Perhaps it’s the vitamins. Sam Rehnborg is — well, there’s no other way to put it — extraordinarily bouncy. His chirpiness even breaks through the inevitable gravitas that comes along with a powerful job, slick entourage and well-cut suit. And a good thing too for his brand. Because Rehnborg’s not just the president of Nutrilite, he’s also the company’s poster boy.
“How long have I taken the supplements?” he chuckles, swivelling energetically in his chair, “Well, my mother started taking them when she was pregnant with me — so I like to say nine months before I was born!” In Chennai, to release a plant-based protein powder under the direct selling consumer goods company Amway India’s Nutrilite label, Rehnborg’s clearly enthused about India. About a month from now, his company’s new manufacturing facility in Madurai will start trial production. According to a recent BusinessLine report, Amway India’s nutrition and dietary supplements under the Nutrilite brand account for more than 50 per cent of the company’s total turnover of Rs. 2,045 crore. And, he says, that even though his father’s (the founder) original ideas on the importance of supplements were formed in China, he was also influenced by Ayurveda.
“My father started his dream 100 years ago, when he studied traditional Chinese medicine. He saw people getting sick, and how differently the Chinese approached health and the idea of healing.” Rehnborg adds that the central idea was to emphasise a holistic approach instead of just identifying germs. “Western scientists at that time said that the traditional Chinese approach was nonsense. That it was metaphysical, and not practical.”
Discussing how traditional medical systems state that effective nutrition is the best way to prevent disease, Rehnborg says herbal and other dietary ‘supplements’ have always been a part of the Chinese diet. “My father realised they were healthier because their diets were more complete,” he says, adding that people living in big cities today tend to live on a diet of processed food that is deficient in necessary vitamins and minerals.
“Intrigued by the Chinese herbal centres, my father started researching ways to create a supplement to add to a deficient diet; a sort of nutritional insurance,” he says, discussing how Nutrilite was founded in 1934. “The original supplement he created aimed to give you a complete balance: vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and phytonutrients.”
Of course, a supplement is not the only way you can get all these nutrients. “We are told to have five servings a day of fruits and vegetables and that’s minimum. Many nutritionists say even that’s not enough — you should be getting nine servings. But research shows that in every country in the world, people are not even getting these minimum servings.”
As their slew of offerings grow (they make everything from protein powders to daily supplements), the company is constantly adapting its products to target contemporary health issues.
A lot of the research still comes from Asia. “We also have about 20 scientists from India working with us, and they bring in a lot of new ideas,” says Rehnborg, going on to explain why the research and development never stops, “We’ve started a Wellness Project at Stanford. The team studies people and disease in order to establish what wellness really is.” He adds thoughtfully, “We’re not looking for cures to diseases. We are looking for ways to prevent it.”
