Nutiva Named to Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies in America

POINT RICHMOND, Calif., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutiva^®, the world's leading provider of organic coconut oil, hemp foods, and chia seeds, has been named one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. Magazine. Earning accolades in the Private Company Sector for the fourth year in a row, Nutiva ranks at No. 2377 as a result of rapid growth stemming from its uncompromising dedication to providing the highest quality organic superfoods and commitment to "Nourishing People and Planet."

"This is the fourth consecutive year we've made the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Company list, which is a great endorsement of the superfoods industry," said Nutiva founder and CEO John W. Roulac. "Our customers are looking for nutrient-dense organic foods that enhance their health and fit into their busy lifestyles. Coconut, hemp, and chia have nourished people in this way for many centuries."

A Surging Demand for Superfoods

A mainstream popularity spike for superfoods—most notably coconut, hemp, and chia—is ongoing due to publicity in the popular media by such proponents as Dr. Oz. Nutiva is riding this wave of demand, resulting in its average 55 percent annual growth rate since 2002. In the past year alone, the demand for Nutiva's organic chia has increased five-fold and overall sales have doubled. More people than ever are discovering the rich nutritional benefits of superfoods that have been a source of human nourishment throughout history. Compare this to other discoveries being made about modern chemical-intensive GMO (genetically modified organism) corn and soy crops, which underpin unhealthy GMO vegetable oils and animal feedlots with their compromised meat and milk. Nutiva remains committed to maintaining the integrity of its ingredients while escalating its brand to beyond the one hundred million annual sales range. Organic integrity and support for family farmers is an essential part of Nutiva's operational backbone.

Relocation and New Job Opportunities

This month Nutiva moved its headquarters from Oxnard, in Southern California, to Point Richmond in the San Francisco Bay Area. The new location—ten times larger than Nutiva's previous home and complete with a state-of-the-art high-speed manufacturing facility—has brought with it more than fifty new job opportunities in 2012, and these added jobs may total a hundred in 2013. Nutiva's recent job fair attracted more than a thousand potential employees, and seasoned executives, including professionals formerly with such top brands as Spectrum Naturals, Calistoga Water, and Real Goods Solar, have already joined the team.

Nutiva's Pay-It-Forward Approach

Nutiva holds a "pay it forward" vision that includes donating 1 percent of its sales to groups promoting sustainable agriculture, as well as supporting the health and well-being of the communities in which it operates. This all happens within an overarching goal of revolutionizing the way the world eats. Nutiva has already partnered with the nonprofit group Common Vision to plant a fruit tree orchard at every one of the twenty-five public schools in Richmond. In the Philippines, Nutiva is giving away thirty-five thousand coconut seedlings to independent farmers. Each tree will, in five years, yield up to forty-eight coconuts a year and produce a few dozen jars of Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil. The Nutiva 1 percent program is on track to donate four hundred thousand dollars in 2012.

For more information, please visit: www.nutiva.com or follow the company on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Nutiva.

About Nutiva^®

Nutiva is dedicated to a healthy and sustainable world, demonstrating its mission to nourish people and planet by using delicious organic ingredients, enriching the soil, and donating 1 percent of sales to sustainable-agriculture groups. Founded in 1999, Nutiva is the world's best-selling brand of nutritious organic hemp foods, extra-virgin coconut oil, and chia seeds. Fifteen thousand retailers in the United States, Canada, and the European Union offer Nutiva products, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, Publix, Safeway, Loblaws, and Amazon.com.

About Inc. 5000

Each year Inc. Magazine ranks the five thousand fastest-growing privately held firms in the United States. This prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become a hallmark of entrepreneurial success and the place where future household names first make their mark. Oracle, Patagonia, E*Trade, American Apparel, Microsoft, and numerous other well-known brands are among those celebrated on this list.

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Tory Carroll / [email protected]
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SOURCE Nutiva