Carthage, MO—Stratum Nutritionhas announcedthe passing of Hollis Osborne, the company’s Founder.

Osborne is survived by his wife, Nina Osborne; his four children, Holly Adams, Paul Osborne, Ron Osborne, and Karen Downs; 11 grandchildren; and 27 great-grandchildren.

The funeral service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at Fairview Christian Church in Carthage, MO. Military Honors will be immediately following the funeral at Park Cemetery in Carthage. Arrangements are under the direction of Ulmer Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be made atwww.ulmerfh.com and on theCarthage Press page.

Osborne was born on September 12, 1929, to Olyn and Lilly Osborne in Missouri. He met Nina while attending high school in Golden City, MO, and they married in 1950. He served the United States Army in the Korean war from 1951-1952. When he returned, he and Nina moved to Jane, Missouri, where they purchased a small feed store, grew their business to include selling eggs, and eventually went into eggs full time. The once one-man operation grew to Top Notch Farms, later turned Moark Productions.

In early 2000, however, Osborne began hunting for value in eggshells—at the time, hundreds of thousands of tons were going to landfills each year. In 2003, he and his team developed a fully mechanical system that used heat and vacuum to separate the membrane from the eggshell, and later that year, he and his family sold the egg side of the business to Land O’Lakes, in order to pursue eggshell membrane. They created ESM Technologies, supplying NEM and ESC ingredients to the nutrition industry. ESM has since grown through multiple joint ventures and brands, and as of 2017, is represented by the Stratum brand name.

In Stratum’s announcement, Kevin Ruff, Senior Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, shared: “The thing that struck me most about Hollis was that he put the meaning of family in all of his family businesses. You could work for him for your entire career, and he would make sure you were taken care of.  That’s rare in this day and age, even in family businesses. His heart particularly showed at the annual Christmas parties where all of his businesses would get together to celebrate, and he made sure to come around and speak with everyone.”

Chris Haynes, Senior Director of Global Sales, said: “I distinctly remember during my interview with Hollis, we were discussing hobbies and got onto the subject of pointing dogs. We proceeded to discuss our preferred virtues in pointing dogs and our experiences. I think that was the point I ‘passed’ the interview.”

Osborne will be remembered. The announcement concludes: “We owe it all to the hard work and dedication of Mr. Hollis Osborne. He laid the foundation of Stratum Nutrition with his hands of leadership, his heart for family, and the wisdom to combine both. Our roots remain steadfast in what he built and these will continue to guide our values going forward. Thank you, Hollis, for your love, faith, and dedication to make this world a better place—one eggshell at a time.”