Flora Manufacturing and Distributing Ltd., one of the world's leading natural health supplement companies, is celebrating 45 years in North America. Based in Burnaby, B.C., Flora has roots that extend back nearly a century, encompassing three generations of the Greither family.

Cultivating a heritage of good health

Thomas Greither, Flora's owner and president, comes from a long line of health entrepreneurs committed to providing premium health products. In 1916, his grandfather, the famous Dr. Otto Greither, founded the world-renowned Salus-Haus in Germany. Following in those footsteps, Thomas's father - also named Otto Greither - continued to build Salus-Haus into one of the most respected manufacturers of liquid health tonics in the world. Salus-Haus is the European market leader in iron, vitamin and mineral tonics with a worldwide distribution network, including Flora Manufacturing and Distributing which holds the exclusive rights to these products in North America.

A visionary leader

After earning his degree in nutrition in 1983, Thomas Greither opened a health food store in Burlington, Vermont, where he pioneered a process for cold-pressing unrefined flax oil. In 1986, he sold the store and acquired Flora, then a small distribution company for European health tonics. He soon transformed Flora into a manufacturing company, producing herbal teas, seed oils and nutritional supplements. In 1988, Flora expanded into the U.S., opening a manufacturing facility in Lynden, Washington. The company also acquired five acres of Whatcom County farmland in order to grow its own organic herbs.

Flax oil, detoxifying tea, essential fatty acids, probiotics and more

In the early 1990s, Greither began to produce Flor•Essence® Herbal Tea after acquiring the rights to an Ojibwa folk remedy that nurse Rene Caisse had used to treat her patients in Bracebridge, Ontario, in the 1920s and 1930s. Today, Flor•Essence® is exported to more than 30 countries and has received more than 1,500 testimonials from grateful customers. In 1994, working with Udo Erasmus, Flora introduced a foundational line of health products under the Udo's Choice® label, including digestive enzymes and omega-3-6-9 oil, and later the first agespecific probiotics and the only vegetarian DHA Flax Oil on the market, supporting eye health and cognitive function.

The place we like to call home

Flora's primary manufacturing plant is situated along the Fraser River in Burnaby, B.C. The company occupies a 40,000 square foot, fully modernized facility that utilizes the world's most advanced equipment for processing teas and tonics, and encapsulating herbal extracts and unrefined cold-pressed organic seed oils.

Staying connected: the importance of CHFA

Flora is a proud member of the Canadian Health Food Association. Flora resonates with the mission CHFA exemplifies – "to help create a world where natural and organic products are an integral part of health and well-being." Flora participates in the Vancouver and Toronto CHFA trade shows each year to reconnect with our retail partners and to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of our products. Today, it is more important than ever to stay informed about the natural products industry's evolving product standards and trends, and Flora's involvement with CHFA makes this possible.

We've always been green

From the very beginning, Flora has been proactive on environmental issues. Flora was the first in the industry to use and still be committed to glass for product packaging and recycling. The company grows most of its own herbs on organic farms in Washington and Chile and purchases the rest through fair trade practices from organic farmers in many locations throughout the world. Flora continues to strive as a leader in the field of natural health products, not only in North America, but in all corners of the globe. Our mission: to transform people's health and lives, one supplement at a time.

Well positioned for future growth

Flora Manufacturing and Distributing currently employs approximately 230 people, operating manufacturing facilities in Burnaby and Lynden, Washington, and distribution centres in New York City and Brampton, Ontario. The company produces more than 200 natural health supplements including the renowned detoxifying tea, Flor•Essence®, a wide selection of vitamins and minerals, bulk herbs and unrefined virgin oils, along with a complete line of Udo's Choice® probiotics, digestive enzymes, whole-food formulas, Udo's Oil™ 3-6-9 and DHA Blend. In addition, Flora is the exclusive North American distributor for Efamol® products, BIJA® exotic teas, and Dr. Dünner and Salus® tonics, including the world famous Floradix® liquid iron supplement.

For information about Flora's complete line of products, please visit: www.florahealth.com or call 1-888-436-6697