FAR LEFT AND ABOVE: AMY NIKKI PHOTOGRAPHY; MIDDLE: COURTESY OF NATURADE
At left: Tellis and Cook at their
first business, Healthy Body
Products. Below: With key
partner Magic Johnson.
available for sale, Naturade. Based in
Orange, California, Naturade was founded
in 1926 and was a pioneer in plant-based
shakes. As an established brand, it offered
the pair a starting point for reaching a
broader goal: creating a company that
could address diabetes and diet-related
illnesses on a national, even global level.
They bought Naturade in 2012 and
completely revamped the brand with a
lineup of plant-based meal replacements
that are low in sugar and high in protein,
vitamins and minerals. The goal behind
the makeover was to make high-quality
nutritional products for a wide audience—
meaning making them both affordable
and accessible. Their first signature product was VeganSmart, which they began
marketing at natural food exhibitions and
other trade shows.
VeganSmart was successful in a niche
market, but the challenge was to attract
more mainstream consumers. That meant
getting more people to know about plantbased foods as a weight loss strategy, while
being assured that they tasted good. It
also meant creating more buzz around
the plant-based products industry, and
making Naturade what Tellis calls “a
disruptive brand.”
A huge coup came when they attracted
professional basketball superstars Magic
Johnson and Grant Hill as investors in the
business. Both brought instant recognition
to the brand, with Johnson in particular
C O M PA N Y I N F O
Company
Naturade
Leadership
Claude Tellis, CEO,
Kareem Cook, Chief
Marketing Officer
Employees 15
Headquarters
Irvine, California
Website
Naturade.com
Items at Costco
Naturade Plant-Based
High Protein Shake
(Item 1466593; online
at Costco.com and in
Los Angeles region
warehouses only)
Comment about Costco
“Costco’s commitment
to members is that they
will listen for products
that members want
and will go get them.
Costco moved quickly
to feature our products
and have supported
us in our quest to be
successful.”
—Kareem Cook
and Claude Tellis,
Naturade
CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
JANUARY 2022 Costco Connection 37
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