12.01.09
Since 1995, Draco Natural Products, San Jose, CA, has offered quality botanical extract ingredients for the dietary supplement, functional foods and personal care markets, supplying its unique line of Full Spectrum Standardized Herbal Extracts to product manufacturers.
Today, its products include more than 400 herbal extract ingredients from single species sources, a full line of pre-formulated formulations, a full line of premium liquid herbal extracts and a full range of fruit and vegetable extracts.
“Full Spectrum Standardized Herbal Extracts are standardized to recognized marker compounds and bring customers the full range of plant constituents in the natural proportions that nature intended—all in the same ingredient product,” said Brien Quirk, director of research and development.
This has helped distinguish Draco in the botanical ingredients marketplace, according to Matt Humphrey, marketing director. “Over the years, Draco has remained on the forward edge of technology in the supply of botanical ingredients. The company has added a comprehensive line of fruit and vegetable extracts, a line of bioactive botanical ingredients for cosmetic and personal care applications called Vital Treasures, a line of economical ratio-based extracts and a full line of certified organic botanical extracts.”
Draco also specializes in custom formulation of botanical ingredients and has expanded its services in which raw materials are combined before co-extraction. “Customers prefer this over regular blending because of the advantage of homogeneity of the finished product,” said Mr. Quirk. “Formulation is assisted by Draco’s expertise in both pharmacognostical sciences and the balancing principles of Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM).”
Company executives maintain that true efficacy of herbal therapies arises from the inherent therapeutic properties of the whole herb. Standardization further serves to correct for natural variations in plant material, providing a basis for uniform products and proper scientific study.
With a focus on quality, its products are extracted in-house in a state-of-the-art 125,000 square-foot, ISO9001:2000-certified, GMP-compliant manufacturing facility. The company has maintained the philosophy that what you put in your encapsulated or liquid product should be therapeutically efficacious while providing the consumer with real benefits. To accomplish this, Draco oversees the minute details of every aspect of production from the seed in the ground to the final extract in an effort to ensure herbal ingredients are of uncompromisingly high quality and purity.
In terms of recent developments, the company has developed a new, patented process to produce certified organic glycerin. It is in the process of developing the production capacity to supply substantial quantities of this product to the marketplace.
“This product, being released under the brand name Pure Organics, uses a natural certified organic corn fermentation process to produce glycerin,” said Mr. Quirk. Previously, certified organic glycerin had been difficult for manufacturers to obtain in reliable quantities due to unwieldy production methods.
“With the Pure Organics launch, companies that produce, for example, skin care products that rely on glycerin as a significant ingredient, will now be able to overcome this certification bottleneck,” said Mr. Quirk. “The pilot plant for this ingredient is up and running, the production plant is nearing completion and Draco has certified organic land from which it is harvesting crops of certified organic corn. The official product launch will take place in the near future after the production facility is fully operational, and successful production trials are completed.”
Draco’s new, patented fermentation technology for producing glycerin also lends itself to a range of unique and customizable value-added ingredient products, he added.
Despite the economic downturn, Draco has weathered the storm. “More consumers are using nutraceuticals products as options for sustaining good health, effectively offsetting decreases in consumer spending,” Mr. Humphrey offered. “Draco also continues to respond to marketplace opportunities by expanding product offerings.
Our strengths are in new products, natural fermentation ingredients, organic ingredients, natural personal care ingredients, and water-soluble fruit and vegetable phytoconcentrates, all of which we think have a good growth outlook.”—SM
Draco Natural Products
539 Parrott Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408-287-7871
Fax: 408-287-8838
E-mail: sales@dracoherbs.com
Website: www.dracoherbs.com
Today, its products include more than 400 herbal extract ingredients from single species sources, a full line of pre-formulated formulations, a full line of premium liquid herbal extracts and a full range of fruit and vegetable extracts.
“Full Spectrum Standardized Herbal Extracts are standardized to recognized marker compounds and bring customers the full range of plant constituents in the natural proportions that nature intended—all in the same ingredient product,” said Brien Quirk, director of research and development.
This has helped distinguish Draco in the botanical ingredients marketplace, according to Matt Humphrey, marketing director. “Over the years, Draco has remained on the forward edge of technology in the supply of botanical ingredients. The company has added a comprehensive line of fruit and vegetable extracts, a line of bioactive botanical ingredients for cosmetic and personal care applications called Vital Treasures, a line of economical ratio-based extracts and a full line of certified organic botanical extracts.”
Draco also specializes in custom formulation of botanical ingredients and has expanded its services in which raw materials are combined before co-extraction. “Customers prefer this over regular blending because of the advantage of homogeneity of the finished product,” said Mr. Quirk. “Formulation is assisted by Draco’s expertise in both pharmacognostical sciences and the balancing principles of Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM).”
Company executives maintain that true efficacy of herbal therapies arises from the inherent therapeutic properties of the whole herb. Standardization further serves to correct for natural variations in plant material, providing a basis for uniform products and proper scientific study.
With a focus on quality, its products are extracted in-house in a state-of-the-art 125,000 square-foot, ISO9001:2000-certified, GMP-compliant manufacturing facility. The company has maintained the philosophy that what you put in your encapsulated or liquid product should be therapeutically efficacious while providing the consumer with real benefits. To accomplish this, Draco oversees the minute details of every aspect of production from the seed in the ground to the final extract in an effort to ensure herbal ingredients are of uncompromisingly high quality and purity.
In terms of recent developments, the company has developed a new, patented process to produce certified organic glycerin. It is in the process of developing the production capacity to supply substantial quantities of this product to the marketplace.
“This product, being released under the brand name Pure Organics, uses a natural certified organic corn fermentation process to produce glycerin,” said Mr. Quirk. Previously, certified organic glycerin had been difficult for manufacturers to obtain in reliable quantities due to unwieldy production methods.
“With the Pure Organics launch, companies that produce, for example, skin care products that rely on glycerin as a significant ingredient, will now be able to overcome this certification bottleneck,” said Mr. Quirk. “The pilot plant for this ingredient is up and running, the production plant is nearing completion and Draco has certified organic land from which it is harvesting crops of certified organic corn. The official product launch will take place in the near future after the production facility is fully operational, and successful production trials are completed.”
Draco’s new, patented fermentation technology for producing glycerin also lends itself to a range of unique and customizable value-added ingredient products, he added.
Despite the economic downturn, Draco has weathered the storm. “More consumers are using nutraceuticals products as options for sustaining good health, effectively offsetting decreases in consumer spending,” Mr. Humphrey offered. “Draco also continues to respond to marketplace opportunities by expanding product offerings.
Our strengths are in new products, natural fermentation ingredients, organic ingredients, natural personal care ingredients, and water-soluble fruit and vegetable phytoconcentrates, all of which we think have a good growth outlook.”—SM
Draco Natural Products
539 Parrott Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408-287-7871
Fax: 408-287-8838
E-mail: sales@dracoherbs.com
Website: www.dracoherbs.com