In the 1930s and ‘40s, when my father was looking for the best possible ingredients for his food supplements, he realized the only way he could ensure purity and safety was to grow them himself.

At the time, many crops were being treated with chemicals and synthetic fertilizers to increase crop yield. The country had recently experienced the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl so fertilizers that improved yield were an attractive solution. But my father believed these shortcuts came with a tradeoff. Not only could they compromise the nutritional value of the plants but also people’s health.

For him, it wasn’t just about creating a product. It was about finding the highest quality ingredients so people could get the very best support for their diets. He wanted the botanicals he processed in his laboratory to be the purest and safest possible.

My Experience on the First Farm

One of the best examples I can share of the care he took was on what was really the first Nutrilite farm in the San Fernando Valley – The Reseda Farm. I was just a kid at the time; my job was to sell strawberries and walnuts by the roadside to pay for the gas we needed to get to and from the farm. My father was growing and harvesting alfalfa and other crops without chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. Without knowing it at the time, I was witnessing my father farm organically before the term “organic” really existed.

He even designed an ingenious scythe with a basket attached to it that kept the harvested alfalfa from touching the ground. Then he would take his harvested alfalfa and other botanicals back to his laboratory on Balboa Island to dry the ingredients and carefully prepare them to be used in his products. He wanted every ingredient to be as clean, safe, and pure as possible. This mindset, protecting people through the integrity of ingredients, laid the foundation for the Nutrilite™ brand’s commitment to the best of nature and the best of science.

It’s a legacy that has continued for more than 90 years.

Responsible Product Design Today

Today, Amway and the Nutrilite™ brand carry on my father’s legacy on a global scale. The botanicals come from plants grown on Amway farms and NutriCert™ certified partner farms around the world, and they are grown, harvested, and processed with the same care and attention to purity that my father took when he farmed in the San Fernando Valley.

Amway has taken my dad’s vision even further by ensuring its ingredients are fully traceable. Responsible product design has become a guiding pillar for how Amway creates Nutrilite products today, combining the best of nature and the best of science to ensure plant ingredients can be followed from seed to supplement. 

With the Amway Tracing Tool, anyone can follow the journey of a product—from the researcher who studied its benefits, to the unique ingredient sources and details of their production, to the rigorous tests and checks our products undergo before reaching people. This unmatched level of transparency gives peace of mind, reinforcing our promise of safety and responsibility.

From One Simple Idea

My dad understood something simple: quality products are safe products. His idea to attach a basket to a scythe was an elegant, visionary solution. It symbolized his belief that protecting ingredients at every step meant protecting people at every step.

That same belief guides Amway and the Nutrilite brand today. What began as one man’s determination to safeguard purity has grown into a global movement — products designed with intention, helping people live better lives.

For me, it’s a reminder that even the smallest innovation, born out of care and responsibility, can create a legacy that lasts for generations.

Cheers!