To have a vision is the first step towards greatness. Every other thing of awe—from mechanical inventions to healthcare through digital mediums—was conceived from a vision that was equally significant. To personify this profound capability, we use the term visionary.
The enterprise world has witnessed such visionaries and their ideas metamorphosing into unparalleled products, solutions, and services. This edition titled, Most Trusted Nutritional Supplements Providers 2021, places a spotlight on companies that have manifested their vision into greatness in the sphere of health and wellness.
One prominent name among such companies is Swanson Health, which is on a mission to bring innovative, science-backed vitamins, supplements, and other health products directly to customers.
In the following interview, Corey Bergstrom, the CEO briefs us about the company’s 52-year long journey and how it has gained a stronghold in the international health and wellness space.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Please brief our audience about Swanson Health, its values, and how the company has been positioned as a leading player in the nutrition space.
Swanson Health was founded in 1969 in Fargo, ND with a mission to offer pure and potent health products at a great value. Over Fifty years later, Swanson Health continues to innovate science-backed vitamins and supplements, delivering wellness solutions that help people live simply healthier together.
Swanson Health prides itself on being a TRUSTED brand for our loyal customers with years of experience delivering high quality, science backed health products for the mind, body, and home. Swanson Health is a leading online and catalog marketer of Swanson-branded and third-party healthy living products, carrying over 18,000 health and wellness items including vitamins, minerals, supplements, sports nutrition, natural food, and beauty products. In addition to our North American base, Swanson services consumers globally through online operations and distributors in 51 countries.
What prominent products does Swanson Health offer, and how are these making an impact on the industry and your customers?
We offer over 1,800 differentiated Swanson-Brand products that are tailored for our customer’s needs. Although we have products like Probiotics and Letter Vitamins, such as Vitamin D that are top sellers, we like to take a holistic approach to our assortment and know that our customers have many needs, and we want to make sure that we are taking care of those individual needs.
Our team of scientists & wellness experts research & carefully select innovative, natural & nourishing ingredients you can trust. We test internally & externally to guarantee pure, potent wellness products. The result is an offering of meticulously curated wellness products—only the best, selected by those who know best.
Being an experienced leader, share with us your opinion on how the adaptation of modern technologies such as AI, big data, and machine learning have transformed the health and wellness industry and what more could be expected in the near future?
Being a DTC company from the beginning has positioned Swanson to leverage its rich customer data to create truly personalized experiences. As operational abilities grow to meet the analytical horsepower within the space, we expect consumers to have more relevant interactions with product providers like Swanson to optimize their supplement regime more closely to their needs.
Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your company to sustain operations and ensuring safety of your employees at the same time?
Being a vertically integrated company meant that we had several personnel that had to be on site versus work from home. We created an internal COVID task force leveraging our strong health and science expertise and have been able to establish protocols that limited exposure to our team members. We were able to work throughout the pandemic with very limited issues. This was a testament to our employees and management teams to take the proper precautions to ensure the safety of our team and our customers.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the health and nutrition space?
This is a growing field with many opportunities. Dive in with an open mind and learn as much as you can. That knowledge will prove beneficial for your entire career and get you started on the right foot.
How do you envision scaling Swanson Health’s operations and offerings in 2021?
We have an exciting list of new products planned to launch in 2021 that should be great for our current and expanding customer base. We launched Zinc & C with Elderberry & Echinacea lozenges in January.
Our Zinc & C is a 4-in-1 formula that is packed with free-radical-fighting antioxidants that support healthy immune system function. Recently we launched two new CBD products: CBD + Stress Support and CBD + Sleep Support. These two new CBD combination formulas help promote relaxation and sounder sleep.
We will continue to roll out new and innovative products throughout 2021. We’ve listened to the needs of our customers and are excited to introduce new products that our customers are asking for.
Operations: We leverage top of the line manufacturing equipment to drive efficiency. Based in Fargo, ND, our manufacturing operation produces over 30% of the capsules we bottle and handles everything from capsule production to bottle insertion.
Our three distribution centers across the US operate 24 hours a day, 5+ days a week. Utilizing several automated picking solutions for customer order fulfillment, this state-of-the-art machinery handles customer orders with speed and efficiency. Across our distribution center network, we send over 25,000 shipments directly to customers every day. We will continue to monitor efficiency and production capability to keep up with customer demand and make improvements as the market dictates.
In addition, we are continuing to grow our global footprint and are looking to build off of 40% growth in our international business over prior year. In 2021, we are achieving 90% product fulfillment rates which is significantly stronger than industry performance. Finally, we are featuring a Tier 1 set of SKUs to our International Partners which showcase +200 of our top products with guaranteed fulfillment spanning all product categories.
About the Leader
Corey Bergstrom, the CEO has over 25 years of DTC experience that he has brought to the table at Swanson Health Products. His focus has been on building a strong leadership team with experience to take Swanson to the next level. Swanson is building strong vertical integration and expanding its offering across many channels to ensure Swanson is where the customers are.
Exhibiting True Excellence
“I just wanted to thank all of those in the Swanson Health family that have served us so well over the years, for your commitment to serve us through this crisis. We depend on you now, more than ever…and I really do think of you all as a ‘family’ more than a ‘business.’ We hope all of you there are staying well, are able to take care of yourselves and your loved ones through this, while providing for our needs, as well. We are praying for your safety and well-being throughout this and appreciate your service to us in the midst of this health crisis. I would hate to think where my husband and I would be without this company. We are both in our 70’s with pre-existing conditions and it gives us some sense of security to know you will be there for us.” – Swanson Customer
“Dear Swanson, I’m sending a heartfelt thank you for great customer service and inventory during these anxious times of COVID. As a New Yorker, I’m minimizing my in-person time in grocery stores, trying to maintain my healthy vegetarian diet, your online store came to the rescue–when nutritious grains and legumes were all but sold out in so many stores, both online and offline. I was surprised to receive most of my order so quickly. Again, thank you. I’ve become a loyal customer and fan.” – Kelly
“I’m a long-time customer and just wanted to thank you all for shipping so quickly and for simply being there during this world health crisis. That’s all. Stay healthy and carry on!” – Swanson Customer
URL: https://www.swansonvitamins.com/
Corey Bergstrom, CEO, Swanson Health
