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Exploring The Tropics

by Janet Poveromo | September 1, 2011

Suppliers and manufacturers, who specialize in ingredients sourced from tropical locales for use in supplements and foods, discuss the region as a natural product category, and the state of the market for “exotic” ingredients.

VR: What is the state of the market for tropical supplements? Is it a growing category?

Quirk: It does not appear that there is a focused market segment for tropical supplements. Some supplement ingredients could be described as tropical due to their primary geographic growing areas being in tropical zones. Saw palmetto, pineapple and papaya grow in tropical climate zones, but one would not think of the bromelain or papain used as digestive enzymes being within a tropical category. Some supplements that have their origin and traditional use within tropical areas might be better considered as tropical-based supplements.An example is bamboo leaf and stem extract which is found in tropical and subtropical areas and is used there as a traditional herbal medicine for lung, digestive and mental functions.Another tropical botanical is jackfruit, found in southern China, where it is used for fatigue, low blood sugar and depression. Hibiscus flower is used for a cooling, refreshing tea that promotes regularity and lowers blood pressure.

As part of the superfruit category, it has been growing. Examples of this are noni fruit, gac fruit, açai berry, yumberry, mango, passionfruit and others, but as a stand alone tropical category of supplements besides the superfruits, I don’t think it has had enough of a recognition as a distinct area to be able to measure this.

Adelman: The tropical supplements category continues to grow steadily as more people seek out whole food sources of vitamins and minerals to replace isolates and other manufactured pills. There are many new products entering the marketplace that are generating excitement and gaining acceptance such as our new organic maqui berry powder from Chile and our organic camu camu berry powder from the Amazon.

The future for tropical supplements, in particular organic ones where the certification instills more consumer confidence, is very bright. As these products gain more market space and increased sales, the companies in the category will begin to have more resources to fund specific research, and the results of that will spur the next generation of growth and interest.

Siegel: Ecuadorian Rainforest’s main business is providing ingredients from South America and beyond. For more than 14 years, we’ve seen continued growth and interest in ingredients from South America. Ingredients that were once very exotic sounding have become staples in national chain stores Such as 7-11 and Walmart. Take superfruits for example, consumers were unaware of açai years ago. Now, the average consumer has heard of it.

Kilham: Tropical supplements, which include botanicals from India, southern China, much of South America and other places in Africa and Southeast Asia, do well overall. Curcumin from turmeric does exceptionally well due to its profound anti-inflammatory activity.Cocoa, with its cardio-protective properties, is big and always getting bigger.Açai, Tongkat ali and hundreds of other tropical botanicals are in the market.

VR: What are the benefits of these supplements? Is there new science of note backing up these products?

Quirk: Tropical supplements may have benefits for health conditions that are uniquely related to living in a more hot and humid climate. Digestive illnesses caused by water-born organisms require native remedies to deal with diarrhea, dehydration and weakness. Jackfruit appears to have been used for this problem based on its antibacterial, antiinflammatory and electrolyte-nourishing properties. Yumberry and coconut have had similar applications for supporting digestive function and electrolyte replacement. GAC fruit and mango are rich in carotenoids such as lycopene, lutein and beta carotene, which skin research shows can help reduce UV damage even if taken internally, which in the case of intense tropical sun exposure could be very beneficial.

Adelman: Camu camu is an example of a tropical superfruit supplement that is starting to attract the interest of researchers. Scientists that conducted a study of camu published in the October 2008 edition of the Journal of Cardiology stated that, “Our results suggest that camu camu juice may have powerful anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, compared to vitamin C tablets containing equivalent vitamin C content. These effects may be due to the existence of unknown anti-oxidant substances besides vitamin C or unknown substances modulating in vivo vitamin C kinetics in camu camu.”

Another study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in November 2005 indicates that camu contains the pholyphenolic compound cyanidin-3-glucoside, which has been shown in studies to inhibit the onset of cancer and the metastasis of cancerous tumors.

Maqui is another example. For centuries, maqui leaves and fruits have been used in traditional native herbal medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments.
The growing body of modern scientific research on the maqui berry is now proving what the indigenous people have long known and cherished about this superfruit. A recent study published in Food Chemistry noted that phenolic extracts from maqui demonstrated antioxidant and cardioprotective activities in vivo.1 The latest research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in July 2010 states, “In summary, phenolic extracts from the berries of A. chilensis (maqui) inhibited lipid accumulation, adipogenesis and inflammatory mediators in vitro.”2

However, despite the lack of clinical human studies on specific tropical superfruit supplements, there is an abundance of published science regarding the nutrients, which have been measured in these tropical superfruits.
For example, camu camu offers the highest natural source of vitamin C of any food tested, and there is plenty of clinical research out there about the health benefits of vitamin C.

In some cases, extensive research has been done in the specific country of origin, such as China, but Westerners have been hesitant to accept it. The goji berry is an example.

Kilham: Tropical environments cause unique types of stress on plants, and this stress causes the expression of various protective compounds, especially many of the more potent antioxidant compounds.In many countries, national ministries of health invest an enormous amount of time, energy, money and research into the properties of plants, their biological activity and human studies.Thailand, Malaysia, India, China, Peru and Brazil are especially active in this.

Logsdon: It varies from basic research to clinical studies, it all depends on if there is a way to make money after the cost of the research is completed.
Maqui has quite a lot of research … it truly is the cat’s meow! This product is the most potent anthocyanins juice or dry supplement you can buy.

VR: Are there obstacles for sourcing tropical ingredients for supplements? Is sustainability an issue?

Quirk: Tropical climates have very fast rates of growth, so crop sustainability should not be a problem. A bigger issue might be the destruction of rainforests to make way for cultivated crops and plantations, as has been the case in Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Slash-and-burn practices can greatly increase the carbon output and reduce soil fertility quite fast. Such measures should be highly discouraged and sourcing agreements should take into account compliance based on sustainability standards and international agreements.

Adelman: Consistency of quality and year-round availability are the two biggest hurdles, especially for certified organic products where supply is even scarcer. Different times of year can produce different quality and potencies for tropical supplements. Sustainability is Always at risk with the success of a new up-and-coming tropical supplement. As product awareness grows and a market for them emerges and grows, other important native crops that help with diversity get displaced. There is the potential for changes in the traditional agriculture methods used to grow the crops as the pressure mounts to keep up with volumes. In other words, a capitalist demand and supply market model develops, and that can always threaten sustainability in the third world countries from which these products are often derived.

Siegel: Sustainability is not an issue but a priority for any responsible supplier.Unlike other suppliers, Ecuadorian Rainforest is owned by a native from a country where many exotic ingredients come from—Ecuador. Because of this native connection, our company has always had considered sustainability and the ethical treatment and compensation of the native workers to be a top
Priority. Other suppliers seem to get in on the latest craze without a full understanding of the environmental landscape from which the ingredients come.
And how could they … they’ve never set foot on the native soil!

Kilham: The obstacles can range from scarcity of the plant to difficulty gaining access to plants in deep forest environments.Sustainability is always an issue.The over-harvesting of plants in the wild is a real problem, and so many plants need to be cultivated in order to remain available. The natural environment and the people who work with these plants in the field all need to be taken care of.

Logsdon: For us, the greatest obstacle is to get good clean materials. We make our Super Fruit Juices from the whole fruit, not from concentrate like others. So, I am constantly on the look out for suppliers that can provide me whole fruit. The next greatest challenge is to get the fruit we source USDA Organic Certified. I know that there some who will say that they have a “me too” juice that is better than organic, that it is “wild-crafted” or something, but that simply is not true.

VR: How is the mainstream media fueling growth of these products for natural retailers?

Kilham: As a member of the mainstream press (the FOX News Medicine Hunter), I put out weekly articles and TV segments (shown in over 100 countries) on herbs and their benefits. We see an enormous amount of positive exposure Right now, on Dr. Oz and other shows, in magazines and on radio. This is a very positive time overall for media and getting the word out to the general public.

Quirk: Articles about the super tropical fruits have been the biggest avenues of information, especially for something like mangosteen in capsules or yumberry in beverages. Hibiscus Extract in solid dosage form has been growing for urinary tract health and healthy blood pressure support.

Adelman: Tropical supplements are very intriguing and the media loves a product with an interesting origin and unusual story behind it. There is a romantic element to sourcing tropical supplements from exotic places that is appealing to journalists and their audiences, so they often make it into the news cycle. The media helps to excite people about these unusual and remarkable products, and most journalists do a pretty good job educating the public on the important aspects. Many people are learning about tropical supplements on TV, online and in magazines, and are then going to their local natural retailers to find the products on the shelves.

VR: What are the trends in this category? Is consumer knowledge of these products growing?

Quirk: The trends show continued growth as ethnobotanical research and traditional medicine continues to be explored by Western and international researchers, botanical suppliers and product development companies working together to source and commercialize these products. Consumers will continue to grow in their knowledge of new tropical supplements as the industry uses press releases, news stories, third party literature and advertising campaigns to spread information about these new and exciting ingredients.

Adelman: The trends continue to be toward real, whole foods that are minimally processed and done so without using tricks that harm the nutritional value. Consumers continue to get smarter and more demanding and knowledgeable about these products. I think the açai multi-level marketing hype that burst helped to educate many consumers about the pitfalls of believing the more extreme tropical supplement pitches, and they are reading labels more carefully now to make sure they get the real deal. Consumers’ expectations on health results are becoming a bit more realistic now that the claims are being toned down.

Kilham: We see more exotic fruits like açai from the Amazon, maqui berry from Chile, schisandra from northeast China and camu camu from the Amazon. We see a great deal of emphasis on preventing major health problems, which accounts for the great popularity of curcumin and cocoa. We see kava coming back, as it should, because it is safe and vastly effective.Basically, the tropical world is opening up its riches to the rest of the planet.

VR: Have there been recent news or events that are having an impact this category?

Kilham: The biggest thing that has happened is The Dr. Oz Show. This is major, and it has greatly advanced the sales of innumerable products. The Oz Show is the biggest news we have ever had.

IN – STORE VIDEO SELLS SUPERFRUITS

Larry Logsdon, founder and president/ CEO of Tahiti Trader Company (Riverside, CA), said the tropical supplement/superfruit category is a “promotional category.” “I mean that this category needs in-store promotional efforts to propel it,” he explained. “’Why?’ you ask. Because marketing messages bombard the consumer daily. When she shops in the natural food store, she wants to receive simple, effective marketing messages with a strong reason to try it.”

That is just what Tahiti Trader is doing to support the category with its video demo program. “Retailers that utilize these programs see sales increases between four and 10 times in the category. It also increases the ‘in-store conversation,’ which is vital to successful store operations,” added Logsdon. “Customers are drawn to natural stores because of their questions— we must have the answers!”

Artista Marchioni, RN and consultant to Rainbow Natural Foods in Culver City, CA, said Tahiti Trader’s video demo on açai, placed close to checkout in the store, quadrupled sales of the product. The video is motion sensitive and offers structure/function and medicinal qualities of the product, in easy-to-understand language. “It is done simply. If you only have a minute or 30 seconds, you can get the information,” Marchioni said. And repeat sales have been strong, she said, adding that the store also offer samples of the product along with the video.

Retailer Fay Baker, vitamin manager with Henry’s in Chula Vista, CA (soon to be Sprouts), said Tahiti Trader is a “really good company. I enjoy working with them. They do good promotions— like this one.”

The video demo, in her store, is located on the edge of both the vitamin and grocery departments, and has featured açai.“We keep it on all the time and stock several bottles on display nearby,” Baker said. “It sells Itself.” The reason for its success, she said, is “it attracts customers because it’s entertaining and gets the bullet points about the product across in a straightforward way.

“Sales went up many times over what I would normally sell. It sold pretty well before—three to four bottles a week— but now we sell more than 20 a week.”

Tahiti Trader will continue to supply retailers with new videos for the demo unit. Next up: Maqui.

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