Mike: We're here with Matthew Supkoff of the Continental Vitamin Company.
Supkoff: How are you doing, Mike?
Mike: I'm great. Now, you have an interesting product line here. These are instantly dissolving vitamins and minerals. What nutrients do you cover in the product line here?
Supkoff: Well, in the Superior Source line, we have 50 different products that dissolve right underneath the tongue. We don't use the word "sublingual" in any of our advertising; some of the other companies do. Now, our flagship product would be our B12 because of the problems associated with B12. That's why people obviously get shots. A lot of the other products on the market are marketed as sublingual B12, but are really lozenges, which people end up chewing and swallowing before it has a chance to dissolve. As you can see Mike, ours -- being the same size as a nitroglycerine tablet, and as a matter of fact they're made on the same machinery -- are designed to dissolve under the tongue within 10 to 15 seconds. It's molded for "instant release." It's a tiny little micro-dissolving tablet.
Mike: Are there any sugars in there?
Supkoff: There's a very, very small amount of lactose -- maybe less than would be in a drop of milk. As you can see, one of the big advantages of our complete line is that people are avoiding a lot of the excipients, the binders and the fillers that they'd find in a conventional tablet and even capsules.
Mike: Right. So with this "instant dissolving" approach -- in theory at least, anyway; I don't know if you can make this as a claim -- the nutrient goes more quickly into the bloodstream, where it has its various biological effects. Is that accurate?
Supkoff: Well, with the B12, there is some research that indicates you're going to get some absorption. We don't make any claims specifically tied to our products. However, we do have a microtablet that is designed to dissolve under the tongue area in a few seconds, giving it the best possible chance for absorption.
Mike: Wonderful. Here's an aloe vera multi-tablet. Is it whole aloe, or is it extract from the gel?
Supkoff: That would be the standard 200:1 extract that a lot of the manufacturers use.
Mike: Extract of the gel?
Supkoff: Again, with the rest of the Superior Source line -- unlike the B12, where absorption's really a problem -- the issue isn't so much the absorption of the nutrients; it's the fact that people like avoiding all those handfuls of pills and tablets.
Mike: Okay, so this is great for people who want the nutrition and who are tired of swallowing 12 different supplements a day.
Supkoff: Exactly. That becomes key with our product line.
Mike: I see. I usually take a very large gel cap of aloe.
Supkoff: You'll realize that conventional manufacturers are going to use either a large tablet or a capsule. Of course, in a conventional tablet, you've got a lot of binders and things like that. In capsules, you tend to have a lot of fillers because of the active ingredients, particularly chromium and selenium. We have these ingredients in our line, about 200 micrograms of them, which is a very small amount of active ingredients. The amount of the filler is over ten times more than the active.
Mike: That's a very good point. People don't realize that, when they're buying a bottle full of pills, 90 percent of each pill can actually be filler, depending on what it is.
Supkoff: Exactly. You're avoiding that completely with our product line.
Mike: So, you have vitamin D, I see?
Supkoff: We have vitamins A and D. We have the complete line of B complex; of course, the B12 is a very popular item because of the instant-dissolving-under-the-tongue aspect.
Mike: And you have zinc, I see?
Supkoff: Yes, we have zinc in the line, as well -- standard zinc chelate as well as the zinc lozenge.
Mike: How can customers purchase this product -- directly from your website or retail?
Supkoff: Well, we go through dealers, so they really want to ask for it at their health food store or drug store. We don't really go through the major online discounters. We support our independent network of health food stores, drug stores and some doctors.
Mike: So they need to ask for "Superior Source"?
Supkoff: Ask for it by name, Superior Source. If their retailer doesn't carry it, give us a call and we'll give them a nice opening order discount and make it easier for them to bring the product in.
Mike: Wonderful. What's your website address?
Supkoff: The website is www.cvc4health.com.
Mike: Oh, cvc4health.com, you have the stevia product that's in distribution at Trader Joe's, right?
Supkoff: Yes, exactly. Both of our Superior Source powders are distributed through Trader Joe's.
Mike: Wonderful. I've been recommending that product for quite some time.
Supkoff: Good. As a matter of fact, our new one-ounce pure (stevia) is what I call a third generation stevia product. Years ago, some of the stevia products, although they were pure stevia, didn't have a pleasant taste; they had an aftertaste. People now use the new stevia product for lemonade and in cereal. They're finding it has a very nice taste to it. That's been a popular line. That's really the only product in the line that's not in the under-the-tongue format.
Mike: You wouldn't want a lot of stevia under the tongue like that.
Supkoff: That's right. We use it in the tablets, to sweeten some of the tablets a little bit.
Mike: Wonderful, outstanding. I'm really glad to have talked to you.
Supkoff: Glad you came by today.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams launched NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Wednesday, February 08, 2006
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