However, as part of the process, I was required to submit sperm samples to give the greatest possible chance of conception. About that time, I was reading quite a bit of literature about infertility and I came across some insightful information about Royal Jelly and Panax Ginseng. It just so happened that, in 1994, NOW introduced a new capsule with these two ingredients, as well as a separate liquid Royal Jelly in honey. As with any male in the position of being tested, I wanted my numbers to be the highest possible for success in conceiving, as well as impressing the doctor! I began heavy dosing with both products and was tickled each time when the doctor reported near record sperm counts and motility levels. It was a prideful and happy moment that helped me survive the unexpected invasion of my privacy. During this period a number of big sellers were introduced. They include: 1993 Saw Palmetto Complex, ChromeMate®, Antioxidant Caps, NAC, Body Balm and Deodorant Stones in a stick 1994 Grape Seed Extract 60 mg, Sucanat®, Glucosamine Sulfate, Saw Palmetto 160 mg gels, Ginseng & Royal Jelly, Bone Calcium, 8 Billion Acidophilus & Bifidus, Melatonin caps and Esiak Tea Concentrate 1995 Boswellin®, Esiak Caps, (later Ojibwa) Cat’s Claw, Creatine Powder, Pygeum & Saw Palmetto, Glucosamine 1000, Joint Support™, Citrimax®, Stevia Extract, CoQ10 100 mg and Sublingual (chewable) Melatonin 1996 Stevia Liquid Extract, EcoGreen Multi tabs, Echinacea Drops, KidVits™, Ginkgo Biloba 120 mg, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Acetyl-L-Carnitine caps During this period, NOW tried to sell as many trademarked name brands as possible as a way of assuring high quality. We had learned a lot from MaxEPA and tried to find other “MaxEpa’s” that would fill a niche of quality name products at low prices. In the summer of 1994, a new product called Citrimax® was launched at a major convention with more hype than I had ever seen before. NOW wanted to offer the trademarked product and approached the vendor, with whom NOW was already a customer. Because NOW’s pricing is so low, it tends to make competitors and, sometimes, suppliers nervous. In this case, other vitamin brands had already told the supplier that they would not introduce the new Citrimax® product if NOW was allowed to sell the same thing at 40% lower cost. This is a part of business that is really distasteful. I suppose it compares to when a Wal-Mart store wants to open in a small town and every business feels threatened, even though Wal-Mart would bring efficiency and savings to the same people as consumers. In this case, with no good short term options, NOW went to a competing supplier of the same raw material under the trade name Citrin®. That product was launched quickly, and apparently drew notice from the makers of Citrimax®. Within a short time, we reached an agreement to sell the Citrimax® product also, though the original snub lingered for years. Another brand that turned NOW down was Tonalin brand CLA. In 1997, we had contacted the office that sold Tonalin and requested to become one of their branded distributors. This is quite normal business, and it’s basically unheard of for growing companies to turn down new customers. At the time, Tonalin was only sold by a few 74 BEATING THE ODDS
