The “green energy” category has matured to sprout more options than ever.
Remember wheat grass juice? Of course you do. But the original “green energy” category, said sources, has grown.
“There has been an explosion in this category. Consumers are looking for energy in any form and we are happy to deliver it. Caps, drinks, edibles, shots, powders, you name it!” said Adam Goodman, vice president of sales for Korea Ginseng Corp in California.
In agreement is Jery Cochern, founder and president of Nevada-based Pure Essence who stated, “The green foods category has really blown up. It’s been a category forever, but it’s matured in a big way. When I say matured, I mean that once upon a time, green foods were kind of generic, and pretty much limited to cereal grasses and algaes. Products were kind of proud of tasting bad, as if it meant they were really good for you.”
Today, he contrasted, products are very carefully flavored so that they can actually be a pleasure to consume, and the inclusion of foods, such as beets, superfruits, amla and maca along with superior herbs, “permit us to customize them to address a wide variety of needs.”
There has been a shift in the category where a growing number of consumers are seeking more familiar food-based ingredients, according to Dr. Andrew Abraham, founder and CEO of California-based Orgain. Caffeine, for example, is coming from such food-based ingredients like organic green tea or matcha, he noted. Greens are from freeze-dried vegetables like spinach and kale instead of just from grasses. The taste of these products, he mentioned, have also evolved to be easier to consume as they are much more enjoyable than past counterparts.
Consumers of all ages seem to be gravitating toward this new generation of green-energy supplements. Goodman said he sees busy parents, Millennials and seniors looking to stay active and in good health, as well as fitness-enthusiasts, athletes and trainers for pre- and post-workouts. “In addition, people are looking for cleaner ways to get this energy and additional nutrition,” he observed. “In our channels, people are looking for cleaner, more sustainable energy sources (no spiking and crashing). It is also important to recognize the differences between the demographic categories and be able to have products that address the differences in their specific desires for energy, and why they want that energy.”
Andreas Koch, marketing director with Nevada-based Pure Essence, asserted that energy and vitality remain one of the most sought-after results consumers desire. “A large majority of adults 35 and up is looking for natural ways to boost energy. But in particular, Baby Boomers are a key age category looking for energy to keep the active lifestyle. Gen-Xers are still very active and also a viable target audience.”
Energy depletion is common across the board, mostly due to lifestyles. According to Cochern, numerous factors sap energy and vitality. Daily, we are bombarded with synthetic chemicals that damage cells and undermine mitochondrial energy conversion. Americans more than ever are also under constant increased stress, causing the body to vastly overproduce stress-related hormones (eg, cortisol) that become toxic as they break down in the body. Many people do not get enough sleep, so that the repairs that take place when we sleep don’t occur as completely or as optimally as they should.
“People are starting to understand that foods really can be medicines, and that medicines can be foods,” he said. “There’s a new type of consumer. I don’t think this is necessarily a Millennial thing, but I think there’s a huge segment of younger consumers who want their supplements in whole food form. They seem to trust a whole food like spirulina more than the phycocyanin that comes from it as an isolated nutrient even though there’s tons of research about what phycocyanin can do.”
Unlike green foods supplements of yore, today’s food-based energy powders are now being used in the sports/fitness market. According to Goodman, consumers in this category are looking for clean edges in order to work out harder and longer. They need energy to help allow them to do that. This energy also needs to work quickly to be effective. These same people need energy post-workout in order to go about their everyday lives.
Orgain, said Abraham, has “many notable professional athletes, professional and division A college sports teams, and Olympians who use our products and report excellent performance as a result. Examples include Stanford Athletics and numerous professional sports teams across the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB.”
Many of these products contain herbs not used traditionally in green foods/energy supplements. For example, adaptogens and superior herbs (traditional herbs used in Asia to rebuild health, vitality and energy) are well-known for increasing stamina and building muscle, according to Cochern. “Eleuthero is famous for improving Asian Olympic performance. The monks who perfected the Asian martial arts forms used these plants for millennia. So, if your customer is interested in sports/fitness to maintain or improve general health, vigor and vitality, they fit right in,” he commented.
Tim Hitt, supplement manager of Fiesta Nutrition in Monroe, LA said he has noticed this category actually transform over the past several years; from typical grasses and algaes to combinations with grains and proteins. Although Fiesta Nutrition renovated its greens from an 8 foot area to 4 feet, “People who love these products are repeat customers, which is good.”
At Fiesta Nutrition, those greens-energy products seeing high volume repeat sales “are Vitamineral Green from HealthForce, the line from Garden of Life, which offers a range from plain greens to alkalizers, detoxifiers and energizing. Also, Bluebonnet makes an organic greens that customers like. Those that combine proteins and grains seem to be gaining ground.”
Powders, added Hitt, “far outsell” capsules; typical doses of greens/energy capsules can be nine to 12 versus one scoop of powder.
Products to Consider
Because green foods are so nutrient-dense—all the good stuff and none of the bad (eg, added sugars)—they remain a class of supplements that fill in important nutrient gaps and by their nature, provide vital energy. They also help to alkalize the body, thereby supporting healthy pH balance. Remember: most of your customers are not consuming the recommended three to five servings of vegetables per day.
Washington-based Natural Factors’ Whole Earth & Sea 100% Fermented Organic Greens features an organic fruit, vegetable, and herb blend, including many ingredients grown at Factors Farms in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, according to Kate Rhéaume, ND, health educator. The formula also features a blend of six micronized medicinal mushrooms. Fermentation, she noted, is a traditional food preservation technique that can enhance the bioavailability of nutrients from food, effectively “predigesting” otherwise indigestible plant materials to release a food’s full nutritional potency while easing digestion.
Orgain’s Organic Protein & Greens Powder contains 21 g of plant-based protein, a half-cup of kale, two broccoli florets and 15 spinach leaves in each serving, described Abraham. The 21 g of plant-based protein is derived from a proprietary blend of organic peas, brown rice and chia seeds.
Barlean’s, of Washington, makes Organic Greens Powder that the company describes as “nature’s perfect superfood.” It contains a potent blend of green food concentrates, plant-based protein, vitamins and minerals, herbal antioxidants and tonics, flax lignans, probiotics and enzymes. Barlean’s also offers Superfruit Strawberry Kiwi Greens Powder, billed as a “favorite of kids and athletes,” and Chocolate Silk Greens Powder, blending fair-trade cocoa and nutrients from more than a dozen fruits and vegetables. It is described as being a “vegan superfood to alkalinize and energize.”
Similarly, HeartGreens, from Human N in Texas, combines six alkalizing greens and three organic fruits “to create a powerful, heart healthy, great-tasting greens drink, and the refreshing Green Apple flavor,” according to the company’s website. The company also offers Endurance Greens, to help improve stamina and sports performance as well as focus and alertness; it includes a blend of 13 organic superfoods, ashwagandha and probiotics.
Korean Red Ginseng, said Goodman, “has been demonstrated to provide a clean, sustainable energy source for thousands of years. We have products in our portfolio that can be used on an ongoing basis for everyday energy, as well as concentrated products that will provide that quick energy that the sports nutrition enthusiast is looking for,” he said.
Pure Essence uses spirulina, chlorella, adaptogens and superior herbs in all its multiples, according to Cochern. “Because of this, they’re amazingly energetic,” he emphasized. The company’s Energy Plus contains the equivalent of 20,000 mg of these plants in each dose. Energy Plus, he stated, increases energy immediately, but also builds more deeply rooted energies day by day. “People often tell us that they’re shocked at how energetic it is because it contains no guarana, no caffeine, no stimulants whatsoever. But, that’s its secret. It’s knowing how to combine these things to build real, balanced energy because, of course, stimulants don’t provide energy at all—rather, they simply send the body into a sort of frenzied overdrive.”
Taste is really no longer an issue with greens/energy powders, manufacturers assured. Said Cochern, Pure Essence worked with natural flavors that complement the flavors of the green ingredients rather than trying to mask or hide them. Those flavors, with stevia and/or lo han “have helped us achieve highly desirable flavor.”
Korean red ginseng has a taste that is more bitter than grassy, Goodman noted. “In many countries (we sell in approximately 60), that bitter taste is a sign of potency and effectiveness. So, in many ways, the more bitter, the more effective.’”
According to Rhéaume, “Fermentation really mellows the flavor profile and almost eliminates the grassy taste typically associated with green supplements. This makes the Whole Earth & Sea Greens very palatable.”
Sales Strategies
Unlike pill-form supplements, this category can be marketed creatively as it is based on flavor.
Goodman concurred. “In an omnichannel sales environment, the brick-and-mortar retailer needs to be creative,” he emphasized. This can involve such tools as video signage, to in-store events to outside sponsorships. These grassroots programs are also likely to gather co-op support from vendors looking to support retailers.
With this category, said Abraham, retailers can merchandise in interesting places in the store. For example, he offered, craft a display featuring the greens product along with shaker cups in the produce section next to where broccoli or greens are sold. “This helps consumers make the connection that they can drink their veggies and that there are products out there that offer convenience versus pulling out the blender and making a smoothie from scratch,” he said.
Cochern advised that because virtually everyone is energy deficient to some degree, take the time to identify their specific needs based on lifestyle, stress and diet. Take into consideration what they do. For example, he offered, “Talk to firefighters about how they can have more physical energy on those long, in-station shifts. Talk to students about how they can study more effectively and improve their test taking ability. Talk to athletes about building the deep-seated energy they need to replace what they’re draining each day—not just carbs to burn as instant fuel, but the kidney essence they’re draining from deep within. Specialize the product to each individual’s need.”
Koch recommend displaying via visuals how exactly energy supplements work in the body. Use common household props to illustrate how the body absorbs and benefits from key supplement ingredients. Create this by designating a table and include visuals and items to demonstrate how it works which will help persuade shoppers to purchase now that they fully understand the bio-science behind the ingredients.
Sampling, Hitt added, is a great way to introduce these products. Combine with organic juices, so the taste is more appealing. “I always tell first-time buyers, that some of these may taste like yard clippings and water, but the nutrition and energy values are more attractive. Many customers get creative in using them in shakes, combine with juices, etc.,” he noted. “It’s very common for people to dislike eating vegetables, so they prefer the nutrients in a powder.” VR
For More Information:
Barlean’s, www.barleans.com
Human N, www.humann.com
Korea Ginseng Corporation, www.kgcus.com
Natural Factors, www.naturalfactors.com
Orgain, www.orgain.com
Pure Essence Labs, www.pureessencelabs.com
