10.01.04
Founded four years ago, Proprietary Nutritionals Inc. (PNI), Brantford, Ontario, Canada, has spent its time canvassing the nutraceuticals industry for ingredients that are ripe for brand building. The goal, according to Dean Mosca, president, is to make PNI a premier marketer of branded ingredients for the nutritional supplement and functional food industries. To Mr. Mosca this means being THE company that innovators seek for marketing their products and THE company that finished product marketers seek to find powerful new ingredients for their products. As such, the cornerstone of its success lies in the relationships it forges with the key marketers in the nutraceuticals space.
When PNI formalizes a partnership with a client, it will take over the reigns so-to-speak and work on fully developing the identity of the product from the conception stage. To take the product from concept to shelf, the company works on developing a brand identity, logo and trademark; preparing communication strategies for positioning the product; creating a distribution strategy and identifying ideal marketing partners for the project; identifying the media plan and putting timelines together for implementation.
Before PNI suggests a ramp up in consumer awareness efforts for a product or ingredient, there must be a place for consumers to find it first. Once distribution has been established, Mr. Mosca said the consumer awareness program can begin to take effect. To carry out the next step (the "push" strategy), PNI concentrates on helping companies develop the appropriate trade and retail tools to educate clients about the product and how to sell it. Then PNI and its media relations team will contact media directly and in person. Media kits are developed for prospective TV, newspaper, magazine and radio reporters. Putting a product on the shelf is one thing but creating a successful consumer awareness program and driving consumers to the stores is where the key success factor is found (the "pull" strategy).
The company currently has several products in its arsenal, including Phase 2 Starch Neutralizer, Cran-Max cranberry extract, InoCell (inositol and Cal-Mag IP6 derived from rice bran) and Celadrin. Developed and owned by Pharmachem Laboratories, Kearny, NJ, Phase 2 is a non-stimulant, all-natural nutritional ingredient that is derived from the white kidney bean, which neutralizes starch. While it has been positioned as an adjunct to weight loss regimens, Mr. Mosca says the future might dictate a new direction for the ingredient. "On the horizon we see the whole market for glycemic index products really starting to take shape and we see Phase 2 playing a major role," he said.
Approximately one year ago PNI took over the marketing rights to another product called Cran-Max, which is a patented cranberry extract. Mr. Mosca says this product addresses a very large market-urinary tract infections (UTIs) among women, 80% of which will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime. "We believe there is a relatively untapped market out there in relation to this health concern," he said. "I think people know cranberries are good for them and they drink cranberry juice to obtain some of these health benefits, but we want to take the cranberry from an 'old wives tale' to a substantiated one-a-day product that significantly reduces the incidence of UTI." Today the product can be found in over 45,000 retail outlets (up almost ten-told over last year).
PNI also recently added Celadrin to its product portfolio to address the multibillion dollar opportunity in the joint health category. Celadrin has been published twice in the Journal of Rheumatology due to its ability to relieve pain and inflammation related to various joint conditions. The Celadrin compound, according to PNI, represents a matrix of fatty acid carbons, which have been scientifically arranged (esterified) to penetrate the cell membrane and achieve maximum efficacy for joint mobility and health. "The joint health category in particular is looking for something new with science to spice up the category and we believe that Celadrin is just that product," said Mr. Mosca.
Another recent acquisition, InoCell, has been recognized for its role in cancer prevention. Research, according to the company, shows that inositol and Cal Mag IP6 can boost natural killer (NK) cell activity, act as a potent antioxidant and help to normalize the rate of cell division of uncontrolled or cancerous cells. Currently there are 100 studies on the product and more are planned. In fact, Mr. Mosca said at the 7th International Conference on Anticancer Research to be held this month in Corfu, Greece, 16 scientific presentations attesting to the health benefits of InoCell will be presented. The conference will be attended by over 1000 of the world's leading researchers.-R.M.W
Proprietary Nutritionals
3536 Indian Trail
Brantford, Ontario, Canada N3T 5M1
Telephone: 519-647-2071
Fax: 519-647-3986
E-mail: mosca@sympatico.ca
Website(s): www.phase2info.com; www.inocell.com; www.celadrin.com; www.cranmax.com
When PNI formalizes a partnership with a client, it will take over the reigns so-to-speak and work on fully developing the identity of the product from the conception stage. To take the product from concept to shelf, the company works on developing a brand identity, logo and trademark; preparing communication strategies for positioning the product; creating a distribution strategy and identifying ideal marketing partners for the project; identifying the media plan and putting timelines together for implementation.
Before PNI suggests a ramp up in consumer awareness efforts for a product or ingredient, there must be a place for consumers to find it first. Once distribution has been established, Mr. Mosca said the consumer awareness program can begin to take effect. To carry out the next step (the "push" strategy), PNI concentrates on helping companies develop the appropriate trade and retail tools to educate clients about the product and how to sell it. Then PNI and its media relations team will contact media directly and in person. Media kits are developed for prospective TV, newspaper, magazine and radio reporters. Putting a product on the shelf is one thing but creating a successful consumer awareness program and driving consumers to the stores is where the key success factor is found (the "pull" strategy).
The company currently has several products in its arsenal, including Phase 2 Starch Neutralizer, Cran-Max cranberry extract, InoCell (inositol and Cal-Mag IP6 derived from rice bran) and Celadrin. Developed and owned by Pharmachem Laboratories, Kearny, NJ, Phase 2 is a non-stimulant, all-natural nutritional ingredient that is derived from the white kidney bean, which neutralizes starch. While it has been positioned as an adjunct to weight loss regimens, Mr. Mosca says the future might dictate a new direction for the ingredient. "On the horizon we see the whole market for glycemic index products really starting to take shape and we see Phase 2 playing a major role," he said.
Approximately one year ago PNI took over the marketing rights to another product called Cran-Max, which is a patented cranberry extract. Mr. Mosca says this product addresses a very large market-urinary tract infections (UTIs) among women, 80% of which will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime. "We believe there is a relatively untapped market out there in relation to this health concern," he said. "I think people know cranberries are good for them and they drink cranberry juice to obtain some of these health benefits, but we want to take the cranberry from an 'old wives tale' to a substantiated one-a-day product that significantly reduces the incidence of UTI." Today the product can be found in over 45,000 retail outlets (up almost ten-told over last year).
PNI also recently added Celadrin to its product portfolio to address the multibillion dollar opportunity in the joint health category. Celadrin has been published twice in the Journal of Rheumatology due to its ability to relieve pain and inflammation related to various joint conditions. The Celadrin compound, according to PNI, represents a matrix of fatty acid carbons, which have been scientifically arranged (esterified) to penetrate the cell membrane and achieve maximum efficacy for joint mobility and health. "The joint health category in particular is looking for something new with science to spice up the category and we believe that Celadrin is just that product," said Mr. Mosca.
Another recent acquisition, InoCell, has been recognized for its role in cancer prevention. Research, according to the company, shows that inositol and Cal Mag IP6 can boost natural killer (NK) cell activity, act as a potent antioxidant and help to normalize the rate of cell division of uncontrolled or cancerous cells. Currently there are 100 studies on the product and more are planned. In fact, Mr. Mosca said at the 7th International Conference on Anticancer Research to be held this month in Corfu, Greece, 16 scientific presentations attesting to the health benefits of InoCell will be presented. The conference will be attended by over 1000 of the world's leading researchers.-R.M.W
Proprietary Nutritionals
3536 Indian Trail
Brantford, Ontario, Canada N3T 5M1
Telephone: 519-647-2071
Fax: 519-647-3986
E-mail: mosca@sympatico.ca
Website(s): www.phase2info.com; www.inocell.com; www.celadrin.com; www.cranmax.com