Company Description

History

This year, Bluebonnet Nutrition is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. In 1991, the Barrows family had a vision to build a manufacturing company that supplied the cleanest, most wholesome dietary supplements on the market. Today, that vision has grown beyond the company’s wildest aspirations. When it started out, many dietary supplement manufacturers were moving away from the principles upon which this industry was founded. Bluebonnet stayed true to its roots by focusing on the five powers or principals upon which this industry was founded—Nature, Science, Quality, Truth and Knowledge—each of which also happens to represent one of the five petals of the Texas state flower from which we take our name. Bluebonnet is proud to be one of the few that actually manufactures its own natural dietary supplements from the inside out using the best ingredients the earth has to offer and packaging them into recyclable amber glass bottles to best protect and preserve the nutrients and the environment.

Over the past two decades, Bluebonnet has become serious advocates for the rights of consumers to have access to and, for retailers like you, to sell alternative health care products. Bluebonnet officers have played a significant role in supporting and sitting on the boards to both regional and national trade associations like the Natural Products Association (NPA), as well as funding lobbying efforts at state and federal levels whenever there is legislation that can potentially threaten our industry.

In addition, as Bluebonnet has grown, it has invested in the company, opening a 100,000 square-foot, kosher-certified, state of-the-art manufacturing, packaging and distribution facility with  unrivaled in-house analytical laboratories to ensure quality control from start to finish. The company also takes great pride in the contributions to nutritional science by launching many industry firsts: the only active antioxidant form of CoQ10 (Ubiquinol), the only orally available, vegetarian form of SOD (GliSODin®), nucleotides, functional natural omega-3 fish oils for brain, joint and heart health, revolutionary condition-specific formulas such as CholesteRice®, as well as cutting-edge sport nutrition products that set new standards for purity and truthfulness in a category plagued with adulterations and hyperbole.

Also, environmental stewardship and social responsibility have been a part of Bluebonnet’s corporate culture since its inception. As citizens of the world, Bluebonnet believes companies and individuals must do their part to help preserve the earth and its limited resources. At Bluebonnet, that includes enterprise-wide “green” initiatives, recycling programs, use of alternative energy options such as wind and solar, and eco-friendly manufacturing practices. These actions represent a new generation that supports sustainability, reduced dependency on fossil fuels, and giving back to the community and world-at-large.



Key Markets Served
Available exclusively at natural food stores nationwide and in select international markets.

A Broad and Diverse Product Line
Bluebonnet offers a complete line of natural vitamins, minerals, multiples, amino acids, proteins, herbal extracts and specialty supplements, such as sports nutrition, antioxidants, glucosamine, omega fatty acids, fiber/digestive aids including enzymes and probiotics, and food supplements, as well as a unique array of specialty formulas targeted to address specific structure/function applications in the body. All made without unnecessary colors, flavors, fillers, binders or excipients in a delivery system that suits individual lifestyles: caplets, mini-caplets, softgels, chewables, liquids, powders, vegetarian capsules (Vcaps®) and liquid-filled vegetarian capsules (Licaps®).

Major Product/Service Offerings
• Offer KOF-K kosher-certified products*
• Introduced some of the industry’s most revolutionary products/formulas (e.g., CellularActive® CoQ10 Ubiquinol, Vegetarian SOD [GliSODin®], Trimology Licorice Flavonoid Oil [Glavonoid®], Targeted Multiples™, Super Earth® line of whole food-based supplements including a line of whole food based children’s chewables—Super Earth® Rainforest Animalz®)
• Provide vegetarian/vegan products that are truly vegetarian from inside out by exclusively using two types of vegetarian capsules (Vcaps and Licaps)—instead of animal-based gelatin capsules
• Apply an aqueous-based vegetable coating to all caplets instead of the common practice of using shellac
• Produce dairy-based products that are free of antibiotics and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH)
• Never include artificial colors/sweeteners
• Incorporate Non-GMO ingredients when available
• Utilize a water-based sterilization method instead of the common practice of irradiation or ethylene oxide
• Only use natural excipients when absolutely necessary to improve the manufacturing process
• Not only manufacture in our own environmentally-friendly, state-of-the-art facility but use alternative energy sources (e.g., wind and solar) to reduce our carbon footprint
• Package products in recyclable amber glass bottles to better protect nutrients from heat, light and moisture and the environment
• Implement a company-wide recycling program, as well as use only recyclable packing materials/paper and eco-friendly soy-based inks on all printed material

*Only those Bluebonnet products bearing the KOF-K emblem are Kosher certified.
 

Bluebonnet Nutrition Corporation
12915 Dairy Ashford
Sugar Land, TX 77478
Tel.: (800)580-8866 (toll-free), (281)240-3332 (local)
Fax: (281)240-3535
www.bluebonnetnutrition.com

Key Personnel:
R.L. Barrows, CEO
Gary Barrows, President
Steve Barrows, VP Production/Distribution
Bob Barrows, VP Sales/Marketing
Joyce Barrows, CFO
Chris Barrows, IT Director

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, November 2011