It’s a given that the vitamins you take every day were created with your health in mind – or were they? How many of us have stopped to think about where those bottles of supplements really come from? Until a few years ago, we were like most people – we thought vitamins were made by companies motivated by improving our health,” says Ryan Bishop, who co-founded Rho Nutrition with George Padilla. Then we got an inside look into who really makes them: publicly traded companies that put profits ahead of people. As you can imagine, this was extremely frustrating since it should be the other way around. We ultimately decided to create Rho Nutrition so that vitamins could do what they’re meant to do: help you to be healthier.”

You may be wondering how George and Ryan figured out that Big Pharma, Big Food, and Big Nutrition are behind the vitamins you fill your medicine cabinet with. They explain that 4-5 years ago, they were working in the supplement industry for a vitamin manufacturer and supplier of clinically proven raw material ingredients. They led a small business development team that worked with domestic and international distributors and brands.

We were uniquely positioned to deal with the biggest vitamin brands in the world,” George explains. We took pride in selling clinically studied, superior ingredients, but when we were able to make strong connections and get a 40,000-ft. view of the quality of supplements, we found that most large brands care more about margins than sourcing quality ingredients.”

As lifelong lovers of health and wellness, Ryan and George were disappointed by what they learned about the industry. They still valued vitamins and their potential benefits, but when they understood that big corporations were focused on marketing and manufacturing inferior supplements, they were convinced a change was needed.

It’s true what they say – if you create a product that you yourself would buy, you’ve got a great idea,” says Ryan. George and I decided to make supplements that we would want to take. We focused primarily on three things: increasing the absorption of vitamins, using quality ingredients, and keeping integrity in our products by remaining self-funded. What this boils down to is providing supplements that are proven to work, with consumers and clinical benefit at the forefront of all product development.”

As a result of their manufacturing experience and clinical ingredient expertise, Ryan and George understood where to source the best ingredients as well as the innovation landscape of the life science and dietary supplement industries. Liposomal delivery, a process of microencapsulating vitamins and minerals in all-natural phospholipid fatty acids to increase absorption, was something they knew could change the supplement industry forever.

Many vitamins and minerals are theoretically effective but are poorly absorbed. Liposomes solve this problem by acting as lipid bubbles that carry vitamins into your body’s cells. Basically, liposomes enter cells more easily because they are made of the same things as the cell itself: all-natural phospholipids. The lipid bubbles protect the vitamins and act as their bodyguards against the harsh acids in your stomach,” George says. Since Rho Nutrition’s vitamins are wrapped in liposomes, their absorption is increased by up to 8-10 times. The more a vitamin is absorbed, the more effective it can be. What makes this most exciting is that there is a range of ingredients, such as Curcumin, Glutathione, and Resveratrol, that traditionally are so poorly absorbed. Liposomes finally allow consumers access to viable options that truly work.”

Once they had the technology, it was a matter of optimizing how the vitamins are taken. George and Ryan reveal that they enjoyed doing all of the research and sampling, and they finally settled on a flavored liquid form that can be taken alone or added to water, juice, or a smoothie. There is also a Sleep Mist that is administered by spraying several pumps into the mouth. George and Ryan also focused on four main ingredients that truly increase absorption and can potentially help with immunity, healthy aging, anti-inflammation, cellular health, and sleep issues, among others.

It’s been an incredible journey starting Rho Nutrition and developing supplements that target oxidative stress and inflammation, the root of so many health problems,” says Ryan. When we got started, we wanted to give health lovers vitamins that are backed by science. It has turned into so much more – a way to help them to fully connect to their purpose and to feel energized every day. It is exciting to see more people breaking away from Big Pharma and having the clarity to live without constraints.”