WellWithAll targets health inequities with supplements and 'inclusive capitalism'
The Black-owned company—founded by Demond Martin, formerly a senior partner at Adage Capital Management, and serial entrepreneur Carmichael Roberts—launched last fall to "make the world a little fairer, a little healthier and a lot more caring." Michael Archbold, former president of the Vitamin Shoppe and CEO of GNC, is on the leadership team.
“It's really about the people and the fact that that we have a lot of people who have been left behind on the health journey,” Archbold told NutraIngredients-USA. “We felt that we could use capitalism, and a business that could actually be very profitable and successful, to address the challenges.”
He said the company embraces ‘inclusive capitalism', the concept of using capitalism to address the challenges of people and planet to drive "the changes we want to see in the world".
The company has committed 20% of its profits to go back to Black, Brown and underserved communities, with a goal to donate $300 million in the next decade.
“We think that there's a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to address these health inequities by embracing an all-of-the above kind of approach,” Archbold said. “Profits will lead back into philanthropy.”
Healing the community
Prior to the public launch of WellWithAll, the company was already focused on its philanthropic ventures. Last year, it partnered with Boston-based Dimock Center to establish the HEAL Academy, or Health Equity Advocacy and Leadership, for teens and young adults. Participants in the program learn how to take blood pressure and initiate conversations about mental health to become health ambassadors in their communities.
“We're starting in Boston, but our intention is to basically use that as the blueprint to go into other cities around the country,” said Lori Leslie Robbins, chief marketing officer at WellWithAll. “We’re taking this into various communities, one neighborhood at a time.”
The company’s executives said these initiatives couldn’t come at a more important time. In Chicago alone, life expectancy in some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods is 90 years old. In several of Chicago’s communities of color health disparities put life expectancy at only 60 years old.
“There's a 30-year difference associated with 10 miles,” Archbold said. “And as we know, there's nothing biologically different. We can address these challenges. We do it with advocacy. We do it through education.”
Good Numbers and Better Daily
WellWithAll supplements are sold mostly online and range from $22.99 to $32.99. In January, the company launched into brick and mortar with placement in Chicago’s Fruitful Yield Health Food stores, which are owned by natural product manufacturer NOW.
Its Good Numbers product line addresses the most pressing health issues in underserved communities including blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. To support simple commitments to a healthier lifestyle, the Better Daily line offers multivitamins, vitamins D3 and K2, omega-3 fatty acids and a sleep support with MicroActive melatonin, L-theanine and Sensoril ashwagandha. In development are products for gut health and mental health support.
Archbold said WellWithAll’s products are appealing because its formulations include ingredients at clinically-studied dosages.
“There are many in this industry who will use less than the clinically-studied dosage, which means it may not be as effective,” he said. “We go for very high quality that’s very highly effective. Because if nothing else, we want to make a difference.”
Archbold added that making a difference is not only about targeting persons of color.
“Clearly our secondary market is really anyone who's interested in addressing the challenges that they're facing, whether it be blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar,” he said.
