Natural Force: Third Party Certifications and a Remote Workforce

Natural Force is a health food brand with line of health-enhancing supplements. The self-funded, $10,000 startup company grew by over 400 percent a year with an innovative workforce strategy, employing only remote workers. And Inc. 5000 fastest-growing brand in the United States, Natural Force also relies heavily on its several, independent, third party certifications as a means to attract customers and new retail clients. This case study analyzes the role of independent, third-party certifications that Natural Force has utilized in building the trust of a customer base in order to generate brand growth.

The six third-party certifications that Natural Force has utilized:

Paleo Certification
Keto Certification
Non-GMO Project Certified
USDA Organic
Certified B Corporation

[ult_buttons btn_title="DOWNLOAD PDF" btn_link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fpaleofoundation.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F02%2FNatural-Force-Certified-Paleo-and-Keto-Certified-Case-Study.zip" btn_size="ubtn-custom" btn_width="250" btn_height="50" btn_padding_left="15" btn_padding_top="15" btn_title_color="#ffffff" btn_bg_color="#ff4c00" icon_size="32" btn_icon_pos="ubtn-sep-icon-at-left" btn_border_style="solid" btn_color_border="#1f2f49" btn_color_border_hover="#ffffff" btn_border_size="1" btn_radius="3" btn_font_size="desktop:20px;" btn_font_style="font-weight:bold;"]

THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATION RESEARCH

Natural Force: Third Party Certifications and a Remote Workforce to Drive Creativity and Productivity

Tobias P. Roberts ¹ | Karen E. E. Pendergrass ²

¹ Department of Community Research, The Paleo Foundation, El Salvador ² Department of Standards, Paleo Foundation, Encinitas, CA Correspondence Tobias P. Roberts Department of Community Research, The Paleo Foundation, El Salvador. Contact ¹ Email: tobias@paleofoundation.com ² Email: karen@paleofoundation.com ² Twitter: @5WordsorlessKP

Abstract

Natural Force is a health food brand with a constantly expanding line of health-enhancing supplements. The self-funded, $10,000 startup company grew by over 400 percent a year with an innovative workforce strategy, employing only remote workers. The brand also relies heavily on its several, independent, third party certifications as a means to attract customers and new retail clients. This Natural Force case study analyzes the role of independent, third-party certifications in building the trust of a customer base in order to generate brand growth.

KEYWORDS

Third party certification, Natural Force, Certified B Corporation, Remote workforce

1 | INTRODUCTION

Despite the fact that less than one-quarter of the American population is getting the recommended amount of exercise per week, never before have America´s gyms and fitness/health centers been more visited. [1] There were over 60 million active gym memberships in 2017, up from just 46 million gym membership a decade earlier [2].

Simply put, people want to live healthier lives, and staying fit is high on the priority of list for millions of people across the country. Alongside gym memberships, nutritional or dietary supplements are another essential element that people rely on to help them meet their nutritional and wellness-related goals.

According to one recent report, the global dietary supplements market was worth $123.28 billion dollars in 2019 [3] . Over the next couple of years, this market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.2 percent.

Unfortunately, many supplements that are deemed as “healthy” or “nutritious” are often filled with an absurd amount of artificial fillers, preservatives, colorants, and other chemical additives.

In 2009, two gym buddies came together to create Natural Force, a health food and supplement brand focused on helping consumers find nutrition supplements that they can trust [4]. The brand focuses on bringing the “nutritious” aspect back into the supplement industry. Besides rejecting all unnecessary fillers, synthetic colors, and other artificial ingredients, most of the company´s products incorporate herbs and superfoods that have been time-tested by ancestral cultures around the world.

Over the past decade, co-founders Joe Rakoski and Justin Quinn have built a thriving health food brand that has revolutionized the supplement industry. The company grew an impressive 1,161 percent from 2014 to 2017. Last year, they ranked in the top 20 percent of Inc.'s annual guide to the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S., showing over 458 percent annual growth and netting $4 million in revenue [5].

2 | WHO IS NATURAL FORCE?

Natural Force got its start when Rakoski and Quinn pooled together $10,000 of their personal savings, sourced natural, raw ingredients to make their own nutritional supplements, and hired a manufacturer to make their products. From those humble beginnings, the company´s product catalog today includes a huge variety of natural, health-enhancing supplements, including clean proteins like grass-fed Collagen Peptides, wild-caught Marine Collagen, Bone Broth Protein, Organic Whey Protein, Whey Isolate, and Plant Protein.

Natural Force also makes and markets high quality fats such as their Keto Coffee Creamer and Organic MCT Oil. Other superfood and fitness-related supplements include functional mushroom, and adaptogen powered performance blends like Raw Tea, Organic Pre-Workout, Cordyceps Pro, Alpha Strength, and Tribal Endurance. Most of the company´s products have received some sort of certification, including gluten-free, keto, kosher, non-GMO, organic, paleo, and vegan certified products.

On the company´s website, consumers can shop for a wide variety of health and nutritional supplements through filtering products by diet and by goal. For example, people can search for Natural Force supplements that respond to the following goals: metabolism, energy, digestion, joints, and beauty. Similarly, the products offered by the brand can be filtered according to popular diets such as Keto, Paleo, vegan, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO. [EXHIBIT 1]

2 | THE DECISION TO EMPLOY A REMOTE WORKFORCE

So how does a health food brand focused on transforming the dietary and nutritional supplement industry grow from a self-funded $10,000 startup to a company growing by over 400 percent a year with $4 million in revenue?

Interestingly enough, during the early stages of their business, Rakoski and Quinn were invited to participate in Shark Tank, the business reality TV series where entrepreneurs attempt to convince a panel of five investors to invest in their company. After running some numbers, however, both of them decided that their business plan and model didn’t require a large sum of money to get started. They actually turned down the invitation to Shark Tank and instead focused on raising money from friends and family who trusted them and believed in the vision and purpose of their brand.

The real growth of Natural Force, however, took off when they began to build a team. Instead of going the “traditional” route of renting space in an office building and hiring local employees, Quinn and Rakoski believed that hiring a remote workforce would make more sense on many different levels. According to Quinn, “there are people in three different states, different countries, and everyone works remotely. Even Joe and I. Joe is in Maryland and I'm in Florida. We lived near each other in Maryland and we had an office above one of my high-school friend's parent's insurance company, but we got to a point where we both wanted to go different places.” [6]

Companies of all different sizes that relied either partly or completely on a remote workforce enjoyed an estimated $5 billion in cost savings in 2018 [7] . According to PGI news, getting rid of burdensome overhead costs such as rent, utilities, building insurance, etc. when working with full-time remote workers adds up to about $10,000 in savings per employee per year [8].

Saving on overhead costs is certainly one tangible benefit that comes with hiring remote workers. However, other studies have also shown that remote workers tend to drastically increase the productivity levels of the company. Stanford University carried out a two-year study that compared productivity levels between people in traditional office settings and those who worked from home. The study concluded that productivity levels for people who worked from home were much higher than those in office settings, and added a full day of productivity each week [9]. Furthermore, the study found that remote employees working from home had higher levels of concentration, employee attrition rate decreased by half, and fewer sick days were taken. Corroborating the data mentioned above, the study also found that businesses could save up to $2,000 per employee per year on eliminating rent expenses.

Tony Federico, VP of Marketing at Natural Force added in an interview with The Paleo Foundation that “communication tools like Slack and Zoom are also widely available and easy to use, so we felt confident that we would be able to translate the benefits of a physical office to a digital workspace. A digital workforce would also allow us to recruit the best talent, regardless of where they live, without the need for them to relocate and disrupt their lives. With that calculus in mind, we made the decision to go fully remote and virtual with our team in 2017.

Looking back on this decision, especially in light of the completely unforeseen advent of Covid-19, we are extremely happy that we made that choice.”

Natural Force relies entirely on a remote team of employees. However, they also spend energy and resources to make sure that the team is all on the same page and committed to the same goals. According to Quinn, “we hire remotely, and when we do that, one of the first key steps is we'll have them come to Florida to meet with us, to indoctrinate them into our culture. We do some work for a couple days and set some objectives, and then they go back home. We still see each other, but the time that we do see each other is either right when they come on or every year at the summit, and then we go to events throughout the year” [10].

The Natural Force team relies on several messaging services such as Slack to maintain constant streams of communication. Freedcamp, a project management platform and cloud-based file storage systems like Dropbox also help the company effectively collaborate on projects and business goals. “This model really forces us to keep solid processes in place and focus on healthy communication,” says Quinn“ [11]. Without clear goals and consistent workflows, nothing would ever get done.”

While perhaps unconventional, a dedication to a remote workforce is one of the keys to Natural Force´s sustained success. The workplace systems Quinn and Rakoski have put into motion have allowed for extremely efficient workflows, and the flexible schedules that naturally arise with a workforce spread across the globe have also helped individual team members to create rhythms that maximize their productivity levels. Quinn also mentions that hiring remotely has allowed Natural Force to attract tech-savvy individuals and hire a more diverse team of employees.

Natural Force has also specifically chosen to only work with remote employees because, as a health supplement brand, they believe in the concept of holistic health. Working a monotonous 9 to 5 job in a bland office environment with tedious morning and afternoon commutes can be draining, both physically and mentally. According to Rakoski, “we believe you should begin living your life right now…That means having the flexibility to do so, to travel, and contribute to life-long learning and growth [12]. “

Lastly, working with an entirely remote workforce also reduces the company´s carbon footprint. “Our company has always believed in questioning the status quo, so when our team began to grow, we looked at the actual costs versus benefits of a physical office space,” Federico tells us. “On one hand, a physical office allows for direct face-to-face communication between team members, which is obviously a great thing, but it is very inefficient otherwise. In addition to the immediate expense of leasing office space, there are heating/cooling costs that put demands on our natural resources. Employees are also required to drive to and from work which burns more fossil fuels and impacts worker well-being by imposing hours of commute time. By comparison, a digital office space allows employees to utilize their own homes, so there is no additional demand on resources and there is no need to commute.”

4 | BECOMING A B-CORPORATION AS A FORCE FOR GOOD

Natural Force has leveraged the advantages of a remote workforce to increase employee satisfaction and productivity levels in order to grow their brand. Instead of simply focusing on increasing their bottom line of profit, however, the brand is also committed to contributing to wider environmental and social benefits. Recently, the company has received certification as a B Corporation. This certification process allows mission-driven companies to show their customers that they “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose [13]. ”

As part of a global movement of people using business as a force for good, Natural Force states that “we believe in using business (and profit) as a force for good. Each year we will publish a public Impact Assessment…that ensures that we are continually meeting the highest standards. [14]” According to their 2018 report, “Natural Force supports its workers by offering medical and dental health benefits, living wages, paid parental leave for both primary and secondary caregivers, and annual bonuses to all full-time employees. Our culture also encourages a positive work-life balance by allowing all employees to enjoy the benefits of working in a virtual office environment with flexible hours.”

The company also scored high on their 2018 B-Corporation assessment due to their commitment to sustainable sourcing of organic, non-GMO ingredients and a pledge to only package their supplements in fully recyclable packaging. The business model exemplified by Natural Force proves that health food brands and entrepreneurial endeavors can be extremely successful while maintaining a focus on fair workforce practices and environmental ethics.

5 | THE ROLE OF THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATIONS IN BUILDING THE TRUST OF A CONSUMER BASE

From the outset, Natural Force chose to use several independent third-party certifications for their products. Tony Federico, VP of Marketing at Natural Force, comments that “our goal is to provide our customers nutrition they can trust, but we don’t expect them to simply take our word for it! That’s why in 2018 we opened up our business to B Lab and went through the process of becoming a certified B Corp (Benefit Corporation) as this puts the values of environmental sustainability, public transparency, and legal accountability right into our corporate charter.”

Becoming a B Corporation fit into the company´s sustainability-focused business model, and also allowed for a greater sense of transparency. “We send all of our products to third-party laboratories for testing, the results of which we share freely with our customers right on our website, so customers can see exactly what is, and what is not, in our products in full detail,” Federico mentions.

A recent study titled “A Meta-Analysis of Food Labeling Effects on Consumer Diet Behaviors and Industry Practices” published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that food labeling practices did have some effects on consumer choices [15]. Specifically, the study determined that increased consumer interest in nutrition labels and nutrition claims reduced the intake of “generally unhealthy choices” by 13 percent.

However, with half of Americans claiming to find food labels misleading, companies like Natural Force understand and take advantage of the need for Third-Party certification programs in building the trust of their consumer base.

“That’s why we work with trusted, third-party certifiers such as The Paleo Foundation, Project Non-GMO, and American Humane, as this confirms our dedication to sourcing the cleanest, best-quality ingredients possible,” Federico affirms.

But which third party certifications should health food brands prioritize? “Today’s consumers are looking for nutrition products that fit their specific values, which is why each certification is valuable in its own way,” he explains. “For people following very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets, seeing a Keto Certified seal is very impactful. For those who “eat like a caveman” and want to avoid Neolithic foods like grains, legumes, and industrial seed oils, Paleo Certified is key. And even if a consumer does not follow a specific diet, seeing a variety of certifications like Paleo and Keto may inspire them to learn more about these dietary approaches, so there is still value there!”

When initially when starting out as a brand, Natural Force was inherently attracted to the Paleo Diet as an inherent part of their brand identity. “Our founders Joe and Justin were following a Paleo diet when they started Natural Force, so we have been Paleo-minded from the very beginning,” Federico says. “From a marketing perspective, this led to us attending events like Paleo f(x) where we were able to get direct product feedback from enthusiastic and highly informed Paleo consumers. Our Certified Paleo products have also been featured in Paleo Magazine numerous times and have even won Paleo Magazine reader’s choice awards, accolades that 100 percent boosted our brand awareness and consumer interest,” he says.

Not only did Natural Force´s Paleo certification help to cement their brand identity and create a greater transparency with customers, but it also was fundamental in helping them conquer retail spaces early on in their formation. “Being early adopters of both Paleo and Keto Certification also gave us an advantage in the brick-and-mortar retail space as well as online,” Federico says. “Instead of ´jumping on the bandwagon´ when these trends took off, we were already buckled-up and ready to go!”

Federico believes that buyers for medium to large retailers are continuously analyzing market trends, consumer preferences, and other relevant data related to what people are purchasing for their dinner tables. “Retail buyers are no different than any other customer, so when they are seeing Keto Diet everywhere, and you can present them with an opportunity to carry something that is Keto Certified, it is very compelling,” he says.

The company´s Keto and Paleo certifications have also played an important role in helping Natural Force to determine which retail spaces to prioritize for their products, based on the coherency of the fit. “(Our third party certification) help us to identify which retailers we even want to work with, as we are very selective with our wholesale partnerships,” Federico mentions. “When a retailer is interested in Paleo and Keto, it is usually a sign that we will have a strong values match with them, so it is a great indicator of potential in the partnership.”

For startup health food brands, picking and choosing which retailers to work with might seem like a luxury. However, Federico believes that using your third party certifications as a cornerstone of your brand identity can help to orient and direct your marketing strategy, your product formulation, and other important aspects of growing the brand.

“Even before a product launches, knowing what certification you are targeting can help guide the formulation process. For example, if a new brand owner wants to make a low-carb chocolate bar, going into the process with a Keto certification in mind can help guide the formulation process and will make it more efficient,” Federico says.

“They could, for example, reference The Paleo Foundation’s Keto resources and see which sweeteners are appropriate for a Keto diet. After formulation is complete, the brand could then reach out to Keto influencers and though leaders to get direct feedback and input on their concept. And finally, when the product is ready to launch, creative assets focused on the products Keto Certified status can be activated with PPC advertising campaigns that directly target consumers interested in Keto snacks and desserts.”

Market trends and consumer demand are in a state of constant fluctuation, as any brand knows. Whereas some third party certifications languish in stagnant policies and standards, Natural Force appreciates the effort of The Paleo Foundation to remain at the forefront of these evolving issues. “Dietary trends are constantly evolving, so we appreciate how The Paleo Foundation regularly updates certifications like Paleo and Keto to match the latest science and emerging trends,” Federico says.

6 | NATURAL FORCE THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATIONS

• Certified Paleo • Keto Certified • Non-GMO Project Certified • USDA Organic • Certified B Corporation

7 | CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

8 | REFERENCES

1) Chodosh, S. (2018) These charts reveal America's complicated relationship with exercise. Popular Science. Available at: https://www.popsci.com/american-exercise-guidelines-charts/

2) Gough, C. (2019) U.S. fitness center / health club memberships 2000-2019. Statista. Available at:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/236123/us-fitness-center--health-club-memberships/

3) Dietary Supplements Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Ingredient (Vitamins, Minerals), By Form, By Application, By End User, By Distribution Channel, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027. (2020) Available at:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dietary-supplements-market

4) Natural Force Website. https://naturalforce.com/

5) 2019 Inc. 5000: The Most Successful Companies in America. Inc. Available at:

6) Siacon, A. (2018) These 2 Gym Buddies Turned Down 'Shark Tank,' and Their Multimillion-Dollar Business Is Thriving. Inc. Available at:

7) Hobson, J. (2019) Productivity, Retention And Cost Savings: Why Working From Home Benefits Employees And Employers. WBUR. Available at: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/07/23/work-from-home-benefits

8) Strain, K. (2019) How Telecommuting Saves Money—and the Planet, Too. PGI. Available at: https://www.pgi.com/blog/2019/11/how-telecommuting-saves-money-and-the-planet-too/

9) Mautz, S. A 2-Year Stanford Study Shows the Astonishing Productivity Boost of Working From Home. Inc. Available at:

10) Siacon, A. (2018) These 2 Gym Buddies Turned Down 'Shark Tank,' and Their Multimillion-Dollar Business Is Thriving. Inc. Available at:

11) Quinn, J. (2018) How Two College Roommates Turned $10,000 into a Thriving 7 Figure E-commerce Business. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@mynaturalforce/how-two-college-roommates-turned-10-000-into-a-thriving-7-figure-e-commerce-business-412674f73887

12) Quinn, J. (2018) How Two College Roommates Turned $10,000 into a Thriving 7 Figure E-commerce Business. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@mynaturalforce/how-two-college-roommates-turned-10-000-into-a-thriving-7-figure-e-commerce-business-412674f73887

13) About B Corps. Certified B Corporation. https://bcorporation.net/about-b-corps

14) About Natural Force. Natural Force. https://naturalforce.com/pages/about

15) Shanguan, S., Afshin, A., Shulkin, M., Mozzafarian, Dariush. (2018) A Meta-Analysis of Food Labeling Effects on Consumer Diet Behaviors and Industry Practices. doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.09.024

Business Spotlight: Natural Force

Have you ever picked up a workout supplement, only to read the laundry list of ingredients and put it back down in disgust? You likely have, because most supplement companies offer products that are filled with artificial ingredients, flavors, and fillers— and if you're anything like me you avoid "weird stuff" like the plague. But this is where Natural Force will delightfully surprise you. Recently, 2 Natural Force products were certified Paleo Friendly by the Paleo Foundation because they were offering products that were unlike the rest— they were real, they were effective, and they were Paleo. Natural Force founders Justin Quinn and Joe Rakoski are breaking ground in the Paleo Movement and setting the bar high for workout supplements, so we wanted to learn more about them and their motivation behind creating the Paleo-Friendly Raw Tea and Iskiate Endurance products.

1) Justin, Joe, what is your background and where did you meet?

Justin: We went to college together at Towson University in Maryland, which is outside of Baltimore. Joe and I were the first graduating class of the university’s Entrepreneurship program. Joe was a personal trainer for most of his early career and I worked for a large supplement chain for several years. We became good friends during our classes together and started training together regularly at the campus gym.

2) When did you first start Natural Force?

Joe: We started Natural Force shortly after we met at Towson. We were working on a small business internship together and were sharing our philosophies on training and nutrition. We worked out together all the time and talked regularly about supplements. Justin: I would always tell Joe about the latest new product in the supplement store that made outrageous claims or was just ridiculous. After all the poking fun, the conversation quickly shifted and we began wondering why sports supplement companies didn’t carry over nutritional values from healthy eating and instill them into their products. Joe: We thought someone should create a company that caters to the people that eat natural and healthy and base all of their products off of raw whole food ingredients. So we did! We set out to create the first line of sports supplements that did just that. 3) Joe, tell us about Body Force. Joe: Body Force is a small chain of training facilities that my girlfriend and I starting about a year after Justin and I launched NaturalForce. We have 2 locations in Maryland and we specialize in functional training. We train everyone from beginners, to soccer Mom, to athletes. Fitness has always been a passion of mine and I enjoy sharing my love for training to help change our clients’ lives. You can check us out at bodyforcetraining.com 4) Do you emphasize dietary changes in your clientele? Joe: Yes we do. As I know you will agree, “you cannot out train poor nutrition.” Once we get our clients settled into their new programs and fitness lifestyles, we start by helping them clean up their diets. We emphasize an “eat real foods” philosophy that is based on Paleo dieting principles, and we also incorporate the importance of fueling your body for training and aiding your body in recovery through proper supplementation (yes, we sell Natural Force products). 5) How did you get into sports supplements? Joe: The concept of fueling your body with the proper nutrients it needs has always been a core value that we both shared. We both got into sports supplements while seeking to maximize our training efforts. Nothing can replace food, but supplements are a great way to additionally fuel our body, especially when you place extra demand on it through intense exercise.

6) What are the core values of Natural Force products?

Justin: I’m really glad that you asked this question. Our core values are truly what sets us apart from any other supplement company. When we had the idea to start this company it was not just an idea for one product. It was an idea for an entire line of products based on our strict nutritional core values. We set out to create a BRAND that our health-conscious consumers could trust. Here are our core values and an example of each “in action” within our company. • Drive change and be different. We do not follow the trend of using the conventional ingredients that a lot of other supplement companies use. We take a new approach to creating unique, effective sports supplements by researching and using naturally powerful super foods. • Keep it simple and RAW. We follow Paleo Friendly principles and select only raw whole food based ingredients when designing our products. We never use vitamin or isolated supplement powders, etc. We never add any unnecessary fillers, artificial ingredients and especially flavoring to our products. • Loyalty and Trust. We set out to create a base of loyal, life time customers. We develop trust by not making outrageous claims when marketing our products, and we offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee on all of our products. We enhance our customers’ orders whenever possible through t-shirts, shakers and frequent buyer coupons. • Never Compromise Quality We source Organic ingredients for all of our products whenever possible. We go above and beyond to assure the best ingredient selection and manufacturing processes.

7) You say Natural Force is "BS-Free', what prompted you to market your products that way?

Justin: This past year we really did a lot of research and development coming up with our two new products. When it came time to develop our marketing strategy we were really struggling. Joe: Yeah, we kept saying these supplements are the purest, most raw thing consumers can get, but how do we convey this in a catchy way? It doesn’t have any flavoring. Okay. It doesn’t have any artificial coloring or unnecessary fillers. Okay. That’s all well and good but still doesn’t really tell me anything or make it stand out. Justin: That was when it clicked. We were talking back and forth, trying to hash everything out, and Joe asked me, “What does everyone else use in their products that we don’t?” To which I replied, “Well a lot of it is all a bunch of bullshit and marketing hype”. And that is how BS Free was born. It was the simplest way to describe what we were trying to do. 8) Your products contain Organic ingredients.. is this a new trend in the supplement industry, or do you feel you are trailblazers? Justin: Karen, when we first created the company we thought eventually consumers would move more and more towards using products with organic ingredients. We took a chance on this idea and have not seen anyone else do the same, so I feel that yes, we are blazing the trail when it comes to supplements. Joe: Consumers are definitely responding, so if anything, I feel we are kick starting the trend. It is something that we truly believe in and we think that there is value knowing that the sports supplements you are using are not contradicting your nutritional principles.

9) I believe over half of the ingredients in the Raw Tea are known aphrodisiacs. Are you sure this is a sports supplement? Can you take this tea anytime?

Justin: It is funny that you mention that. It became a widely used joke around here when we first started as to whether or not we should market the Raw Tea as more than just a pre-workout for its ability to “increase blood-flow”. Let’s just say it is a great pre-workout but we are not telling you that you can’t use it for other things.

10) Who did you create Natural Force products for?

Justin: We created this line of supplements for anyone who eats a natural, whole food based diet, and would like to carry those same principles over into their sports supplementation. We used our core values to set guidelines that for creation of our line of supplements before we even started. Everything we used in the formulas had to be comprised of whole food ingredients (no vitamin or supplement powders) and we would never add anything extra to the products, not even to flavor them. Joe: We didn’t realize it at the time, but when we set forth those principles, we were creating a line of “Paleo Friendly Training Supplements.” It has proven to be more difficult taking this approach, but by doing so, it has enabled us to build a base of loyal customers who share our same values.

11) If someone uses Raw Tea for pre-workout, how is this different from caffeine pills?

Justin: Good question. For one, with a caffeine pill, you are getting one stimulatory ingredient for energy (usually in an extremely high dose). That’s it. Our Raw Tea has 13 synergistic ingredients which provide you with a multitude of other workout benefits including increased energy, focus, blood flow, and fat burning. That is something that caffeine pills alone cannot give you. You are still getting caffeine from our Raw Tea, but from whole food sources. 12) You have a product called Iskiate Endurance, first, how do you even pronounce that? Second, what inspired this particular product and how does that benefit us? Joe: Karen, as you can imagine. We get asked this by almost every person we introduce this product to. The correct pronunciations is (is-KEE-ah-tay). This product was inspired by the tribal endurance drink of the Tarahumara. They are a tribe of super athletes from the Copper Canyon in Mexico known for their abilities to run for hundreds of miles without stopping. You may have heard of the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. This book gives the inside scoop on the Tarahumara, and their culture which has carried over into the modern running world today. Justin and I were designing the formula for our Intra Workout drink at the same time that I was reading that book. Justin: It was just a perfect timing inspiration. No other Intra Workout endurance product on the market can say that it’s been used for hundreds of years by super athletes! It’s a proven formula used by the Tarahumara. NaturalForce Iskiate Endurance has an added benefit twist however… We’ve added royal jelly and bee pollen to drink recipe which add more vitamins, minerals and amino acids. 13) How do you feel about companies that use “proprietary blends” Joe: Proprietary blends exist to help protect a specific recipe or blend of ingredients from being copied by the next company, so in some sense they are good. When a company fails to disclose specific amounts of certain ingredients that the consumer may deem important to know for health reasons, then that raises some eyebrows. We certainly understand why companies do it, but we believe in letting our customers know exactly “what” and “how much” of each and every ingredient that is in our products. You will also notice that in our other ingredients sections on all of our labels it reads “none.” 14) What makes you the angriest about the current supplement market? Joe: Probably the most frustrating thing is the marketing and claims made by many companies. They don’t reflect accurately on the actual products themselves, which is misleading to the consumer. I will not mention any companies, but some of the most recent examples I actually saw at 2014 Expo West in CA. In one ad I saw a company claiming that their vegan sport supplement shake product was 100% whole food based. After looking at the shakes profile listed on the company’s website, I was not surprised to find that this was certainly not the case. The product contained a full spectrum of vitamin powders ranging from vitamins A, B and it also contained flavoring. I fail to see how that is 100% whole food based. Granted, we are not an actual food either, but at least we are not dumping vitamin powders and flavoring into our products. Another company I saw at the show was marketing to the CrossFit community with their line of “natural sports supplements.” They had completely bogus studies on their table claiming that when their pre-workout was used vs a placebo, the subject was able to complete 17 rounds of a WOD containing a ½ mile run, 15 burpee plate jumps, 10 kb swings and 15 air squats in just 15 minutes. I would love to meet the person that did that! They Ran 8.5 miles in 15 minutes and not to mention all of the other stuff!!! This would not be possible for even the fittest person in the world to complete. It’s sad that companies stoop this low to take advantage of consumers and market their products this way. So, those types of things are frustrating, but as long as we stay true to what we believe in, we believe consumers will continue to see through other companys’ BS. 15) Where do you ship to? Justin: We offer always free shipping on all domestic orders. We also ship internationally to Canada and the United Kingdom. 16) How were your products received at Expo East? Justin: The last time we went to Expo East was actually 2 years ago. People were certainly interested, but the Paleo movement was still growing and not a lot of people understood why you would want a whole food based sports supplement. We knew we were onto something though, so we kept moving forward.

17) Where do you see Natural Force in 10 years?

Justin: Personally, I see us becoming a serious contender in the supplement market. The amount of people following a Paleolithic lifestyle is huge, and we are the only ones catering to their needs. We always set out to put our brand before anything else. From the beginning Joe and I always said we wanted to build a brand that people could trust and that is what we intend to do. One other thing that I really want to pursue as we grow and become a more influential pillar in the community is consumer education. I want to help give people as much information as I possibly can about diet and nutrition to genuinely help them. This goes into my point that: yes, Natural Force has products that are considered Paleo Friendly. However, I want to reach consumers who may not know a thing about the Paleo diet. A lot of the supplements out there are just plain horrible for your body and the only thing you get from them is a flashy label and some kidney damage. I would like to develop informational programs to educate the everyday consumer as much as possible. Joe: We have a great line of training supplements, but you have not seen everything from us yet. We have a ton of ideas in the pipeline and you will certainly be seeing more innovative products from us in the future. So, in 10 years, we see NaturalForce as the go to line of supplements for the Paleo athlete with a whole line of unique products that our customers can feel great about using. 18) Were there any questions that I failed to ask that need to be further discussed? Justin: There are several other things we wanted to address: • Flavoring. We think it is extremely important to address and highlight the fact that we do not use any flavorings in our product whatsoever. We truly believe that adding flavorings to products of any kind is wrong. If you think about it, our taste buds exist as a defense mechanism for the body. If something tastes good, it is usually a good sign that it is a food that is okay for your body to consume. Things that taste bad usually tell us not to consume these things because they are bad for our bodies or may have some other negative effects. I would like to compare this with taking pain killers. Pain mechanisms exist in our bodies to tell us that if something hurts, stop doing it. Taking a pain killer basically tricks your body, allowing you to keep doing whatever repetitive or harmful motion/activity you were doing before without the negative endocrine response, thereby causing further harm and stress on the body. Joe: Understanding. The only thing that I would like to add in closing is that we hope people see and understand what we are trying to do. There are always going to be people following Paleolithic principles that don’t agree with taking supplements of any kind. We can respect that. What we set out to do is provide the most transparent products that we can, as well as provide the consumer with as much information as possible, so that they can make an informed decision. To learn more about Natural Force, visit their brand page here. Interview with Natural Force Justin Quinn and Joe Rakoski by Karen Pendergrass