Cardinal takes founder's name: Bergstrom
sectors by changing its name to Bergstrom Nutrition, after its
founder, to create a new image associated with value added services
rather than brands like OptiMSM.
Based in Vancouver, Washington, Bergstrom is a family-owned nutrition ingredient company and claims to operate the world's only facility solely dedicated to the production of its patented MSM (methylsulfonylmethane).
The company's use of its founder's name, George Bergstrom, indicates a rethinking of its philosophy and a rebranding that will include new products and services in its scope.
Bergstrom began working with MSM for human consumption in 1989. The nutrient supports healthy joints, cartilage, skin, hair and nails. It occurs naturally in foods, but only in small amounts. Thus it has been synthesized as a dietary supplement to replicate benefits for joint health, such as alleviating symptoms of inflammation and arthritis.
"Virtually all of our marketing to date has supported our flagship ingredient brand, OptiMSM," Bergstrom president David Lakey told NutraIngredients-USA.com. "As we add products and markets in the future, we want to be able to talk about the company's value-added services as distinct from the product brands."
"We are working on several new value-added ingredients that leverage our expertise in joint health and premium retail brands," said Lakey. "We don't have any product news to announce, yet."
And as the company sets off on its new course, it appears to be trying to cultivate a 'feel good' message, the kind that often accompanies family-owned companies.
"We wanted a more proprietary name that reflected our authentic beginnings as a company," said Lakey. "So that those ideals would not be lost as we become a much larger and more diversified company."
Bergstrom decided to follow a recipe that has worked for other home-brewed companies.
"We also observed that the use of the founder's name has been pretty successful for Toyota, SC Johnson, Pfizer and others, so we chose to follow a track that the marketplace seems to like," said Lakey.
The company made the name change decision several months ago as it finalized a five-year strategic plan, according to Lakey. Bergstrom says it has grown by investing in infrastructure and capabilities in advance of market needs. Recently, it has increased its manufacturing and testing capacity, technical support and brand marketing.
