NutriFusion® 2024: Natural Plant-Based Vitamins & Minerals
William Grand, President and CEO of NutriFusion® talks to us about his company’s products and policies.
What was the inspiration for the creation of NutriFusion®?
The company was first launched in 2008. I was exposed to the technology and became extremely interested in it once I learned all the merits and advantages it has over synthetic vitamins.
It took a few years to get going. We were way ahead of our time, and the market actually grew into where we were. Since then, the company has been very active and has experienced huge growth.
What does NutriFusion® offer?
All of our products are plant-based. Our focus is principally on the nutrition coming from fruits and vegetables although we sometimes use other botanicals.
We preserve the make-up of the vitamins so when they’re introduced into customer products, they’re bioactive and bioavailable. Our products deliver vitamins from nature as opposed to synthetic vitamins, which have a very poor track record.
Which sectors do you focus on?
When we first started, our focus was on human food. We then branched out into food, beverage, pet, and nutraceuticals.
Interestingly enough, the pet food industry grasped our concept quite early on – these companies are totally focused on the health, nutrition, and welfare of our pets.
When it comes to food for humans, consumer packaged groups (CPGs) focus on getting the largest market share. For us, the real focus is what our product delivers to the customer and the health and welfare of humans.
Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a huge shift in attitudes towards health and wellbeing and many human food companies have approached us wanting to jump on the bandwagon.
What’s the science behind NutriFusion®?
We’ve developed a process that allows us to stabilize nutrients and prevent them from oxidizing. Imagine taking a bite of an apple, putting it down, and returning 15 minutes later, to find the apple turning brown. The nutrients are leaving the apple and over a period of time, there won’t be any nutritional value left at all.
Our product stabilizes this reaction. We also have the ability to concentrate it. When we deliver it to a customer, it’s very reliable and has a 24-month shelf life. We blend different fruits and vegetables together to create particular nutritional profiles. It could be a custom blend for a particular customer or one of our standard blends.
Who’s your target audience?
Our main focus is on R&D and product developers, although our product may be specified and may go to a contract packer for manufacturing.
Have you encountered any hurdles due to negative attitudes toward processed food?
On the contrary, we make processed foods healthier! We deliver plant-based nutrition into manufactured products and work with food manufacturing companies to enhance processed foods. The technology we have is unique.
Let's take a lasagna for example. Our product will likely be used in the retail sector, but not in the food-service sector as there’s less scrutiny and ingredients don’t have to be listed.
Our product can go into the sauce, or it can be directly incorporated into the pasta at the time it’s being made. Our product is versatile and can be added to many different products. It’s also very heat resistant and doesn’t degrade over time.
Do you have any competitors and why would companies choose NutriFusion® in particular?
Our significant competitor is synthetic vitamins due to the fact that they’re cheap. But they also have many issues and don’t work as well. The chemical structure of synthetics is different from the chemical structure of plant-based nutrition. Our bodies know how to absorb the nutrients from plants but not synthetics.
Companies have tried to mimic nature but with little or no success. Synthetic vitamins are poorly absorbed by the body and so much of the money you spend on them is wasted. The bioavailability and the biosorption of our products allow the body to take whatever it needs and deliver the nutrition.
There’s a term called oxidative stress. Over time, oxidation (which happens to every cell of our body) creates free radicals that eventually form clusters in our body. This is the precursor to causing chronic disease. The antioxidants help neutralize oxidative stress and free radicals. This is why bioavailability and biosorption are so crucial.
How do you see the future of your company in the world of AgriFoodTechnology?
We’ve won an award for the last two years where we ranked #53 of the top 500 companies worldwide in AgriFood Technology. This is because our technology and product are unique.
The pandemic really boosted company growth as the whole world turned to health and nutrition. This isn’t a simple fad or trend; it’s here to stay, hopefully forever.
