Connect – Expo West ’22
Screens, we’ve learned to love and hate them over the last few years. But nothing compares to an in-person meeting. Better yet, an in-person event as grand as NPEW. There were planned meetings and spontaneous connections with the people that make our industry great. Our team raved about the brainstorming meetings to discuss new products and time to catch up on family/life events. The highlight was meeting so many new people who’ve joined the industry since the pandemic. Expo West ’22 was a breath of fresh air in so many ways. We’re already counting down the days until SupplySide West in the Fall and the next Expo West!
To take your market concept to the next level, connect with us at sales@eliteonesource.com
Inform – Industry News
Supplements that Support Sleep
By Jen Zarewski
Sales & Marketing at Elite One Source
Trouble sleeping is not new, and unfortunately, the pandemic was like a shot of caffeine that won’t wear off when it comes to our sleep. In 2020 both the mood and mental health categories, which encompasses stress management products and the healthy sleep sector, broke $1 billion in sales. That’s a mind-boggling 36.6% increase for sleep supplements, making it the fastest-growing condition-specific category outside of immune health.
We know that sleep troubles put you at a higher risk for clinical anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Research is showing that nearly 37% of the general US population have clinically developed insomnia, with 26% having anxiety and 23% having depression. Weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes are also linked to poor sleep. The repercussions of poor sleep affect other aspects of one’s life as well. Nearly 40% of those polled reported their sleep issues negatively affecting their personal lives, and 30% indicated that it is interfering with their professional lives. Overall, people with insomnia experience a lower quality of life. With this data, it’s easy to understand why the sleep supplement category is growing at such a rapid rate.
There is a long and well known list of supplements that can help support healthy sleep, among them Ashwagandha which helps with sleep and stress management. Camomile, passionflower, lavender, lemon balm, L-theanine, and holy basil specifically in tea can often feel relaxing and support better sleep. Melatonin remains the leader, in the mainstream sleep ingredients market alone, sales grew 31% last year.
New delivery formats are gaining popularity to help consumers combat pill fatigue, most notably functional food in the form of chocolates. Chocolate itself contains flavonols, antioxidants, and minerals such as magnesium, an ingredient that has been studied as a sleep aid. Along with the naturally occurring healthy fats that act as a carrier that may help improve the bioavailability of functional ingredients that are added. And, it goes without saying that it’s enjoyable, making this sleep aid an easy habit to start and keep.
Other emerging delivery formats are teas, drink mixes, creamers, tinctures, even patches. Projections are that by 2024, the sleep supplement market will be more than twice the size it was in 2018. It’s exciting to look to the future and what types of formats will be developed to help consumers sleep better.
Sources:
New Hope article
Nutritional Outlook article
NBJ February 2022 – Stressed and Sleepless
SSW Education Series: Ingredients for Managing Sleep & Stress February 2022
Connect – Elite Update
How We’re Combating Challenges
By: Elite Team Collaboration
The whole world is dealing with some big challenges, everywhere you turn people are discussing supply shortages, inflation, price increases, labor shortages, and COVID. At Elite we pride ourselves on being solution-focused. We believe that sharing some of the tactics we’re using to address these current challenges will lead to shared success.
Labor Demand
This year Elite partnered with Missoula College to create a Manufacturing Excellence Program. Elite pays tuition for our team members to earn credits toward an advanced college degree.
- Our team has also:
- Partnered with Veteran and Refugee Groups to offer employment opportunities.
- Improved wages and insurance offerings to surpass the local market.
- Awarded bonuses for perfect attendance.
- Scheduled our production and support team to offer either 3 day weekends or voluntary overview.
- Recognized team members for safety leadership.
- Last but not least, recently relaunched our Pay-for-Skill Program; as team members learn new skills, their pay reflects that!
Supply Chain
We’ve worked to create new, supportive transportation solutions utilizing long-standing relationships with our shipping partners. We partnered with our strong vendor relationships to the mutual benefit of both parties. We increased stocking inventory levels of certain raw materials. In some cases, we diversified our supplies by qualifying new vendors and alternative ingredients.
Connect – International Women’s Day
On March 8th we recognize International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day to celebrate the social, economical, cultural, and political achievements of women. Join us on our social platforms as we recognize and celebrate a few of the women that help make Elite a leader in the contract manufacturing industry!
This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias, reinforcing the message that we can all choose to call out gender bias and inequality and ensure that difference is not only valued but also celebrated!
Our brains rapidly categorize people instinctively using visible and non-visible characteristics to group people. Unconscious bias happens by our brains making incredibly quick judgments and assessments of people and situations without us realizing it. Our biases are influenced by our background, cultural environment, and personal experiences. Please enjoy this Harvard Business article on unconscious bias.
#IWD22 #InternationalWomensDay #EliteOneSource #WeAreElite
Shonna Rhein, Executive Assistant and Office Manager, brings more than 30 years of executive and office management experience. Excels in HR, office organization and administration after years in the legal and entertainment industries.
Alex Fowler, Director of Operations, brings more than 14 years of experience in manufacturing primarily in the food industry. Provides expertise in Lean Manufacturing and Engineering Project Management. Alex has his B.S. Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and MBA from University of Utah.
Tito Flores, Director of Sales and Business Development, has more than 28 years in manufacturing experience, 14 years in the Dietary Supplement industry, with expertise in sales and new business development. Tito has his BS from the University of Montana.
Doug Lefler, Director of Client Services, has more than 26 years in industry experience, 20 of which is from ELITE. Doug continually delivered strong levels of customer satisfaction working directly with customers and in-house departments on product development, regulatory compliance, formulation, material sourcing and specification development. Doug has his BA from the University of Montana.
Jennifer Schall, Director Product Engineering, is one of the ELITE’S co-founders. Jen brings 27 years of experience in Dietary Supplement with expertise in material finished product specifications, formulations, and global label standards.
Mark Robson, CFO, is a Certified Public Accountant with Big Four audit experience and 20 years of senior financial management experience in CPG manufacturing, with both large international and private equity owned organizations. Beyond traditional senior financial management, Mark has substantial experience in M&A transactions and integration, and supply chain management.
Greg Menke, CEO, brings more than seven years of executive management and 37 years of manufacturing experience with both large international and private equity owned organizations. An acknowledged leader in large scale facility restructuring and operational improvement programs Greg has his BA in Business and MBA.