn Master Foods Lab Website: https://masterfoodslab.com/ Master Foods Lab on Instagram: @MasterFoodsLab And of course, sign up for Master Foods Lab news alerts on PricePlow – we have a whole lot more coming, including a plant tour, tasting panel, rapid-fire Q&A series, and a cool product ideation and creation session in the lab! And if anyone wants some support making functional foods, hit us up for unique ideas — we’ll give our opinions and help you beta-test. Thanks to Michael for having us, this trip was a total blast! As always, subscribe to the… Read more on the PricePlow Blog