"At EFI, we are intensely proud of 20 years leading the industry in the advancement of probiotic health and science through continued research and education of these revolutionary products that remain to this day unrivaled in their formulation, delivery, and extraordinary benefits," EFI President William Schoor said in a press release.
A look at EFI's history
The family-owned business was established in 2000 as the sole U.S. distributor of microbiologist Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira's Probiotics, an all-natural fermented probiotic product from Japan. Company founder Michael Schoor had experienced the benefits of the product while traveling through Malaysia in 1997. A press release from the company shares the history: Recommended by a local doctor for his severe digestive distress, the remedy offered immediate relief far superior to medications he had taken in the past. Recognizing the potential health impact of this product, Michael arranged a meeting with formulator Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira, which would become the catalyst for establishing EFI as well as forecasting the emergence of a natural health phenomenon.At that time, EFI says,there was little information on probiotic health outside of the natural health product industry, but the company introduced those industry experts to Dr. Ohhira's products, the the brand began to grow organically through product referrals. In 2015, the company added the Reg'Activ Formulas with ME-3, and has continued to help drive the evolution of a the probiotic health industry.
“From its inception, EFI's growth strategy was to offer retailer support through product training, retailer initiatives, and educational marketing to consumers," said Michael Schoor. Success strategies have included media buys on interview format health radio, sponsoring seminars at industry meetings, advertorial print campaigns, and funding probiotic health initiatives.
Related: Company Profile: Essential Formulas Incorporated Beyond Probiotics: Pre-, Syn-, Post-, and Psycho- Protecting Your Skin’s Probiotic Microbiome
Exploring the science
"Over 20 years, EFI has built a solid infrastructure based on impeccable science, loyal retailers, and the expertise and support of credentialed and respected practitioners," said Brian Craig, CEO. "We are looking forward too many more years of participating in the advancement of probiotic health and science, which is the result of on-going discoveries into the essential role that probiotics play in human health.”Recently, Ross Pelton, R.Ph., Ph.D., CCN, director of science at Essential Formulas, published a paper titled Postbiotic Metabolites: The New Frontier in Microbiome Sciencein the June 2019 edition ofThe Townsend Letter, the Examiner of Alternative Medicine. The places a heavy emphasis on identifying postbiotic metabolites. Read more on that science here:Essential Formulas Science Director Publishes Paper Shifting Focus to Postbiotics.
