National Vitamin Co. The National Vitamin Co. of Las Vegas has lifted the
shroud of secrecy that has hung over the vitamin industry
since its inception. Now, seven days a week, you can tour
National's factory and see how vitamins are blended, tested,
inspected and bottled. Housed in an 80,000 square-foot facility just off Interstate
15 South on South Industrial Road are state-of-the-art
stainless steel machines from Italy, Germany, Switzerland,
Canada and the United States. One can actually see how
vitamin powder is compressed into tablets under 2 to 6
tons of pressure. Watch as amber gelatin is heated and
fused with liquid vitamin formulas to make soft-gel capsules.
And later spy into inspection rooms and observe workers
meticulously scrutinizing by hand thousands of jewel-like
soft-gel topaz capsules for leakage. At the end of a self-guided walking tour is a pharmacy-style
store stocked with an alphabet of vitamins from A to Z,
including herbal standards such as Aloe Vera, Cat's Claw,
St. John's Wart and cosmetic creams and hair-care products All the products are made and bottled right on the premises.
You can even enjoy a smoothie shake -- spiked with your
favorite vitamin combinations � in the health bar adjacent
to the retail store. National Vitamin Co. was started by Earl Courtney Jr.
in 1974 in San Jose, Calif. He and his son, Earl Courtney
III; wife, Jeanne; and daughter, Chantal Garcia opened
the Las Vegas facility in July 1998 after taking a tour
of the Ethel M Chocolate factory in Green Valley. They
liked the way Ethel M showed consumers how chocolates
were made, and they felt the same interest could be sparked
for vitamins. "We are the only vitamin company in the United States
that's open to the public," Earl Courtney III says. "The
tour is free, and at the end you receive a free sample. " Earl Courtney Jr. says the United States government
is National's biggest vitamin customer. The government
buys all over the world for its commissaries. The Aloe
Vera had cream is especially popular with the military,
he says. National vitamins also sells internationally to such
countries as Japan, Taiwan, South America and South Korea.
The company manufactures 600 different formulas of multiple
vitamins, vitamins and herbal supplements. National sells vitamins to retail outlets under the
trade name Nature's Blend. Vitamins sold at the factory
in Las Vegas are marketed exclusively under the brand
name Life-Line. "We average between 150 and 200 visitors a day," Earl
Courtney Jr. says. "We've especially receive a lot of
calls from school groups." The Las Vegas factory cost $10 million to build. Currently,
70 people are employed, but the Courtneys say this number
will increase to 125 soon. The Las Vegas facility is doing approximately $800,000
a month in sales. That number is expected to hit the $25
million mark within three years, Earl Courtney Jr. says.
National's factory in Porterville, Calif., is larger
at 110,000 square feet, but it doesn't offer tours, Earl
Courtney Jr. says. "I'm glad we set up for people to see how vitamins are
made," he says. "This way they get an opportunity to
see first hand the process. The Las Vegas factory, he points out, is producing anywhere
from 2 to 3 million capsules of vitamin E a day. "As more studies come out, vitamins are becoming widely
accepted," Earl Courtney Jr. says. "The fresher the
product, the more apt you are to get the nutrients. That's
why it's better to have vitamins made here." The National Vitamin Co. is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6
p.m., Monday through Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
on Sundays. For more information contact: National Vitamin Co., 7440
S. Industrial Road, Suite 210, Las Vegas, NV. 89139. Phone:
(702) 269-9600. Fax: (702) 614-0262. Web site: www.nationalvitamin.com.
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