OpTree

Mannatech just got approval to conduct business in South Africa. This marks the 11th country where Mannatech health and wellness products are available and is just another step for the company in their continuing efforts to become a global leader in the health and wellness industry.

We first broke this story back in February and it looks the co. is on track to deliver.

Mannatech believes that South Africa is the perfect climate for their products. There is a rich culture of using elements from nature as part of the people’s health and wellness routine. South Africa was the first country to grant a patent for the technology used by Mannatech in the formulation of their most popular health supplement, Ambrotose.

Mannatech will offer a full range of health and wellness products, including the Optimal Health System which contains; Ambrotose, which is a rich antioxidant supplement, PhytoMatrix, a multi vitamin containing plant and mineral derivatives, and Plus which is an herbal amino acid that supports endocrine health.

Mannatech President and CEO, Terry Persinger released a statement about the South Africa launch, saying, “We’re anxiously looking forward to introducing our proprietary and patented products in South Africa.”

Now if only these guys would update their website and make it more informative and easier to use!

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Sports Illustrated has just announced their list of the 20 toughest athletes and Mannatech was thrilled that one their own made the list. Canadian Womens Hockey player, Hayley Wickenheiser, a member of Team Mannatech and perhaps one of the most famous and well respected woman’s hockey player in the world came in at number 20 on the list. Hayley is a gold and silver medalist in hockey and is also one of the premier softball players in Canada.

The list was published on the Sports Illustrated site on April 1st. Hayley is one of only two women to have made the list. Haley has some great company on the list, also named by SI were Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods.

Team Mannatech’s goal is to support the company and its products and spread the word on the health benefits that are provided by using healthy natural supplements like, PhytoMatrix and Ambrotose, two sports minded supplements created to help athletes perform at a high level. Team Mannatech’s members include top ranked athletes from all over the globe in every major sport, from football and basketball to bowling and the rodeo.

“Mannatech and Team Mannatech are extremely proud to have Hayley on our team,” said former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Butch Johnson, (”Coach” of Team Mannatech) Mannatech’s senior director of community affairs and sports marketing. “Hayley is a fierce competitor who has been a four-time world champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist (Salt Lake City 2002, Turin 2006), a silver Olympic medalist (Nagano 1998) and has been named one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in Hockey’ by The Hockey News.”"

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Mannatech has had a pretty rough and challenging two years both on the sale side and and lawsuits, one of which was recently settled for $11M. Then there is also Texas Attorney, General Greg Abbott who is suing the company for making exaggerated claims about its natural supplements - things like the products can clear up liver cancer, cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome. You can read all about it here — including the state’s original petition, filed in Travis County District Court in July 2007.

One of the problems stems from a lot of negative backlash given to the company by many media outlets. Even tech blog, Wired, did a whole story on the company and its flagship product, Ambrotose. This came on the heels of an expose by ABC’s news magazine show 20/20 which really went into the the whole “Sugar Pill” myth.

So now Mannatech is trying to inject some much needed positive serum into the company’s lifeline. At its global summit held last week, the company launched BounceBack (seems like a good name given what they have been through) which is “an all natural product that supports recovery after physical activity or over-exertion”.

The company also introduced the global availability of its Optimal Skin Care System and its new global sales platform which is designed to support the more than 575,000 independent associates worldwide.

If Mannatech can somehow market their products without making outlandish claims and really focus on providing something substantive to both its distributors and the people who use the products, they have a shot. It is going to take a lot to fix all the negative PR this company has been experiencing and my suggestion would be to undertake a major re-branding initiative and bring in someone from outside the industry to help.

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