ALGALIFE

Andy Jacobson has worked in the natural health industry for his entire life. He started out working in his parents? health food stores. He later went on to run divisions for Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ: HAIN). In 2008, he became the CEO of Cyanotech (NASDAQ: CYAN), at the time one of the leading producers of microalgae, including astaxanthin. Sold under the name BioAstin, Cyanotech had one of the top selling astaxanthin products in the United States, and it also provided raw materials to other companies for use in their own products. One such company that bought astaxanthin from Cyanotech was a Norwegian supplement producer owned by Andres Flaaten and Kenneth Bern. With their business flourishing, the Norwegian entrepreneurs grew concerned about their astaxanthin supply chain and also quality control. Known for its numerous health benefits, natural astaxanthin can be very difficult and costly to produce. Furthermore, the astaxanthin they sourced from Cyanotech was produced in an open-air facility, more easily exposed to contaminants, as well as exhaust from the nearby airport and highway. To best control product quality as they scaled their company, Andres and Kenneth decided to build their own astaxanthin production facility, and they hired Andy, who had left Cyanotech, to help guide the process. After extensive research, the team settled on Iceland thanks to its inexpensive, sustainable power supply and its abundance of pure water, both essential for making natural astaxanthin. They constructed a self-contained, pristinely sterile indoor facility so that the astaxanthin that you receive from Algalife is completely void of contaminants. Today, under Andy?s leadership, Algalife?s Icelandic astaxanthin is available online and at select retail locations, like Sprouts. Renowned for its tremendous health benefits, like anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-UV properties, it?s used by active adults to reduce soreness, sickness, and sun-damaged skin.