By Sharon Verbeten
Helping people stay healthy has always been a focus of Nature’s Way, the vitamin/supplement manufacturer based in Green Bay. But now, the global company is putting more money behind a growing trend in health and wellness: gummy vitamins. It’s a trend accelerated by the pandemic, according to Nicole Polarek, Nature’s Way’s executive vice president and COO.
“The demand for gummies skyrocketed during the pandemic as people looked for ways to stay healthy,” she says. “The gummy vitamin category is growing at a really high rate — double digits; it’s the fastest growing in our portfolio. And the trend is showing no signs of slowing down, so we are ramping up to continue to meet consumer demand.”
To that end, Nature’s Way manufacturing — located in an industrial park on the city’s far east side — is breaking ground in July on stage II of its 116,000-square-foot addition to its existing 80,000-square-foot facility. The expansion will house manufacturing, packaging and warehousing.
Nature’s Way currently employs about 700; it has begun hiring an additional 25 to 30 employees to support its expansion.
While sales were trending up prior to the pandemic, Polarek says quarantines and more concerns about wellness had a positive impact on sales of all Nature’s Way immune health products.
“We just saw the whole vitamin category explode,” she says. “People were really pushed to spend more on health and wellness.”
This latest expansion is part of an ongoing investment initiative. During the past four years, the company has invested more than $75 million, including a new corporate headquarters and upgraded office facility.
Why gummies?
Since opening its gummies facility two years ago, Nature’s Way has produced more than 1 billion gummies. That’s a daily count of about 1.2 to 3.6 million gummies, according to the company’s website.
“We’re ‘gummifying’ our portfolio because that’s what consumers want,” Polarek says. “There’s a lot of innovation.”
Polarek says Nature’s Way’s gummy line delivers a strong product advantage.
“We’re growing this knowledge base, this talent pool, and we want to make more and have flexibility in the types of gummies we make,” she says.
Most notable in the line are Sambucus gummies — featuring elderberry for immune support — as well as multivitamin lines for children, teens and adults.
Construction of the facility expansion is expected to be complete by spring 2023, with production up and running shortly after.
“We’re excited about this latest investment,” Polarek says, “and the positive impact it will have on our employees, the community and consumers.”
