Vitashine Plant-source Vitamin D3: The Original and Best

Vitashine was actually pulled out of a huge research project we had into plant sources of Omega-3. We were analysing various plants, algae, and lichen, to characterise them. At the time we were working with experts in lichen, who pointed out the high Vitamin D3 yields in some of the lichen materials we were playing with. Once we verified the numbers by repeating the testing loads of times to be sure we did actually have Vitamin D3, a new project was born.

We were most excited to share our research. So much hard work goes into research projects before things get to market, especially when involving Universities. I vividly remember the day my colleagues and I visited the Vegan Society headquarters here in UK to present our data and start the road of audit. We'd completed our regulatory dossiers through Intertek, working with renowned nutritional regulatory expert Nigel Baldwin, so at that point we were ready to go. We originally just launched it as our own consumer product, because we had no idea how much interest there might be.

Yes! Within days of launching Vitashine as a consumer product, our phones were ringing constantly with brands and manufacturers asking if they could buy Vitashine as an ingredient to put into their own products. It was only 6 weeks later that we had representatives of one of the biggest food and supplement companies in the world auditing us.

We quickly realised it was better to offer Vitashine to other brands that have commercial power and big marketing budgets, rather than try to do it ourselves. Right now behind my desk I've got a shelf with brands and products that use Vitashine. It brings us a huge feeling of pride, especially as so many of the brands have continued to work with us for over 10 years. 

No, it is suitable for absolutely everyone. Many of the brands we sell to market generally rather than to specific demographics, and often use Vitashine because of its superior purity rather than necessarily just because it is plant-source. 

Vitamin D3 supplements are taken by people of all dietary choices, given deficiency is a huge problem across all populations. People don't take Vitamin D3 supplements from animals because they like eating meat, they take them for the nutrient. Therefore, who wouldn't rather take a supplement (or fortified food) that delivers the same nutrient without killing animals? Not to mention purity.... extracting vitamins from animals or fish takes large quantities of harsh solvents and multiple 'cleaning' steps to reach a form suitable to go into supplements. Vitashine is very high purity, without pesticides or e.g. sheep dip solvents being used along the way.

We've always believed in transparency, and we're a small company so hopefully our customers will agree we're as approachable today as we were the day we started with Vitashine! Verification is important for many reasons. Quality, purity and compliance being the main considerations. Trust and validity are also major factors. 

Over the years we've seen other claimed lichen Vitamin D3 ingredients appear on the market, and many disappear again rapidly, or give very little away about what they do. Some companies have been surprised when we've contacted them to discuss collaborations! We like to find synergies, and the market is huge, so why wouldn't we see how we can work together?!

We are able to test and verify our source, which has been essential in obtaining regulatory approvals in regulated markets such as India, and to provide confidence to our customers. Verification doesn't just mean demonstrating Vitamin D3 content (which is what some companies do), it is verifying the source.

Together with our network of distribution partners, we're continuing to support brands and manufacturers worldwide by offering the original and best Vegan Vitamin D3 ingredient: Vitashine! We love what we do, so we're looking forward to continuing to work with existing customers and build friendships and partnerships with new customers.