Vitamin Information Center

As applications for the 2009 Inc. 500 | 5000 arrive, we thought it would be worthwhile to shine a spotlight on some of the companies that are vying to appear on our ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. (For more information and to apply, go to http://www.inc5000apply.com.) One that caught our eye was South Jordan, Utah-based MonaVie.

If you’ve been on the internet at all, then you’ve probably seen countless acai berry ads. The supplement, said to help joint pain, high cholesterol, and weight loss, has been riding a wave of popularity. MonaVie’s line acai berry-based juices are coming along for the ride.

“The acai berry is very high in antioxidants, and has observable health benefits,” says MonaVie CFO Devin Thorpe. “Most people who drink the juice love how it makes them feel. In today’s society where proper nutrition has taken a backseat to fast food and convenience, our bodies really thank us when we give it something healthful and nutritious.”

The company, which was founded in 2005, sells the juices in eight countries and the United States through direct selling, much like Avon or Mary Kay. They’re also launching a new energy drink, Emv, this month.

“It also includes the acai berry and 80 percent real fruit juice, so instead of being sugar water, it’s real, carbonated fruit juice with a blend of energizing herbs and natural sources of caffeine, so it gives people the boost of energy they’re looking for from healthy calories and a healthy source of caffeine,” explains Thorpe.

But what Thorpe is most proud of is the company’s commitment to the communities they harvest from in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By giving the acai berry economic value, he explains, they’ve helped to create economic incentive to preserve the rainforest rather than burn it for grazing land. The company also runs after-school programs for local kids and provides housing to some of their families.

“It started as a grassroots effort years ago, and we now have a multi-million dollar program that is changing lives down there,” says Thorpe. “We’re excited that we can really make a difference in the communities we’re involved in.”

Power Trip has released an energy shot to compliment their tasty energy drinks. While this one provides great taste, the labeling of this as an energy VITAMIN shot is pretty misleading. I like their little shot as a whole - but calling this a vitamin drink while it contains the same ingredients as most of the other shots out there is a bit silly. The one advantage to this over the others out their is it’s phenomenal taste, which should be what is being sold to the public. With Shots emerging as the newest hot category, coming out with a unique package is essential to not be counted as just another Me-Too being sold in the discount racks at warehouse stores and clearance bins. Power Trip tastes great and works as well as the big boys, but the package holds it back from being a bigger player.

Nutrition:7
advertising some of the highest concentrations of vitamins C and B in the industry. It does have lots of it, although not as much as some shots and mixes, which can contain up to 14,000 times your RDA. Like most shots this does not have sugar and carbs. There is no telling how much caffeine or taurine is in this, as they hid it underneath the listing of “proprietary energy formula”. I can say that it did provide me with a boost for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I was not bouncing off the walls, but was not tired for a while afterwards. My guess is somewhere between 100-150 mgs of caffeine from the taste and buzz.
My only real issue is them calling this a Vitamin shot, when the only vitamins it has is the normal cheap B and C vitamins you can find in many many shots, and a great portion of energy drinks. They also put the amino acids in there to boost metabolism, same as 5 hour energy, upshot and the dozens out there. I would have loved it if this was a real vitamin shot, where it was packed with all my daily multi-vitamins. I wonder how many people are fooled into thinking this actually provided more vitamins than your average energy drink. IF this even had 1 other vitamin besides b complex and C I would be more impressed - but the vitamin promise in here is undelivered.

Taste: 9
very good and very strong. like concentrated energy drink - but not in a bad way, more like when you need a sweet and sour fix and reduce lemonade mix to a potent but drinkable concentration. Actually, with this tasting very citrus, it has a lot in common with a very reduced country time lemonade drink. I would drink this over 90% of the energy drinks out there, certainly over the energy shots I have tried. This tastes like I am drinking something potent, but it is still very very tasty.

Packaging:5
Pretty standard fare for the actual package - looking a whole lot like every other energy shots out there. As far as the label, it is a mini version of their big energy drink, only slightly harder to read at the top. While it could have been better, it is by no means bad. And, just like 5 and 6 hour energy, listing the caffeine as ” about as much as a cup of coffee” which means nothing at all. Some companies list that as 60mg, some others think a cup of coffee have 150mg. I have seen others filling my convenience store shelves with much much worse, but the package is totally surpassed by the new energy shots by the Big Boys of energy drinks who have entered the shot market.
If they want their shots to compete, I would definitely go back to the drawing board with concept for this package, or suffer at the hands of Monster, Rockstar, Nos and 5 Hour.

Doug Bettencourt, an LMU graduate from the class of ‘94, has found his calling with the new healthy nutritional drink, Verve. With the booming success of this Vemma product in the sports industry, Bettencourt and his marketing team plan to try and bring this energy drink to high schools and colleges throughout the world, including LMU.

“On the healthy side, there’s not a better liquid vitamin on the market than the Vemma product,” said Bettencourt. A former member of Crimson Circle and Sigma Pi fraternity, Bettencourt graduated from LMU with an interest in sports marketing and a B.A. in Business Management.

After a few internships, however, he quickly learned the difficulty of entering the sports marketing field for those without inside connections or an athletic career, so Bettencourt decided to go a different route after graduation.

After returning from a year-long trip to Australia, which he paid for by working as a furniture mover and bartender the previous year, Bettencourt entered the corporate world for six years. Not satisfied with this career, he then tapped into his love for kids and became an elementary school teacher. He received his credentials while working at a restaurant. Now in his sixth year as a fifth grade teacher at a Title I school, Bettencourt spends his days encouraging kids from low-income families and broken homes to believe in themselves and work hard to succeed.

“I’ve always wanted to help make a difference in people’s lives,” said Bettencourt.

With the release of Vemma’s Verve in Nov. of last year, Bettencourt is now also making a difference in people’s health. “It feels good, especially with the [LMU] alma mater, to offer a product kids can enjoy and that can also make a difference for their health.”

When his best friend from high school retired at the age of 33 after marketing a liquid vitamin that went worldwide, Bettencourt took his friend’s advice to join the energy drink business. Finding Vemma through a connection with President and CEO B.K. Boreyko, a friend of his, Bettencourt began working on the marketing and distribution of Verve, calling it “the insanely healthy energy drink.” Filled with essential vitamins and minerals, Verve is approved by the FDA, USDA and National Homeland Security, as well as by major U.S. sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA.