The PricePlow Podcast

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/ken-huntly-gnc-merchandising-110 Team PricePlow recently traveled to GNC headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA to support the Kaged Elite Series launch, the largest product launch in the retailer’s history with a whopping 27 SKUs. In Episode #098, Ben interviewed GNC’s Nate Frazier (Chief Operating Officer) and Kenneth Huntly (VP of Merchandising) at the company’s 2023 Franchise Convention. However, that was a quick conversation, so this time, we had to do it again with Ken, zeroing in on his hunt for innovation and collaboration. Ken brings more than 20 years of experience in merchandising to the role, and has hit some grand slams lately, so it’s always great to get a chance to pick his brain. Aside from Kaged, we talk about other things they’re excited about, spending some time discussing the recent Marvel collaboration in GNC’s Pro Performance 100% Whey Protein. There are other exciting new brands heading to GNC, including Raw Nutrition and an exclusive on CBum’s Thuper Thavage pre-workout supplement. Detailed notes are below, and you can watch on YouTube or listen on your favorite audio podcast app: Watch on Video: On the Brad Hunt with GNC’s Ken Huntly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBpTayOra2U Detailed Show Notes: On the Hunt for Innovation at GNC (0:00) – Introductions (2:00) – A Retailer’s Challenges from a Buyer’s Perspective (12:45) – GNC Kaged Partnership (20:30) – GNC’s Latest Products (25:00) – Long-term relationships (30:30) – Retail involvement in viral marketing and trends (33:30) – The importance of good data (37:00) – Energy drinks, functional foods, and RTDs Important Links Sign up for Beyond Raw news alerts on PricePlow Follow @GNCLiveWell and @BeyondRawLabs on Instagram Follow Ken Huntly on LinkedIn Thanks to Kaged and GNC for having Team PricePlow at both the 2023 Franchise Convention and for the epic Kaged launch! You can subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on the podcast app of your choice.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/2023-supplement-sales-trends-sportlife-109 In Episode #102 of the PricePlow Podcast, we hosted Michael Rossman of SportLife Nutrition, who explained the rapidly-growing supplement distributor’s business model and future plans. Q3 2023 Trends: PricePlow Jams with the SportLife Sales Team Towards the end of that episode, we decided it would be a good idea to get together with the SportLife sales team, who talk to the retailers and get the word out about hot products, new deals, and ongoing trends. These are the guys with daily touch points with the proverbial “feet on the street”, so they bring a wealth of knowledge into brands, products, and categories that are hot and heavy. This was a fun and informative podcast, and we hope to run it quarterly or at least twice a year. Inside, we cover a lot of brands and products – some that PricePlow’s followers are very familiar with, others that may be new. This episode’s cast includes Sami Ghanem, Jordan Varela, and Dylan Betcher, making for a lively quintet alongside Mike and Ben. This one may be better to watch on video (below the audio buttons) because of the larger number of participants, but you should still subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite podcast app as well as the YouTube channel below: Watch on Video: The SportLife Distribution Sales Team Talks Q3-2023 Trends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzLCEssouag Detailed Show Notes with the SportLife Sales Team (0:00) – Introductions (11:00) – Gorilla Mind and Alpha Lion (15:30) – Launch Logistics – Getting Distributors involved (19:45) – Morphogen Nutrition – An Upcoming Star in Distribution (25:15) – Geographic differences of brands (30:00) – Regulatory approach to ingredients (34:00) – Brands owned by one group (48:00) – Snacks (1:02:30) – Distributor partnerships (1:06:00) – Demographic differences (1:13:15) – More Functional foods (1:16:00) – Lower-caffeine drinks (1:20:45) – Paraxanthine (1:28:15) – Wrapping up How to Follow SportLife Nutrition Website: SportLifeDistribution.com SportLife Jobs: SportLife Distribution Jobs LinkedIn: SportLife Distribution Instagram: @SportLifeDistribution Thanks again to the SportLife team for pulling this together! You can head back to the PricePlow Podcast — subscribe and leave a review on your favorite platform.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/arla-foods-ingredients-whey-protein-108 Here on PricePlow, we’re happy to eat some crow. We recently mentioned that there hasn’t been much innovation in protein itself, and that most innovation has been coming in the add-on ingredients and protein enhancement technologies. It turns out that we were wrong — there’s plenty of protein innovation coming, especially in the field of whey protein. To understand more, we brought on two experts in the field of dairy proteins to explain: Arla Foods Ingredients: Innovating Whey Protein Jakob Madsen Pedersen and Preston Losee of Arla Foods Ingredients joined the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #108 to give us a “Dairy 101” lesson, and explain what the protein experts are up to in the coming months. Arla Foods Ingredients is a subsidiary of Arla Foods, the Danish dairy conglomerate that serves as the world’s third-largest dairy. After learning about their dairy process in general, we get to learn about the innovative new liquids and powders coming from Arla Foods Ingredients, including ISO WaterShake (a better clear whey protein isolate than what’s currently on the market) and Beta Lactoglobulin (BLG), which has a higher percentage of leucine inside. This was educational, and coming after this on PricePlow, we’ve put together a contest with three manufacturers to see who can flavor ISO WaterShake the best. Let’s dig in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQwmjHMpvcw Detailed Show Notes: Innovating Whey Protein with Arla Foods Ingredients (0:00) – Introductions (3:15) – The many applications of whey protein (9:45) – Arla’s various whey offerings (13:15) – Specific protein extraction: Beta-Lactoglobulin for sports nutrition (17:00) – Beta-Lactoglobulin’s practicality (21:45) – Protein taste profiles (25:00) – How is Arla’s Clear Protein (ISO.WaterShake) Better? (31:00) – Is Arla’s BLG also clear? (37:15) – Essential amino acids (42:00) – Protein structures – What is a “major protein” like BLG? (49:15) – What about WPC-34? (54:15) – Whey and casein combination (58:15) – Coming Next: PricePlow’s ISO.WaterShake Flavor competition Thanks so much to Jakob and Preston for coming on and educating us — we’re incredibly excited about the new products to come! Where to Follow Arla Foods Ingredients Arla Foods Ingredients on LinkedIn Jakob Madsen Pedersen on LinkedIn Preston Losee on LinkedIn You can sign up for our Arla Foods Ingredients news alerts on PricePlow, so that you get notified when new products, studies, and news come out with any of their ingredients!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/trung-nguyen-we-go-home-107 With the Global War on Terror drawing to a close, America’s Special Operations veterans are returning stateside and starting lifestyle brands in numerous industries. With that has come a tidal wave of social media content about tactics, physical training, and mindset, as these veterans reach out to share what they’ve learned with their civilian countrymen. Enter retired US Army Ranger Trung Nguyen of We Go Home. He and his brand are a huge part of this trend, and have earned their place at the center of the tactically-focused nutritional supplement market. We Go Home’s core ethos is simple, but profound – Trung wants to sell products that can help tactical operators, whether military or law enforcement, perform at their physical and mental peak. Peak performance as a team means everybody has the best chance of coming home safe. Besides selling awesome supplements, We Go Home offers apparel and strives to uphold a high standard of physical and mental excellence for all, not just military, LE, or first responders. We sat down with Trung to talk about his story, the lessons he learned in the military, and the importance of hybrid athleticism among other things. But we also dove pretty deep into his stack of supplements, including his new No Sacrifice No Victory 2.0 pre-workout supplement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lr2mJtrBOA Detailed Show Notes with Trung Nguyen Note: In this podcast, we don’t get incredibly in-depth with Trung’s military and law enforcement life. For more background on that, you can also listen to him on Episode 107 of the Zero Limits Podcast. (0:00) – Trung Nguyen Introduction (03:00) – The Tactical Importance of Fitness (06:30) – What Makes We Go Home Different? (09:45) – Substance Over Style (12:30) – Where Does The “We Go Home” Name Come From? (14:30) – The Importance of Truth for Authenticity (18:15) – Never Penny Pinch On Performance (21:45) – No Sacrifice No Victory 2.0 Ingredients (23:00) – Is NSNV’s Huge Pump a Problem For Aerobic Activity? (23:30) – Ingredient Dosing (24:45) – We Go Home’s Formulation Support from PricePlow (25:15) – Citrulline Malate And Truth In Advertising (27:00) – Never Stop Working! (28:15) – Stim vs. Non-Stim (29:30) – Flavors! Spicy Mangonada (31:00) – What’s Next For We Go Home? (32:45) – Tropical Storm 2.0, the We Go Home Greens And Reds (33:30) – Exceptions To The Rule (36:00) – We Go Home’s Message (37:00) – Evolution of We Go Home (38:30) – We Go Home’s Politics, or Lack Thereof (42:00) – The Value And Challenge of Entrepreneurship (45:30) – How And Why To Become An Entrepreneur (47:15) – Trung’s Take On The Grind (49:30) – We Go Home’s Target Markets (50:45) – Being A Hybrid Athlete (51:15) – We Go Home’s Company Culture (52:20) – Walking The Walk (53:40) &… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/mike-mccandless-106 If you’ve been around the supplement industry the past decade or two, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Mike McCandless, the founder of Scivation and creator of the legendary Xtend BCAA formula that upended the entire sports nutrition industry. Mike McCandless: A Master of Supplement Business Transactions The last time we publicly spoke was when Scivation was sold to NutraBolt in early 2017, but that wasn’t Mike’s first — nor last — business transaction. Before Scivation took off, he started in retail and Internet retail, running and selling 1Fast400 and Bulk Nutrition. After Scivation, he also started and sold KetoLogic and FBomb, and also finally parted ways with his PrimaForce single-ingredient brand that was a longtime PricePlow favorite. Mike’s been listening to the PricePlow Podcast, and, well, he’s got a lot to say. As is often the case with him. So we brought him on to tell his story, give his opinions, and see what he might do next. With no more non-competes in the industry, Mike’s possibly itching to get involved in the next big thing, but at the “old” age of 44, he’s not interested in another startup. He is, however, interested in helping good people turn their supplement businesses into transactable entities that can be sold. Prepare yourself for a podcast of the ages. There is a 0% chance you’ll listen to this and not learn or laugh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR3nuvMe5VY Detailed Show Notes with Mike McCandless Note: In these show notes, Mike McCandless will just be called Mike. For references to PricePlow’s Mike, we’ll note him as “Mike R”. (0:00) – Introductions (2:00) – Mike’s origin story and synopsis of sales (4:45) – What is 1Fast400?! Flashback to the Bodybuilding.com Forums (8:00) – Prohormones and Ephedra: The OG Industry Seed Funding in the 2000s (15:00) – The hidden lesson from Bulk Nutrition (16:45) – Question: Why not continue down this path to success? (18:25) – Answer: A counterfeit lawsuit takes down Mike’s retailers (21:00) – Scivation and Branched-Chain Amino Acids (22:30) – The Start of Scivation Xtend (25:15) – Knowing everyone through online retail but trying to start a brand (26:00) – Enter Marc Lobliner, Exit Marc Lobliner (27:30) – Chris Lockwood and the Reflavoringg / Reformulation (30:00) – Beware of “Built to Sell”? (33:30) – 2012: Nutrabolt’s First Acquisition Offer (34:45) – CEO is a Very Overused Term – Getting a Real CEO (37:00) – What changes did the private equity group force? (41:00) – “It’s Just Widgets” (42:00) – Sidebar to Scivation Flexatril (43:45) – The team you start with is almost never the team you end with (46:00) – Gamechanger: Bringing competent staff to GNC (47:45) – Going Pro: Raising Xtend’s Price and Doubling Sales (49:30) – Mike’s real reason for Xtend’s success (55:00) – Winning in retail: Commentary on Vitamin Shoppe Episode #105 (59:30) – Driving Traffic to a Retailer: Can Mike still hang? (1:05:30) – “Supplement Brands” Aren’t Brands … Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/jack-gayton-vitamin-shoppe-105 In July of 2023, The Vitamin Shoppe held their annual Wellness Summit, a corporate event where key presentations and discussions are given by employees and partnered brands, highlighting industry trends and business plans. While there, we had Jack Gayton, The Vitamin Shoppe’s Divisional Vice President of Merchandising on the podcast along with Aaron Heidebreicht, Chief Commercial Officer of Kaged (and repeat visitor to the podcast). The conversation focuses on how major retailers like The Vitamin Shoppe see the world, and what brands need to do to earn their interest, trust, and long-term business. With Aaron, we also get to hear some strategy from the brand side as well. The Vitamin Shoppe continues to make a big push in the Fit Lifestyle space (what many of us consider to be “sports nutrition” or “active nutrition”), and Jack states that they’ll continue to focus on energy drinks, functional foods, and functional beverages. This is an excellent listen for anyone interested in the major retail space of the supplement industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIxky9L8Hm8 Before beginning, you can also watch this recap: View this post on Instagram A post shared by PricePlow (@priceplow) Detailed Show Notes with Jack Gayton of Vitamin Shoppe (0:00) – Introductions (2:15) – Trends from Jack’s perspective (4:30) – Has social media changed the buyer’s role? (6:45) – Sellouts are BAD for Retailers (8:45) – Stable supply chain from the brand’s perspective (10:45) – What does a buyer value hearing from a brand? More detailed show notes are coming soon! Where to Find Jack Jack Gayton on LinkedIn The Vitamin Shoppe on Instagram Where to find Aaron and Kaged Sign up for Kaged news alerts on PricePlow Follow @Kaged on Instagram Follow Aaron Heidebreicht on LinkedIn Thanks to Jack and the entire staff at The Vitamin Shoppe for having us, and thank you to Kaged for sponsoring the trip and allowing us to take part. You can return to the PricePlow Podcast — please subscribe on the platform of your choice and leave us a review!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/bruce-kneller-nootropic-104 Five years in the making, it’s the return of Bruce Kneller to the PricePlow Podcast! We last saw him in in 2018 in Episode #009 where he dosed us with his new Bruce-class nootropic. Well, he’s finally back with a real update, and with some good news – the nootropic should be ready at some point in 2024. There are still a few things getting worked out, including the regulatory aspect, but it’s about “90% finished” and close enough for beta testing to begin! So during this episode, Mike and Ben try the full dose, and get to hear the backstory, science, and legal side from Bruce. They offer their “reviews” after having now taken it twice. We also then get into some other stuff, discussing “other ingredients that begin with a ‘D’”, and why this stuff can’t (or likely won’t) be made in America. You can watch this one on YouTube below, or listen on Spotify or any RSS-enabled podcast app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttl4N2rCPKo Detailed Show Notes with Bruce Kneller (0:00) – Re-Introductions (2:15) – Stimulants that Begin with the Letter ‘D’, and what IS a stimulant? (3:45) – Bruce describes his nootropic ingredient (5:15) – Mike gives his review of Bruce’s ingredient (6:15) – The guys try their samples (7:45) – Bruce further explains the ingredient (9:00) – Labeling and Compliance of the new ingredient (11:00) – Keeping tight control of the ingredient (14:30) – What pathways does the ingredient work on? (17:00) – Ben gives his review (19:00) – Comparisons to the sample we tested in 2018 (22:00) – Bruce won’t let Mike (or formulators) add yohimbine to it (25:00) – Formulating with the ingredient, Bruce protecting his investment (30:00) – Lessons learned from DMHA (37:45) – Steps necessary to get this to the market (42:30) – The guys want to be DOING something (43:30) – When might it be available? (48:00) – Digging deeper into the ingredients inside (51:00) – More Regulatory: Getting GRAS Affirmation? (53:15) – 3DPump Breakthrough and Full Transparency (57:00) – New challenges making money in sports nutrition (1:00:30) – Bruce’s final product (1:03:15) – Why can’t we manufacture this in the USA? (1:07:30) – Closing down As always, thanks to Bruce for allowing us to be a part of his beta-testing. Return to the PricePlow Podcast and don’t forget to subscribe on the platform of your choice and leave us a review!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/michael-goodman-ftc-warning-letters-103 In April of 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unexpectedly sent warning letters to about 700 drug companies and dietary supplement brands regarding substantiation of their product claims. Their letters stated that there was no active investigation, and that “The fact that a company is on this list is NOT an indication that it has done anything wrong”, but it obviously raised a great deal of concern in both industries. To find out what was going on, and to get a general lesson in the concerns of the Federal Trade Commission, we brought on FTC subject matter expert Michael Goodman of Hudson Cook, LLP to explain the story. We retained Michael for a check-up on our website in 2018, and kept in touch because of his excellent work. In this podcast, we get a great lesson on what the FTC cares about in terms of misleading product claims, and the legal process a company will find themselves in when the agency comes knocking on their door. As for those FTC warning letters, the long story short is that they’re an unforeseen side effect of a 2021 Supreme Court decision, and were sent as a preemptive measure in case the FTC were ever to want to seek financial penalties. In four words: “The clock has started”. Check it out on YouTube (video below), Spotify, or any RSS-enabled podcast app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8r6nz52m2c Detailed Show Notes with FTC Legal Expert Michael Goodman of Hudson Cook, LLP (0:00) – Introductions: Michael Goodman and Hudson Cook, LLP (5:30) – How to look for misleading claims (9:15) – The FTC’s guidance for health products (13:15) – Disclosure of a paid relationship (16:15) – Enforcement of regulations (21:00) – The process of enforcement (27:00) – How often does the FTC take action on violations? (31:45) – What’s the hot topic right now with privacy? (39:45) – The Supreme Court Decision that precipitated the warning letters (46:22) – Buzzwords (50:30) – “Made in the USA” is a very actionable claim (54:00) – How to get in touch with Michael Important Links: Hudson Cook’s Website: https://www.hudsoncook.com Hudson Cook’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hudson-cook-llp/ Michael Goodman’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-goodman-5044505/

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/sportlife-distribution-michael-rossman-102 On the heels of an incredibly informative Supplement Manufacturing 101 episode on the PricePlow Podcast, we graduate to Distribution 102 with Michael Rossman, CEO of SportLife Distribution. SportLife Distribution has been around for a bit less than a decade, but they’ve plugged quite a few gaps in the industry’s supply chain, servicing brick and mortar stores with a selection of over 80 brands. This enables stores to place smaller orders from multiple brands, and get them quickly thanks to SportLife’s well-placed distribution centers around the country. Supplement Distribution, Trends, and Jobs with SportLife In this episode, Michael gives us his backstory, teaches us about distribution, and explains SportLife’s business model and where it fits into the industry. We also talk about how 2020 forced major changes to the industry, and how SportLife was well-positioned to succeed at a tough time. The guys then get into trending products and brands, of course discussing energy drinks and functional foods. We leave off wanting a second episode with SportLife, but next time, we’ll talk about the hot products in various parts of the country with SportLife’s sales team. Finally, SportsLife is hiring — if you’re looking for supplement industry jobs, this is a great place to start and get your foot in the door! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E37Tfqx32B8 Detailed Show Notes with Michael Rossman of SportLife Distribution (0:00) – Introduction to today’s episode (3:30) – How did Michael get started? (7:00) – Distribution: The benefit to the retailer and the brand. (13:00) – How to get into the energy drink space? (17:15) – How to work with a distributor? (20:45) – Navigating Market Changes (23:15) – Working with retailers (26:15) – Cycles of growth and distribution. (29:00) – Direct to consumer has replaced mass distribution. (34:00) – Distribution is a valuable asset (39:15) – Distribution centers and the nuts and bolts behind the scenes (43:00) – Payment terms for specialty gyms (46:00) – Cool trends in the industry (52:00) – Leveraging distribution to increase sales (54:45) – Economic outlook for sports nutrition Thanks again Michael! Return to the PricePlow Podcast and please subscribe and leave a review on the platform of your choice.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/lief-labs-supplement-manufacturing-101 Over the years, PricePlow has continually become more interested in supplement manufacturing, as it is the cornerstone basis of the entire industry. Good manufacturing quality and testing leads to safe, high-quality products for end consumer. In Episode #068, we interviewed Matt Karich of Soul Performance Nutrition, who took us through his exhaustive process of finding a high-quality manufacturer that produce supplements that would pass rigorous tests and become BSCG Certified. It turns out, the manufacturer he ended up with was none other than Lief Labs. So we began to talk more frequently with Lief Labs (and their sister subsidiary ingredient development business, Lief Raws), learning how they differentiate themselves from the rest of the supplement manufacturers out there. We’ve continually emphasized that dietary supplements are regulated (see Episode #100 with Dan Fabricant of the Natural Products Assocation), but what manufacturer takes these laws with the utmost seriousness? What manufacturer can provide additional services to help inexperienced operators make high-quality products? Manufacturing 101 with Meg Ligot of Lief Labs An answer to both of those questions is Lief. So we brought Meg Ligot, Senior Product Development Manager at Lief Labs, to bring us through Supplement Manufacturing 101. It’s an informative and fun episode, and does a great job showcasing how Lief does things right. We also talk a bit about Lief Raws, flashing back to their unique Biozomal Caffeine product that we covered in the past. It’s all covered below, and you can watch on YouTube or listen through Spotify or any RSS-capable podcast app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtVQnv_uUY4 Detailed Show Notes: Manufacturing 101 at Lief Labs with Meg Ligot (0:00) – Introduction (3:30) – How Lief Works With Their Customers (6:00) – Example of the process with Lief as a new brand owner (8:15) – NSF Certification and Continuing the Formulation Process (12:00) – How the costs break down (15:40) – Prop 65 Warning and Legal Requirements (19:40) – Product minimums and what they can do (21:30) – Flavoring and sampling (26:00) – Masking ingredient tastes that may not be pleasant (28:40) – Natural vs. artificial flavors (30:15) – Flavor is picked, what’s next? (35:00) – Meg’s background (43:00) – Next steps for product (50:15) – Finally, manufacturing! (58:00) – The manufacturing process (1:01:30) – What if something goes wrong? (1:03:30) – Are common ingredients always in stock? (1:05:40) – Ensuring the product contains what it says it does (1:11:15) – Testing is complete, the product is ready to be shipped! (1:13:45) – Now we know Lief Labs, but what is Lief Raws? (1:18:39) – Lief Raws makes function based ingredients too (1:21:00) – Tablet manufacturing at Lief Labs (1:24:50) – How Lief brings ingredients in Important Links … Read more on the PricePlow Blog