Organika Health Products Inc.
BY SOPHIE KOHN
Tom Chin knows firsthand about the surprising power of natural health remedies. It was his own health scare that set him on the path to becoming CEO and President of Richmond, B.C. based Organika Health Products Inc.
“I started in a strange way,” explains Chin, who launched Organika 23 years ago. Before that, he was working in the finance industry when he developed a kidney stone. The proposed treatment involved an invasive surgical procedure. Curious about the alternatives, he contacted a friend with a natural health bent. The friend instructed Chin to grind up parsley and turmeric, add juice and water, and drink the concoction for three days. Chin took his friend’s advice and passed the stone in one day.
Organika’s inspiration
It was a revelatory moment for Chin. He was astonished by how effective this natural cure had been, and how such a simple remedy let him avoid a painful operation and undoubtedly long recovery.
His only question: Why aren’t more people using these types of solutions? Inspired, he set to work researching natural health products. He quickly found his answer – because natural products are prohibitively expensive for the average person, often carrying a 500 to 600 per cent markup.
Quality and affordability
“You’ve got to make these products available for all,” Chin says emphatically. “So everyone can have a healthy, good life.”
Chin formed Organika with two major goals – to make high quality products, and to make them affordable.
Today, Organika Health Products Inc. operates out of a 76,000 square-foot facility in Richmond. It employs 110 people, exports its products to 22 countries, has 480 NPN numbers, and is expanding and improving constantly. Organika manufactures nutritional supplements, digestion aids, anti-inflammatory remedies and herbal formulas. The bestselling products are enzymes and joint management care, which includes glucosamine and salmon oil capsules.
Organic certification
In June 2011, after a yearlong auditing process, Organika achieved its organic certification and acquired membership in the Pacific Agricultural Certification Society. Organika is now the only “certified organic facility” in Western Canada, meaning that all organic products remain pure during all production stages from raw materials to final product.
Updated facility
Recent improvements to the Richmond facility have supported Chin’s mission. The facility has added two High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machines, which test products on three criteria: potency, quality and purity. These machines ensure that each Organika product satisfies the Health Canada guidelines for allowable limits of heavy metals and other foreign matter. Organika sources its raw materials from all over the world, which undergo eight testing methods before using. The company quarantines all raw materials until they pass Health Canada standards. After the product is manufactured, it’s quarantined once again.
New products
Organika has expanded its functional food line to include organic olive oil, and a 100 per cent Organic Greens superfood powder with 17 herbs and vegetables, one of the few greens powders that can boast only organic ingredients.
It also recently launched organic coconut palm sugar, available in bulk or stick packs. Organika started offering coconut palm sugar partly due to its sustainable attributes. A coconut tree can produce sugar with less water and space than it takes to produce cane sugar.
The company also introduced organic coconut vinegar with wild honey, which is selling particularly well. This vinegar is said to be 10 times more nutrient-dense than apple cider vinegar because the type of volcanic soil where the coconut palm grows is extremely rich in amino acids and minerals, which is transferred to the coconut. Similar to apple cider vinegar, it is also alkalizing, which is beneficial for cancer patients and others wanting to reduce food acidity levels.
Chin feels strongly that in order to engage consumers to buy natural health products, he must offer products that don’t disrupt people’s lifestyles.
“People are habitual,” Chin says. “If they’re going to consume sugar, they’re going to consume sugar.” Hence the convenient packet of coconut palm sugar; it’s in the format that people are used to, only it boasts a much lower glycemic index rating.
Evidence-based research
Throughout its 23-year journey, Organika has been fiercely committed to integrating sound science into its product development. This became especially true in 2004, when the Natural Health Product Directorate (NHPD) introduced stricter regulations. For Chin, that meant implementing a stronger focus on science. Today, a fifth of his employees are scientists in Quality Control and Quality Assurance. The team gathers information on the source of raw materials, dosage limits, efficacy, mode of action, safety, side effects, allergy response, contraindications, effects on long-term use, and interactions with other medications.
“We need strong scientists who are also dedicated to natural health,” he stresses. “In the past, we could get away with passionate people who weren’t scientists necessarily. But not anymore.”
Before Organika launches a new product, the product endures a rigorous process. First, scientific evidence must reveal that a new product is necessary. Second, demands of the market are assessed. Third, clinical data on the product safety is conducted. Finally, the collective data must prove that the product offers improvement or greater efficacy within what Chin describes as “the landscape of natural health.”
“‘Science’ is not a bad word,” Chin states. “It means that the product becomes as effective and precise as it can be. It means the product works.”
After 23 years, Chin still sounds committed and passionate about his vision for natural health. “We can be just as good as, and have just as high standards as, a pharmaceutical company,” he concludes.
At a Glance
Organika Health Products Inc.
Brands Organika Professional Line
Address13480 Verdun Place, Richmond, BC V6V 1V2
Phone1-800-663-8880
Website www.organika.com
Staff 110
Products 480
Top-selling product Organika Full Spectrum Plant Enzymes, Organika Pacific Salmon Oil, Organika GLS 500 (glucosamine sulfate)
