Easy to swallow

However, as dosages grow, so do the pill sizes—along with the reluctance of some people to swallow them. To address the challenge of making large dosages easy to take, some vitamin and supplement manufacturers have developed liquid forms of these products, to drink straight or as supplements to beverages or food. "Our joint care formula has 2,000 mg of glucosamine HCL," says Ed Thomas, v.p. of sales and marketing at Fort Worth, Texas-based Drinkables. "In addition, we add 1,200 mg of chondroitin, 50 mg of collagen, and 500 mg of MSM. You can't put this many actives in a pill, because it would be enormous."

Drinkables, a division of Remington Health Products, LLC, manufactures a line of supplements in liquid form, including Coral Calcium, Calcium 3, Liquid Multi Vitamins for Seniors, Colloidal Minerals, Joint Care, and Joint Relief. The company initially entered the market with a control label for Sam's Club called Liquid Naturals, and launched the Drinkables brand to target the mass retail market early last year.

One of the benefits that liquid vitamins have over their solid counterparts, according to Thomas, is that they're easily absorbed into the system. "It takes from 30 minutes to 45 minutes to break down a pill using stomach acids. In a liquid form, the vitamins are assimilated immediately into the bloodstream."

Daily dosage

Another benefit is dosage. Because the liquids can contain large quantities of actives, it is only necessary to take them once a day. "We ran some focus groups with consumers who took supplements, and one of their main concerns was not getting enough dosage," says Thomas. "They may take a pill in the morning but forget to take another in the afternoon. With the liquids, you take one in the morning and then forget about it."

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based Rhino Naturals is another supplier of liquid supplements. Called Rhino Boosts, they are additives that are mixed into beverages. "You can put Rhino Boosts in a variety of beverages and still maintain the integrity of the product," says president Patrick Petersen. "Instead of offering a huge line of beverages, you put the additives in whatever beverage you want."

Rhino Boosts come in eight formulas—Energy, Protein, Immunity, Vitamin, Mind, Mood, Slim, and Flex—and are available in 33-ounce bottles with dispensing pumps, as well as one-quarter-ounce single-serve packets. The company also offers Shots, which are ready-to-drink supplements available in four tonics: Energy, Immunity, Mind, and Mood.

Liquid vitamins are well suited for sampling programs, and both Drinkables and Rhino Naturals have seen significant results with their grocery customers when a sampling program was implemented. "We had 100 percent lift during our demo program at H-E-B," says Drinkables' Thomas. Drinkables does two types of demo programs: In one, cupfuls of the product are poured out for shoppers to try on-site, and coupons are handed out to each participant. For the other, single-serve sample packets are handed out to shoppers, along with a coupon.

Rhino Naturals has a demo program with West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raleys, in which the grocer offers the product mixed with fresh juices.

An additional impact of the liquid format is the fact that manufacturers can develop unique packaging for their products. The Drinkables products, for example, are packaged in custom-designed bottles with a dosage cup attached. "It is fairly innova- tive from a packaging standpoint," says Drinkables' Thomas. "There is no box—the bottle is encased in plastic, so the unique shape makes the product pop on the shelves. And with the 40 percent margin retailers make on the product, it is a great complement to the category."