Vemma Nutrition Company, one of the world’s fastest growing liquid dietary supplements has just launched a three ounce Energy Shot this weekend at the company’s 4th annual convention, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Â
We had heard rumblings that Verve was creating the new energy shot back in August of last year.
The new drink, the Verve Energy shot, is a three ounce shot perfect for people on the go. The shot is available in low sugar and sugar free. The drink is a perfect addition to the company’s Verve Energy drink line which has been wildly popular in just the few short years it has been on the market. The Energy Shot business has been one of the fastest growing beverage categories. According to a report by bevnet.comthe energy shot industry grew nearly $100 million dollars in 2008 and analysts expect it could be a $500 million dollar business in 2009.
The Verve Energy Shot is a healthy all natural alternative to many of the shots currently on the market. The mangosteen based drink contains a fast acting blend of superfruit juices including aloe and mangosteen in a clinically tested formula. The company claims that the shot contains low amounts of sugar and will not cause the crash that is a side effect of many shots.
BK Boreyko, President and CEO of Vemma announced the addition of the new drink at the Vemma Convention in Las Vegas last week. In attendance at the convention were over 2500 Independent Members including Shawne Merriman, three time Pro Bowl linebacker for the San Diego Chargers.
BK was excited about showing off the drink at the convention and about its release into the marketplace. “As a young brand in the energy drink/functional beverage marketplace, Verve has definitely raised the standard and credibility when it comes to exceeding people’s health and energy needs. Every one of our Members is fired up about our Verve Energy Shot and the momentum it creates to positively fulfill people’s daily nutritional gaps, but also to tap into the financial freedom our business opportunity presents them.”
The new shot is available on the website, http://www.verve.com, through your local distributor and will be available at select retail stores through hybrid marketing.
Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) announced their fourth quarter and full years 2008 sales and profit numbers. Despite the faltering economy, the news and numbers were not all bad.
While sales increased in the fourth quarter, the company said that sales were negatively impacted by poor foreign exchange rates. This caused a sales decreased of 10% percent compared to 2007.
 its profit for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 27 reached $65.8 million, or $1.06 per diluted share, up from $54.9 million, or 88 cents per diluted share, from the same period in 2007, helped by the disposal of assets.
The increased profit came as sales dropped 10 percent year over year. It had sales of $521.7 million during quarter, down from $576.9 million the year before.
For the full year, the Kissimmee-based company (NYSE: TUP) had a net income of $161.4 million, or $2.56 per share, compared to a net income of $116.9 million, or $1.87 per share. Sales for the year were $2.16 billion, up from $1.98 billion in 2007.
Chairman and CEO, Rick Goings commented, “We were pleased to hold our own in the fourth quarter in light of the difficult external environment. Sales in our emerging market businesses increased 11% in local currency and our established market businesses were down 4% in local currency in the quarter. Among our established markets, France was a stand out on the positive side and we were pleased to have a 5% local currency increase in company sales by Tupperware United States and Canada. We were also pleased to be able to reduce our outstanding debt in 2008, while continuing to support our 88 cent per share annual dividend, which reflected the strong cash flow that our business generates.”
Tupperware held its conference call on February 4th and is now archived for all of you who would like to listen in to it on www.tupperwarebrands.com
Daytime talk show, the Doctors, dedicated a spot on their show a few weeks ago to the top ten health trends of 2009and one of the featured products on that list was the acai berry. In touting the benefits of this popular super-fruit, the 4 doctors on the talk show panel highlighted MonaVie the all natural super-fruit acai drink that has garnered much of the market share of the acai berry drinks.
The health trends segment aired the second week of January and MonaVie made it to number 7 on the list of the most popular and talked about health trends.
MonaVie was one of the first acai berry drinks to hit the market in the last few years and has soared in popularity. Doctors have called the antioxidant packed berry from the Amazon the “miracle berry.â€
MonaVie is a blend of 19 different fruits, including the Acai. Acai contains anthocyanins which are a family of antioxidants that fight and neutralize the effects free radicals can have on the body. Acai contains concentrated amounts of the antioxidants which providing an extra helping of the free radical fighting power.
You can read a synopsis of the show on thedoctorstv.com Or….just watch the clip here!
Roger Barnett, CEO and Chairman of Shaklee Corporationannounced plans to launch a nationwide campaign to promote the Shaklee business opportunity. The 50 year old company hopes to raise awareness of the potential the company offers for financial freedom. Barnett says that the Shaklee opportunity has the chance to help over a million families throughout 2009. The campaign got underway in Greensboro NC on February 9th.
Shaklee representatives on the tour will tout the benefits of becoming an independent distributor and highlight the chance to become financially independent while taking control of your life and time. Barnett will promote Shaklee’s revolutionary business model that will help those in need even during the economic downturn.
“Families are struggling to make ends meet in this difficult economy,” says Barnett. “While so many others are cutting back, we’re a 50-year-old company with a revolutionary business model that’s seeking to create one million new entrepreneurial opportunities to give people the potential to thrive even during these difficult economic times. Shaklee has actually grown during the past seven economic downturns. Our economic growth, combined with products that make people and the planet healthier, make Shaklee a powerful force for good,” says Barnett.
The tour comes at a perfect time, when millions of Americans have lost their jobs within the last year, and new jobs are scarce, if not impossible to find. The tour will travel to half a dozen cities and expose thousands to the possibility of operating their own independent business. Shaklee hopes to highlight the opportunity the company provides either to supplement income or create a source of full time income.
Shaklee is over 50 years old, and is one of the most well respected companies not only in the Direct Sales Industry but in the world. Shaklee has been a pioneer in the fields of all natural products that are healthy and harmless to the environment.
The nationwide tour will run through Feb. 14 and is free and open to the public. For information on this campaign, call 1-800-SHAKLEE.
Tour dates:
Greensboro, NC — February 9
New York City, NY — February 10 (Spanish translation provided)
Chicago, IL — February 11 (Spanish translation provided)
Dallas, TX — February 12
Denver, CO — February 13
Los Angeles, CA — February 14 (Spanish language provided)
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Longabergerannounced this past week that the company, famous for its hand woven baskets, will begin selling the American Home Pottery collection in just a month. The new collection which will include plates, bowls, and mugs will all be stamped with the words “Made in America,†and will be available to consumers March 1st.
Longaberger will continue to sell its current pottery line, which is made in Asia, but hopes the newest products will appeal to the many consumers who in these hard economic times have become conscious of buying American to help others stay employed and to strengthen and rebuild the economy.
The company’s new line of pottery will be made in three locations in the west and Midwest. For some unknown reason, the company is choosing to keep the location of these three facilities secret. The company said that are still working out details with suppliers and is open to adding additional pottery makers.
“Made in America matters,” company president and chief executive Tami Longaberger said in a press release. “Rebuilding our nation’s economy requires an investment in America and its workers. It is the right thing to do. It is what we’re about.”
Pottery accounts for about 15 percent of the company’s sales. While the new line of pottery will cost slightly more than the current line produced in Asia, the benefits of buying and supporting the made in the U.S. pottery, far out way the few extra bucks that you will spend on the products.
With the United States having some major economic problems, and a record number of people losing their jobs, it’s no wonder that some direct sales companies are seeing sales and profit rise as those who need jobs and extra income are flocking to a variety of work-at-home opportunities
One company that is seeing record profits is Amway Global. The Ada, Michigan based direct sales company says that they will see sales in excess of $8.2 billion dollars in 2008. At a recent ceremony at Helen DeVos Hospital, Co- Founder Rick DeVos made the announcement that the company will see record sales this year.
The $8.2 billion dollar figure is a 15% jump from sales in 2007, and that’s during what many are calling a nation-wide depression. While Amway Global is privately held and therefore does not release profitability figures they will make an official statement in the next week or so in regards to sales numbers.
One major reason for the huge jump in sales is the marketing blitz that the company went on during the last year. Commercials, print ads, and major concert sponsorships have put the brand on the global radar. Just in the last year, Amway has partnered with Tina Turner, John Teshand soccer superstar Ronaldinhoamong others in promoting Amway products. Amway has also retired the Quixtar brand used in the U.S. and Canada and promoted the re-invention of Amway Global in those regions through high profile spots on major television networks and in print ads.
It will be interesting in the next few weeks to hear from Amway Global leaders give more detail about sales figures, marketing campaigns and future plans to promote the brand.
Amway is one of the few companies that have been smart enough to up their advertising and marketing spending during an economic downturn. Amway understands the benefit of reaching people during these turbulent times to offer products the people want and educate the people about the opportunity that becoming part of the Amway Global family can provide.
The peanut recall seems to keep growing every week with more and more companies recalling products with peanuts, peanut butter and peanut paste. The network marketing industry has recentally fallen victim to the salmonella outbreak as well and Isagenix is the latest company to have to issue a recall.
The health and nutrition company has just recalled their Chocolate Dipped Honey Peanut IsaLean Bar because the bar contains peanut based ingrediants that were manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America, (PCA) the plant that has been identified as the source of the salmonella outbreak.
Isagenix is no longer using PCA as a peanut ingredient supplier, however many of the bars out there today were made with peanut products from PCA and therefore, as a precaution Isagenix has ordered the voluntary recall.
The recall only applies to that one bar and does not apply to the Chocolate Crunch bar or the Peanut Crunch bar.
Isagenix says that thus far they have received no reports of illness due to their products. The recall is voluntary and is in accordance with FDA guidelines regarding peanut products made using PCA as a supplier.
Isagenix issued a statement about the recallsaying, Consumer safety is our number one priority, along with other major bar manufacturers and keeping in line with the recommendations FDA, we are urging all customers who have purchased or are in possession of the Chocolate Dipped Honey Peanut Bar with the above mentioned lot numbers to immediately destroy them. If you have distributed any of the affected products, please immediately contact those accounts/customers, advise them of the recall and instruct them to immediately destroy them. Customers seeking a replacement bar for the above lot numbers are being asked to call an Isagenix representative at 1-877-877-8111 and a replacement product will be issued.
While the company claims that no illnesses have been reported….this weekend while on vacation, I met a woman who did indeed get salmonella poisoning from the Isagenix bar. Remember, many of these illnesses go unreported. Don’t take any chances. If you have any of these Chocolate Dipped Honey Peanut bars, dispose of them and don’t risk getting sick!
USANA Health Sciences gave their investors a look at some preliminary financials last week after the company received some news that had an effect on its fourth quarter. Usana said they expected to report a profit of 56 cents a share before one time adjustments when they release fourth quarter results next month. Those profits will likely fall to around 16 cents a share after the company is forced to fork over a hefty sum as a result of a tax audit by the IRS.
Because Usana is publicly traded company (NasdaqGS: USNA), they are required to keep its shareholders in the loop about events that could have an impact on the value of their investments. The company didn’t want to wait until next month to release the news but we did provide a sneak peakof their promise a few months back.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Yates said “We are trying to fulfill that obligation by communicating as openly and as timely as it is possible to be.”
The IRS audit of tax statements for the years of 2003-2006 found that Usana owed more taxes to the government than they had paid. Usana has subtracted $1.8 million from quarterly profits to account for the ruling, but the final impact of the ruling could be much greater and could reach as much as $10 million dollars after Usana exhausts its appeals. And that wasn’t the only bad financial news the company received this year……
The company just recently lost a battle against a distributor who was fired in 2003 after allegedly breaching a contract with the company. An arbitrator found in favor of the distributor and ruled that he is entitled to approximately $7million dollars in lost compensation.
Usana will announce full fourth quarter results next month although early reports suggest that net sales will be down quite a bit from last year along with profit, revenue and share price.
The salmonella scare that has hit the U.S. has finally made its way to the direct sales industry. Amway Globalhas announced that the company has voluntarily issued a recall of three types of the Nutrilite Energy Bars due to the possibility that they contain peanut paste that has been tainted with salmonella.
Last week, Amway Global recalled three flavors, the vanilla pretzel, peanut butter and chocolate nut roll Energy Bars. The company said that those three flavors possibly contain or have been tainted in some way by the peanut paste that is at the center of the health scare.
The recent salmonella outbreak has been traced by the Food and Drug Administrationto the Peanut Corporation of America in Georgia, a vendor that Amway sometimes uses for their products. Robin Luymes, communications manager for Amway said that customers have been notified by letter.
Amway also notified customers that another product sold in the Amway Global catalog, the Austin Toasty Crackers, have been recalled due to contamination as well.
If you have purchased these products through Amway or an Amway Global rep, please either return them to the company or throw them away!! Although no confirmed cases of salmonella have been linked to Amway products, it’s better to be safe!
The products, SKUs, and manufacturing lots are being recalled are:
Vanilla Pretzel Energy Bar, SKU/UPC 10-6529; lot numbers 8219A, 8242A, 8276A and 8304A
Peanut Butter Energy Bar, SKU/UPC 10-6530; lot numbers 8294A and 8340A
Chocolate Nut Roll Energy Bar, SKU/UPC 10-6528; lots numbers 8287A, 8357A and 8246A
Product Intro Kit, SKU/UPC E9745; lot numbers 8275BPS1, 8275BPS2, 8275BPS3, 8275MSN1, 8275MSN2 and 8275MSN3.
The lot numbers appear on both the package and the individual bars.
XanGo LLC has named Larry V. Macfarlane as the company’s newest Chief Marketing Officer.
MacFarlane comes to the company with over two decades of experience in the direct sales industry, having previously worked for several industry powerhouses including NuSkin Enterprises.
Larry Macfarlane has also served as President of Big Planet, since September 2003. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Macfarlane worked for Wind River Systems from 1998 to 2003, where he served as General Manager of network infrastructure and digital consumer markets. Previously, he served in executive positions at several high-tech companies, including President and CEO of Zinc Software, Inc. from 1994 to 1998, Vice President and General Manager of Computer Equipment Warehouse’s Utah region from 1992 to 1994, and President of Computers Made Easy from 1985 to 1992.
Macfarlane will be responsible for leading the company with new marketing and business initiatives. Macfarlane will work with others in the XanGo marketing team to lead all aspects of marketing including product management, marketing and branding.
In his previous role at NuSkin, Macfarlane served as a division president where he was responsible for developing new opportunities and helping to enhance the value of the NuSkin brand.
The new drink, the Verve Energy shot, is a three ounce shot perfect for people on the go. The shot is available in low sugar and sugar free. The drink is a perfect addition to the company’s Verve Energy drink line which has been wildly popular in just the few short years it has been on the market. The Energy Shot business has been one of the fastest growing beverage categories. According to a report by bevnet.com the energy shot industry grew nearly $100 million dollars in 2008 and analysts expect it could be a $500 million dollar business in 2009.
Tupperware Brands Corporation
Longaberger will continue to sell its current pottery line, which is made in Asia, but hopes the newest products will appeal to the many consumers who in these hard economic times have become conscious of buying American to help others stay employed and to strengthen and rebuild the economy.
The health and nutrition company has just recalled their Chocolate Dipped Honey Peanut IsaLean Bar because the bar contains peanut based ingrediants that were manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America, (PCA) the plant that has been identified as the source of the salmonella outbreak.
The recent salmonella outbreak has been traced by the 