When I got the email from NOW Foods in my inbox a few months ago inviting me to come hang with them in Chicago, I was honestly pretty oblivious to how many of their products I already used and loved. I knew I had reached for their trusty orange-labeled supplements for years, but in the days after saying “heck yes” to the trip, I was actually shocked to see just how many of their pretty things I already had sprinkled around. I realized their essential oils and blends are my go-to’s, the hubs swears by their ZMA to help him sleep at night, and I’ve always used their fractionated coconut oil or almond oil as my makeup remover. 

So when flying up to Chi-town, I knew I was a fan, but in the 24 hours I spent with them, the NOW Foods team absolutely won me over for life. I got the chance to learn all the behind the scenes of how they run their company and successfully push out millions of products a month, all while giving back, providing access and staying true to pure quality.

“NOW’s ongoing mission is simple – To provide value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives. Over the years, NOW has opted not to carry many fad products that have ultimately proven either unsafe or unethical, such as ephedrine-based diet products, questionable hormone-altering products such as DHEA, and artificial sweeteners. We’ve always believed that natural is better when it comes to food and nutrition. We take pride in offering products that we consume ourselves and recommend to our families and friends.”

I mean, yes. A million yes’s. I can get behind this. And in the intimate details I saw of their company while behind the scenes, I can confidently say these words are more than publicity – they’re real. I could blabber on forever about the reasons I will forever support this brand, but I summed it up in 4 main ones.

((Disclaimer note: NOW did cover the travel expenses for me to visit with them and they have provided me with some of their products to try, but they haven’t paid me to write this post. I’m taking the time to spill my love for them for y’all’s sake – because I believe firmly that my access to this knowledge is a privilege and I want to equip + empower y’all to make healthy, informed choices for yourself and your own families.))

1 – They are family owned + operated.

With morals and ethics and a love for their employees. This is the first one I mention because it is the first thing that stuck out to me when meeting their team and facilities. And it’s genuinely reflected in everything they do and are as a company. They value their employees’ home + family lives in a way that shines through. Every.single.person I encountered in my time with them was genuinely happy to do their job and grateful for the care their employer put into their work. That can never be oversold and I genuinely believe in the power that joy and satisfaction has to come out in the final product we experience in our own homes.

2 – Their standards for quality are out of this world.

It actually blows my mind just how committed they are to being the absolute best in the industry. They’ve invested billions of dollars in top-of-the-line equipment and they don’t stop there. Their dozens of in-house laboratories allow them to check for quality every shipment of raw materials that come in and every shipment of finished product that goes out. 

They use advanced triple quadrupole gas chromatograph-mass-spectrometer and liquid chromatography-mass-spectrometry. All super fancy technical terms to say they have some serious equipment to test for unwanted particles. 

They are the only manufacturer in the industry to own + operate the RiboPrinter, another super fancy machine that gives them the highest-level of accuracy in testing bacterial strains – both the good kind in their probiotic supplements they make, and the harmful kind that could come in the materials that they source for their products. In fact, they explained that the pesticide industry is quite sneaky in the way they continuously adjust the strains they create so that they aren’t detected and can pass as organic product, but NOW Foods’ access to some of these high-powered machines allows them to stay ahead of the stealth and catch brand new strains developed, not just the known ones they’ve verified. Because of that, NOW Foods is the industry leader in pesticide screening.

They never test on animals. In fact, they actually just test on their willing employees (another point to prove the amazing environment they create to foster so much trust in their products).

Here are some highlights from each of their other lines:

• Premium Collection Natural Personal Care | paraben-free with no artificial colors or fragrances 
• NOW Sports | absolutely no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners – quality and purity tested – Informed-Choice certification to ensure their products are steroid free. 
• Natural Foods | all non-GMO and Safe Quality Foods certified

3 – They care about access.

So I know I just told you about all the money and time and resources they invest into making the highest quality products, so you’re probably thinking “great, another line of products I can’t afford.” But guess what? They actually have some of the most affordably-priced products on the market. They are committed to providing value in a way that other companies quite frankly can’t. Because they push out such a high volume of product, and because they cut out so many steps in the manufacturing and marketing process, they can get these high quality products into our hands at a much lower price. And that means a lot to me. There is no doubt, in this current world we live in, it is much easier to live an unhealthy life than a healthy one. But that doesn’t mean healthy choices have to be out of reach. 

Here’s why this all matters:

Our current market say healthy is trendy and every brand out there is hopping on the bandwagon, trying to re-brand their junk products as “good-for-you” ones just to fit into the scene. Combine that with our government’s utter lack of regulations and their biased support of the companies that fail us (I talked about this in more detail in my nontoxic beauty + skincare post) and we as consumers have a tricky world to navigate. We want to make good choices, we want to pay for quality with the money we’ve got to spend, but it’s far too easy to get lost in it all. 

Which makes me all the more proud to stand behind companies that truly do it right – that rise above the norm to offer truly great products we can trust. That care about offering quality and value and transparency. NOW Foods is one of those companies. (You can use code MOLLIE for 20% off all orders on their website.)

I hope this helps y’all! I hope you feel just a little more empowered to research the products you buy, to find brands you trust, and to know healthy can be affordable. Let’s be empowered, educated consumers! xx, molls