I remember my father telling me about the first time he became aware of the concept of sustainability, although he called it “taking care of your environment.” He became conscious of it almost 100 years ago when he first traveled to China and ventured into the interior. Sadly, it was an idea born out of tragedy.
When people visit Trout Lake Farm, they are often surprised at all the behind-the-scene action that takes place to ensure a steady supply of plant material for Nutrilite® products. They’re also intrigued by all the attention the team gives to research and innovation to stay on the leading edge.
It’s a complex, coordinated effort that brings together the right people and the right processes at the right time. And when you see it up-close and in-person, you can’t help but be impressed.
How does the team make it look so easy?
It’s a dedication to teamwork that should be the benchmark for every successful farming business.
The managers and leaders have worked together productively over the years to overcome more than their fair share of adversity and challenges. Farming, after all, can be a fickle business. You’re at the mercy of Mother Nature, and you need to pivot fast to prevent things from going wrong. Add long days in the fields, often from sunrise to dusk, and you have a challenge that demands everything the team can provide. They persevere, because they are powered by incredible teamwork, mutual respect and fierce loyalty that shows up in all that they do.
I am thrilled that this team is part of the Amway family. I especially love talking with Darwin Hintz as he shares stories of the field workers who make such a big difference for the Nutrilite brand. Darwin is the Technology Manager for Trout Lake Farm and Nutrilite/Amway Global Agribusiness. He’s never far from a camera so he can document the innovations and advancements that take place in the field to share with us.
You can see some of Darwin’s photos here.
I’ve written about Darwin and his brother Farm Manager Phil Hintz in a previous post. They grew up in the farming business. Farming is in their blood, and they know how to do things right.
Here are just a few of Darwin’s stories that spotlight field workers who give their best every day.
Salvador (“Chava”) Ramirez came to the United States when he was a teenager. He has an impressive farming skill set, all learned from the ground up.
Farming isn’t much different than other skills: If you want to get ahead, there’s no substitute for putting in the work. Chava did just that.
His days of loading plant materials into dryers using only a pitchfork are long gone. Today technology is the watchword, and Chava spends his time running sophisticated tillage and harvest equipment and using state-of-the art irrigation technology to keep the crops irrigated without water waste.
It’s not uncommon for Chava to work long hours and go to bed late, yet consistently wake up about 3:30 a.m.
Ask him what drives him and he’ll tell you: “I told the BIG GUY that I am so thankful to be able to wake up early, and be alive. I don’t want to waste the day and I can’t wait to come out to the farm, check the irrigation and see the sun come up.”
Chava’s positive outlook and work ethic is inspiring, but what really sets him apart is his perseverance and willingness to learn new skills.
The benefits of a close-knit bond
Darwin often tells me that the crew members are a close-knit team, and the Aguinaga family is a great example.
During the peak of the season, Jose “PePe” Aguinaga leads a field crew of up to 80 people. When PePe is out in the field, the productivity of the crew shifts into overdrive. He is that effective at executing the plans for the day. PePe excels at maintaining momentum, and has the ability to quickly change fields and adjust techniques based on changing weather and field conditions.
PePe’s wife Isabel works alongside him in the field when she’s not assisting the root washer and dryer teams. She has done so for many years. Isabel had an administrative job, but gave it up to work with her husband in the fields, believing it was better for their family and their health.
Their son Jose (“Junior”) Aguinaga, Jr. has been at Trout Lake Farm East since he was 16 years old, working in all field crew departments.
Junior’s versatility is vital to operations with his focus on keeping track of labor and working in our Amway GAP and safety programs. All this while he stays up-to-date on equipment utilization requirements.
Darwin explains that this type of multi-generational commitment helps create continuity and depth of knowledge so vital to long-term sustainability.
Say no to status quo
Having the right people in place, as well as the right processes, helps us pivot quickly to meet challenges head on.
The team is continually fine-tuning their ways, even in their sleep. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night inspired to solve a problem,” says Darwin. “I often write down concepts that become the framework for a new piece of equipment or a new process that can advance our capabilities.”
“One process that we’re fanatical about is meticulous record keeping,” says Darwin. In this way, the team can easily go back and trace the entire journey from seed to plant to ingredient and finally to the end consumer.
Consumers deserve products they can trust, so this attention to detail is a big deal.
It’s all part of a bigger strategy that moves us closer to a better system for soil and plant health. We don’t accept the status quo. Darwin says it best, “If we are just duplicating our performance year after year, we would not have the drive or passion to tell the story.”
Darwin continues to keep an eye out for highlights to share whether it’s during a good day in the field or not. Actually, it’s the bad days when the temperature plummets, the wind howls and the soil scatters that truly showcase the dedication and passion of the team.
The next time you reach your favorite Nutrilite supplement (or recommend one to a friend), I encourage you to think of the people behind the brand, people like Darwin, Phil, Chava, PePe, Isabella, Junior and so many others at Trout Lake Farm. They are a big reason why millions of health-conscious people in over 50 countries around the world trust their health to the Nutrilite brand.
Let’s give a big shout out to the team!
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Continue reading The Right People & Processes Help Us Pivot Fast
You may have noticed more people are becoming interested in traditional herbal therapies, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda. I know I have. This is something my father was keenly aware of 100 years ago when he worked and lived in China. In fact, some marketers call it a “mega-trend,” and it has a global reach.
The holistic approach of traditional medicine is all about bringing the body, mind and spirit into balance with nature. Acupuncture, massage, exercise, diet and the like contribute, but the evidence is clear: It’s therapeutic herbs like goji berry, chrysanthemum and others that are capturing the attention of today’s consumer.
In the United States, the herbal supplements segment is expected to grow by 5 percent over the five-year period of 2018-2023. In China, where TCM therapies are weaved into the fabric of national health policies, sales growth is expected to grow at a similar pace, about 6 percent over the same time period. In country after country, the projected growth rate is either on par or better than that for the entire vitamin category.
As more and more people look to herbal products to meet their personal healthcare needs, more are concerned about product safety. Consumers want to know a product is safe, authentic and effective, but they also need to be confident that a product contains the herb they think they are buying. It’s a big deal, especially for a TCM supplement that a consumer relies on for therapeutic benefits.
For this reason, our scientists are working hard to take TCM products to the next level by combining ancient wisdom with modern science, including a new diagnostic test called DNA barcoding. It’s a scientific breakthrough so big that some scientists say it is as important as the human genome project.1 In simple terms, DNA barcoding uses a plant’s genetic makeup to confirm its identify.
Here are three reasons why you’ll want to know about DNA barcoding and why it matters for TCM products that bear the Nutrilite® name:
It’s hard to dispute the consistency and reliability of DNA barcoding. That’s because the technique relies on the one thing that is unique to every living thing: DNA. It’s the unique genetic fingerprint for every living organism, whether it’s a plant, bacteria, animal or a human being.
DNA barcoding doesn’t rely on a scientist’s opinion to identify a plant species. Typically, scientists rely on morphology – the form and structure of a plant – to determine it identity. These methods primarily depend on skill and expertise. If plants look too much alike, it can be a challenge to identify a plant with a reasonable degree of accuracy by morphological features alone.
DNA barcoding combined with other techniques such as phytochemical fingerprinting ensures we have the right plant — and the right plant part — to provide the health benefits that we are looking for.
DNA barcoding works for TCM herbs, regardless of a plant’s age, growing conditions or plant part. A Goji seedling and mature plant ready for harvest would both have the same DNA barcode, regardless of where grown. Likewise, the flower, stem and root of a Chrysanthemum plant would all have the same DNA barcode. By using a genetic fingerprint, DNA barcoding is one of the most effective ways to ensure the identity of a raw herbal material destined for a Nutrilite® TCM product.
DNA barcoding technology is great on its own, but when combined with phytochemical fingerprinting, it’s especially powerful. Add our manufacturing excellence, farm-to-supplement traceability story and our Best of Nature, Best of Science philosophy, and you have the perfect formula for safe, authentic and effective TCM products that can earn the trust of today’s consumers.
We have recognized the value of therapeutic herbs from the start. It’s part of the rich history behind the Nutrilite® brand that dates back to my father’s time in China over a 100 years ago when he first observed the health-promoting properties of plants. Since then, we’ve built on my father’s work with strong science and leading-edge technology, like barcoding.
I, for one, am eager to see the launch of TCM products made even better with this Nutrilite® twist.
Stay tuned!
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(1) Han J, Pang X, Liao B, et al. An authenticity survey of herbal medicines from markets in China using DNA barcoding. Sci Rep. 2016;6:18723. PMID: 26740340.
After five years, the Stanford WELL for Life study has completed Phase I, and I’m excited to share the team’s key accomplishments and what the future holds for the WELL study.
The WELL study started with the launch of the Wellness Living Laboratory in 2014. We can thank Dr. John Farquhar for leading the charge to get things up and running so quickly.
As many of you know, John was the founder of the Stanford Prevention Research Center. He was also a lifelong friend and one of my mentors. I recall so many lively conversations over the years about our shared passion for disease prevention. A common topic was how to study disease prevention in a measurable, scientific way, but so too was uncovering the diverse factors that relate to optimal well-being.
Of course, we agreed on the usual suspects – physical health, mental and emotional health, and spirituality – but we also knew there was more behind this seemingly elusive notion of well-being.
But what?
This is the question we need to answer if we want to improve well-being for everyone. It starts with finding a better, more complete definition of “well-being,” one that captures all the diverse factors that people point to when they talk about their well-being. Then, we need to learn how best to measure it and, of course, promote it.
That’s what the WELL study is all about.
John did a yeoman’s job getting the WELL study up and running. Amway provided Stanford University with much of the seed money to get the ball rolling, thanks to an unrestricted gift through the Nutrilite Health Institute Wellness Fund. John provided the visionary leadership, and the research team hit the ground running.
The first phase of the WELL study was completed in December 2019. During these initial five years, the research team focused on creating the infrastructure needed to support and grow its research efforts and foster collaboration with others interested in sustaining global health. To date, they have recruited over 28,000 study participants and have five WELL cohorts around the world, including WELL Bay Area (United States), WELL China, WELL Taiwan, WELL Singapore and WELL Thailand.
Using solid research methods, the WELL team has been able to uncover just how multi-dimensional well-being is. A fulfilling life, it turns out, is much more holistic than just physical fitness or mental health.
The researchers identified at least 10 separate domains that people associate with well-being. Yes, a healthy mind, body and spirit are included, but other domains related to a person’s social, economic, and physical environments are also important.
And, some of these may surprise you.
For example, people also rate factors like social connectedness, financial security, resilience and stress management, a sense of self, and the ability to explore and be creative as important for their well-being.
Armed with this information, the team was able to develop a qualitative questionnaire that could help them better understand the impact of each domain on the level of an individual’s level of well-being. While they are all important, some are more important than others depending upon where you live. In the WELL Bay Area cohort, for example, the researchers found that well-being is mostly linked to social connectedness and lifestyle behaviors. In the WELL China cohort, however, the key well-being domains are physical health and stress/resilience.
To me, this is such valuable information. Why? It allows us to focus on the specific factors that matters most to people in their own communities.
The researchers are also collecting clinical information on study participants in various WELL cohorts. They now have over 300,000 blood, urine, stool, toenails and hair specimens from the WELL cohorts in Asia. All specimens are collected in the WELL BioBank, which serves as a first-of-its-kind repository for such a vast data set.
As the researchers analyze the information collected, they are publishing their findings to share with public health stakeholders in academia, business and government. And, they are off to a wonderful start. The WELL team has already published six articles in peer-reviewed journals on their initial findings, and they expect to submit a dozen more in 2020.
I am so proud that Amway and the Nutrilite Health Institute played an important role in launching the WELL study. Now other organizations and individuals are funding the WELL study as it enters its second phase. This is an important phase as the team builds on their initial work, expands their global reach, and streamlines data collection with innovative technologies like wearable devices that can capture real-time data.
Dr. Farquhar passed away in 2018 at the age of 91, one year before the completion of the first phase of the WELL study. I miss him and our lively conversations about well-being. If he were alive today, I can only imagine how incredibly proud John would be of the WELL team, their initial accomplishments and their commitment to take the WELL study into the next phase. I know I am. After all, it all adds up to one important thing: Helping more people live a fulfilling life with purpose.
The WELL team continues to investigate the lifestyle factors that matter most for people today. In one fascinating study, Professor Ann Hsing, PhD, MPH, the primary investigator for three WELL cohorts (China, Singapore and Taiwan) and the Stanford WELL for Life research team are currently investigating the effect of sheltering in place on well-being. For this study, about 5,000 study participants are completing a WELL questionnaire that measures distress and other parameters of well-being over the next year. With information like this, we can get a better handle on the short- and long-term effects of physically distancing on physical health, emotions and social connectedness.
Stay tuned!
P.S. To learn more about the WELL researchers, publications, updates on the WELL cohorts around the world, visit the official Stanford WELL for Life website.
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I’ve often said that sharing the benefits of optimal health is the best business to be in, and for good reason. To me, healthy living is how you create the energy you need to make steady progress towards your goals. It’s where you find the strength to move around obstacles that may be holding you back. Plus, when you make health a priority, you’re ready for just about any adventure that life sends your way. But when it comes to helping others get there, it’s important to remember one thing: It’s not about you.
I’ve spent a lifetime traveling around the world as a Nutrilite Brand Ambassador talking with people about the importance of healthy living and Nutrilite™ products. One thing I’ve learned from my travels is that, when you share the benefits of Nutrilite products, it’s best to meet people where they are at.
Sure, you may be excited to share the rich history behind the Nutrilite brand or talk about our sustainable farming practices and farm-to-supplement traceability, our impressive R&D efforts, or our manufacturing quality. I certainly am. After all, it all adds up to why people around the world consider Nutrilite products to be the best nutritional supplements around.
But for some people, all this good information can be a bit too overwhelming. For them, a gentle nudge with a healthy dose of fun may be a better approach.
That’s the genius of the newest addition to the Nutrilite family of brands: n* by Nutrilite™. The goal of this lively, new brand is straightforward: Meet people where they’re at with products they can experience wrapped in inspiring packaging to help them go after those small daily wins that make bigger things possible. I think Rich DeVos says it best: “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.”
Plus, the n* by Nutrilite brand keeps nutrition top of mind so it’s easier for a person to think about (and ultimately choose) more sophisticated foundational products to meet their personal nutritional needs.
And, when someone is ready to learn more, you can help.
It all starts by building your authority. Why? When it comes to buying unique, high-quality products, consumers prefer to do business with someone they know, trust and depend on. Double X™ supplement and other Nutrilite foundational products are no exception.
Build your authority, and you’re sure to be that person. Plus, it’s easier than you may think.
Here’s how:
Just about the easiest way for people to get to know you and understand that you’re serious about your commitment to health is to be a product of the product. When you use Nutrilite supplements, it’s a good bet that your energy and vitality will shine through to tell the Nutrilite story for you.
It’s also a good bet that people will want to learn more about your routine, including your dietary habits and why you take Nutrilite supplements. Be ready to share factual information. Learn as much as you can about the role of nutrition and supplements in maintaining optimal health. You’ll also want to learn about what makes Nutrilite products so unique, including our Best of Nature, Best of Science philosophy, that you won’t find in any other brand.
People are more inclined to buy a high-quality product like a Nutrilite supplement when someone they believe in, someone they trust, recommends it, rather than because of any advertising. For this reason, you can have a powerful impact on helping a potential customer make the best choice for them, simply by earning their trust.
Finally, you can help customers learn more about the variety of products the Nutrilite brand has to offer by delivering great customer service. Plus, satisfied consumers continue to buy from you and refer others to you. All because you are dependable. With great customer service, you can become a reliable resource known for helping your customers find the right products for their individual needs.
Now, who’s ready to add a little more fun to the serious business of healthy living? Please feel free to share how you help customers achieve their goals with Nutrilite supplements in the comment section below. I’d be interested to hear!
Cheers,
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