Columbia Nutritional

growth of the company in a very strong market, that’s grown from about a $6 billion market in 1995, to over $46 billion in retail sales, today. So, it’s been a very high growth industry.” Columbia Nutritional is strictly a contract manufacturer for a variety of brands, who then market their own product lines. Becker explains, “We take their formula idea, we create a specification of that formula, we source and test all the ingredients, and then we compile them together to manufacture them in a capsule format, or a tablet, or a drink mix formula. Then we’ll package that product in the specific bottle or package that they require, adhere their label, or have their marketing information printed on the product, and ship it back to them for their resale, either direct to their consumers or the distribution channel that they work through.” The company has two manufacturing facilities, staffed by a total of 135 employees, a 75,000-sq.- ft. headquarters and manufacturing operation in Vancouver, Washington, and a 24,000-sq.-ft. facility in Columbus, Ohio. “In Vancouver, we have all three of our major manufacturing capabilities, in terms of blending, encapsulation, tabletting, and powder filling,” Becker notes. “In the Columbus, Ohio facility, it’s strictly a powder blending and powder filling operation to support some of our east coast clients. Those products are typically heavier in weight, so the shipping costs are more of a factor. So, we’re a little closer to some of our markets that we serve in the eastern U.S. But, we serve clients all over the country, as well as internationally. Pills are pretty light in nature and cost-effective to ship in bottles, so, we really don’t have any geographic limitations.” Becker reports that, over the last two decades, the company has produced over 4,000 individual formulations, sourced over 3,200 unique ingredients and packaging components, and developed and launched over 150 products, annually. Last year, it manufactured over 500 million capsules and tablets, 1.2 million COLUMB I A NUTR I T IONAL