10 Nutrition Supplements Business Success Stories [2024]
Nutrition supplements is a multi-billion dollar market that sells multivitamin tablets and capsules, single vitamin or mineral tablets and capsules, and multivitamins in liquid form.
The nutrition supplements industry is of key importance to humanity and focuses on improving or maintaining health and well-being.
Therefore, starting a nutrition supplements business can be a lucrative opportunity.
To start the nutrition supplements business, identify an audience and decide on the customer acquisition model. Conduct a complete competition analysis and identify the market gaps. You can start making your own nutrition supplements or work with an existing manufacturer as a supply chain consultant.
In this list, you'll find real-world nutrition supplements business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a nutrition supplements business that makes money.
1. Heights ($12M/year)
Dan, the co-founder of braincare company Heights, came up with the idea for their smart supplement after experiencing his own mental health struggles and finding relief through certain supplements. Through a newsletter that gained traction and the support of a leading neuroscientist, the idea for a unique brain supplement was born. They conducted extensive customer interviews, overcame manufacturing challenges, and utilized content marketing strategies to attract and retain customers. Today, Heights is a successful B Corp with a monthly recurring revenue of $500k and plans to hit $10M ARR by the end of the year.
How much money it makes: $12M/year
How much did it cost to start: $-300K
How many people on the team: 13
Heights, a braincare company, has become the #1 rated supplement in the world on Trustpilot, achieving over $500,000 a month just 2 years from launching with 150,000 email subscribers and a retention rate of 79 out of 84 subscribers; the company has also become one of the world's few B Corps.
2. VADE Nutrition ($6M/year)
Joe Johnson, a former athlete and entrepreneur, came up with the idea for VADE Nutrition while sitting beside his wife Megan's hospital bed. They wanted to create a convenient solution for consuming protein powder on the go, which led to the development of Dissolvable Protein Scoops. After facing challenges with manufacturing and finding the right partners, VADE Nutrition has grown to be sold on various e-commerce platforms and has even landed a deal on Shark Tank. The company continues to attract and retain customers through engaging on social media and offering high-quality, convenient products.
How much money it makes: $6M/year
How many people on the team: 7
VADE Nutrition provides on-the-go consumers with convenient and portable Dissolvable Protein Scoops featuring 20 grams of protein, 4.4 grams of branch chain amino acids and only 90 calories, which has expanded from selling only through the website to retail stores and e-commerce sites such as Amazon, BodyBuilding.com, Groupon and GNC.com, culminating in a successful Shark Tank pitching to get a deal with Mark Cuban and A-Rod.
3. Beyond Botanicals ($3.6M/year)
Mark Maher, co-founder of Beyond Botanicals, had a background in sales and a passion for health and education. When a client asked if they could make CBD oil products, Mark dove into researching CBD's potential benefits and knew it was a product that could truly make a difference. Alongside his co-founder, Jake Firmender, they started their own CBD business, focusing on providing Private Label CBD services to other startups. Despite facing challenges in payment processing and advertising, they quickly gained traction in the industry and achieved impressive revenue growth, reaching over $3M in annual sales.
How much money it makes: $3.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $7K
How many people on the team: 8
Beyond Botanicals, a CBD manufacturing company in the USA, focused on private label CBD, wholesale CBD, and retail CBD products, started with a $7,000 loan and rose to over $3M in annual revenue in just three years, largely due to good taste as a competitive advantage and traditional marketing approaches.
4. ATH Organics ($3M/year)
ATH, a sports nutrition company founded by Stuart Kam, was born out of his passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the lack of all-natural supplements in the market. Starting out in his garage, ATH now dominates the niche market of supplements for athletes in martial arts and surfing, generating over $250,000 in monthly revenue as the number one plant-based PRE workout. Kam's dedication to creating high-quality, great-tasting products and his hands-on approach to customer service has led to their success.
How much money it makes: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 4
A founder built a successful sports nutrition company from scratch, focusing on creating all-natural supplements for martial arts athletes, which now generates over $250,000 a month in revenue by prioritizing customer experience and using tools like Shopify, Klaviyo, Postscript, and Gempages.
5. Human Tonik ($2.4M/year)
Adam Wright, the founder of SuperGreen TONIK, came up with the idea for his business after struggling with chronic fatigue and a lack of nutritional supplements that met his needs. With his background in web development and digital marketing, he decided to create a greens powder that provided the ingredients he desired and tasted good. Since its launch in August 2019, the brand has seen significant growth and aims to achieve 7-figure revenue in its second year.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 1
SuperGreen TONIK's founder developed a greens powder supplement with 38 superfood nutrients, adaptogenic herbs, vitamins, and minerals that achieved $250k in sales in its first year and is looking to hit 7-figures in its second year, thanks to transparency, repeat customers, and focusing on fewer, properly dosed ingredients.
6. NutritionHQ. ($960K/year)
Ricky Hall, the founder of NutritionHQ, was inspired to start his nutrition store after his own personal weight loss journey. After seeing a picture of himself overweight, he purchased a book about nutrition and supplements, lost over 50 pounds, and became passionate about helping others improve their health. This passion led him to open his first store in 2000 and eventually start NutritionHQ in 2015 after leaving a franchise concept that didn't align with his values. The business has since experienced impressive growth, with overall sales in 2020 beating the previous year by 21.2%.
How much money it makes: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $175K
How many people on the team: 0
NutritionHQ is a successful franchise offering expert nutrition coaching, customized supplement plans, and the best health & wellness products, generating over $80k per month, set to expand massively to hit their 2030 goal of 100 locations with the system generating over $10 million in revenue.
7. Dioxyme ($840K/year)
Marc and Bennett Schneider, father and son co-founders of Dioxyme, came up with the idea for their business after realizing that most of the supplements they tried had no effect. Marc, being a surgeon and scientist, conducted extensive research on nutraceuticals and discovered certain ingredients that had proven efficacy. He combined these ingredients to create a formula that not only worked but surpassed their expectations in terms of strength, power, and endurance.
How much money it makes: $840K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300K
How many people on the team: 4
Father-son duo Marc and Bennett Schneider created Dioxyme, a small-batch, craft nutritional supplement brand that caters to pro-athletes and their unique needs, which earned $840K in yearly revenue, with a 45% repurchase rate.
8. Doppeltree ($840K/year)
Tony and Faye started Doppeltree as a side hustle, inspired by Tony's brother's success in the DTC business. Tony wanted to find a way to pay for his expensive lunches and saw the demand for cold brew coffee. Faye, on the other hand, wanted to create natural self-care products. They launched their website and started selling on Amazon, focusing on product innovation and improving upon customer pain points.
How much money it makes: $840K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 0
Doppeltree, a natural self-care product company in San Francisco, started in 2017 with an $800 investment and now averages $40,000 in revenue per month with 40-50% net profit, offering eye and face masks, a Vitamin C Facial Serum with Real 24K Gold Essence, and an Organic Cotton Cold Brew Filter Bag.
9. SGR NUTRACEUTICALS ($156K/year)
After noticing the booming interest in superfoods post-COVID-19, Ramsekar leveraged his MBA background and stumbled upon Spirulina, recognizing its untapped potential in India. In 2022, he founded SGR Nutraceuticals, earning $60K in the first year and aiming for over $300K by 2024 with innovative products like anti-hair fall chocolates.
How much money it makes: $156K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 0
Case Study about a solo founder in Chennai launching a Spirulina-based business, growing from $60k to over $300k in sales in just two years, catering to health-conscious consumers with a range of products and venturing into the B2C market with white-labeling options for B2B clients.
10. Tomo Labs ($12K/year)
Margaret Morse, a Yale University graduate, teamed up with D1 athlete Liam Mcclintock to create Tomo, a post-alcohol recovery supplement. Fueled by their passion for health and science, they developed a proprietary formula that targets hangover symptoms. Their product gained traction quickly, generating $45,000 in its first week on the market and receiving extensive press coverage. With a focus on online channels, word-of-mouth marketing, and continuous product improvement based on customer feedback, Tomo has built a loyal customer base and is gearing up for an official launch in Q1.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
How many people on the team: 2
Two Yale alumni created Tomo, a post-alcohol recovery supplement, which generated over $45,000 in its first week on the market with limited marketing by targeting specific reporters, revamping their website, boosting their online presence with SEO efforts, and word-of-mouth promotion.
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