NFM Staff

April 24, 2008

2 Min Read
Hero Nutritionals

From The December 2001 Issue of Natural Foods Merchandiser

Hero Nutritionals

Genesis Of An Idea
Jennifer Hodges, founder and CEO of Hero Nutritional Products, landed on the idea of formulating high-quality, nutritionally sound children's supplements in the mid-90s as she observed her nieces and other children gobbling up candies, particularly multi-flavor Gummy Bears.

Pursuing A Concept
Determined to solve the problem of making the supplements appealing to children, Ms. Hodges began consulting with children's nutritionists, food chemists and production experts. The challenge was to create a new children's nutritional delivery system incorporating the delightful taste of gummy bears, but without sacrificing nutritional efficacy.

A Rigorous Process
The early going was somewhat challenging. Using focus groups and taste panels, prototype after prototype was tested and rejected because of bad taste or insufficient nutritional levels. Finally, a magical combination of the two factors was mastered. The solution was a result of pilot formulation and production.

Knocking On Doors
Ms. Hodges began making buyer calls in the natural foods market with enthusiastic persistence. 'At first they all laughed and said to me, Ms. Hodges, we don't sell candy in our health food stores!' But when she presented the great-tasting product formulation, and of equal importance, when she urged them to taste Yummi Bears® Whole Food Supplement, their perceptions began to turn quite positive.

A Quality Product Line
Today, all Yummi Bears® products are known to be nutritionally sound and delicious. They are formulated with high-quality, all-natural ingredients and are fat-free with no yeast, wheat, milk, egg, soy, glutens, salt, artificial colors or flavors, salicylates, added starch or preservatives.

An All-American Success Story
Ms. Hodges' first product grew to the No. 1 position in the children's natural products category in just nine months time. Now Yummi Bears® are the No. 1 selling supplements in the entire children's category.

New products are the lifeblood of any company; Hero has recently introduced two new Yummi Bears® Vegetarian formulas, Multi Vitamin & Mineral, and Calcium with Vitamin D. For parents, all-natural Yummi Bites Calcium Chew.

ADDRESS
991 Calle Negocio
San Clemente, CA 92673
PHONE
800.500.HERO (4376)
FAX
949.498.3957
E-MAIL
[email protected]
WEB ADDRESS
www.yummibears.com
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
20
DATE FOUNDED
1995
For more information, contact the Director of Sales, Dona Birnbaum.

Subscribe and receive the latest updates on trends, data, events and more.
Join 57,000+ members of the natural products community.

You May Also Like