Northridge, CA—Pharmavite, one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements, has just acquired FoodState Inc.FoodState offers whole food supplements under its MegaFood and Innate Response brands. MegaFood, the company’s flagship brand and the first to handcraft vitamins from farm-fresh whole foods, has recently experienced a large growth in sales. Connie Barry, Pharmavite CEO and board chair, said that the decision was based mainly on “its values-based culture and dedication to its nutrition-focused mission, in addition to both companies' business strengths.” She also considered the acquisition to be a natural extension of Pharmavite’s vision to improve the lives of people through science and nutrition.

Some may be a bit concerned about how popular brands like the MegaFood brand will be affected by the change, but in an interview with WholeFoods, FoodState CEO Robert Craven emphasized that this move is about “synergy, not integration…to integrate a brand that speaks so well to the natural channel like MegaFood with one that speaks so well to the mass channel like Nature Made (one of Pharmavite’s brands) would just probably cause confusion.” Instead, this acquisition is more symbiotic in nature, with both companies standing to make gains. FoodState now has access to Pharmavite’s 40+ years of experience and scale in manufacturing, while Pharmavite has the opportunity to make new headway in the natural market via FoodState’s rising brands.

Craven continued to say that FoodState’s product development will not be affected at all, including its focus on using whole-food ingredients from farms. In fact, maintaining this focus ties into the acquisition, as FoodState’s exponential growth has brought additional expenses, and Pharmavite’s partnership will allow for further and faster growth and production without sacrificing the quality that retailers and consumers have grown to appreciate from brands like MegaFood. As Craven explains it, “We can learn from them, and we can help them grow in new channels.”

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2015 (online 12/22/2014)