Innovation

Kapok Naturals launched its “Superfood” health foods business in 2016 after a few years of getting developed in Peru. Initially selling in Ontario, Kapok products can now be found in health food stores across Canada and the company is seeing rapid growth of online sales throughout North America. The business was designed to reduce environmental impacts while increasing affordability and availability of natural health “superfoods” for North American consumers.

The competitive advantage of Kapok is that unlike most Superfood companies which import raw ingredients into North American production facilities, then ship their products to distribution centres across the country, Kapok has removed one step in the transportation process - shipping - for these goods to get to consumers. Kapok’s packaged products are sent directly from Peru. These distribution facilities significantly reduce the environmental impact of the Superfoods. The cost savings also allow Kapok to increase affordability and consumer access to these products which have been known to be too costly for health-conscious consumers' daily use.

Kapok sources and purchases ingredients from local farmers with the help of their Peruvian packaging partner in the Andes. As Cameron Alksnis, the founder of Kapok Naturals, describes: “We are utilizing savings from reduced shipping and costs of production to bring affordable health “Superfoods” to North American consumers. At the same time, we are helping bring economic prosperity to some local farmers in the region”

Inspiration

Cameron Alksnis is a plant-based nutritionist who focuses on sharing the abundance of Peru: to cost-effectively and affordably bring consumers the most powerful, organic, plant-based nutrition products from the Andean Mountains & the Amazon. “Superfoods are not new to North America” as Cameron details. It was only once he visited Peru he realized that the prices of Superfoods in North America were extremely expensive. He wondered whether some companies were price gauging and how it was possible that a company could charge consumers five times (up to ten times in some instances) the price it actually cost to farm the products in Peru.

Given the health benefits of these products, he understood that these products should be more affordable. He set out to source and produce environmentally friendly organic products that would reflect the true price of the products. A few years later Kapok Naturals was born, and it is now a family-run company comprised of active triathletes, cyclists, yogis, and runners that all are focused on sharing their knowledge Superfoods benefits and fueling healthy consumer lifestyles.

Overall impact

Kapok Naturals is committed to delivering nutritious, delicious, and affordable superfoods to the North American market. All the products are farmed organically which is much healthier for the environment. They are natural, allergen-friendly, non-GMO, gluten-free, sugar-free, and produced in nut-free facilities. Their impact can be seen by Kapok's comparatively low pricing at health food stores and online. Each Kapok product can be purchased typically between 10% and 40% more affordably in stores.

Their Superfoods offer a wide range of general health benefits including supporting people with non-communicable diseases. Cacao for example benefits people with cardiovascular issues and supports general health. It contains antioxidants and abundant amounts of magnesium, iron, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals. Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) another of Kapok products, native to the Amazonian region, is a high-climbing woody vine which bark and root have been used by Peruvians to deal with health issues such as arthritis, stomach ulcers, inflammation, and fevers.

Kapok also aims to contribute to the achievement of several of the SDGs including:

• Goal 3: Good health and well-being, by “providing products that support reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment” (SDG, 2016)
  
• Goal 8: Economic growth, by supporting local Peruvian farmers: “supporting sustained per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and annual growth rate of real GDP per capita” (SDG, 2016)
  
• Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production, by organically sourcing and producing its products and minimising the amount harmful chemicals in the environment.
  
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals, by increasing exports from developing countries (Peru), and enhancing the global partnership for sustainable development. For example, Kapok Naturals has recently conducted a B Corp assessment and reached the qualification standard to be certified. By beginning the certification process in 2018 it will “bake sustainability into the DNA of your company” as B Corp suggests.
  

Business benefit

Cameron discusses the benefits of packaging products with it’s business partner in Peru. “Kapok Naturals is able to maintain very high product standards. Our Superfoods are produced using pharmaceutical-grade safety standards which are above North American food safety requirements and are not necessarily met by many competitors. All products are cost effectively made within GMP, ISO and USDA certifications offering the retailers and customers the peace of mind that each of Kapok Naturals’ products will be of the highest quality, every time”

Thanks to their ability to offer its products at more affordable prices, Kapok is able to competitively serve the growing health conscious consumer market. The recent growth in “Superfoods” can be attributed to many factors but mostly, the increased knowledge and awareness of their exceptional health benefits. More specifically, North American and Global demand has increased from the understanding that nutrition is important to health and chronic disease prevention. It has also been tied to strong consumer trends associated with wellness, and healthy ageing.

Currently Kapok has 14 superfood products. However, by creating strong local relationships in Peru they have the ability to source many different types of products and will look to expand in the coming years. Given the great feedback already received, Cameron says, “we’re just getting started” and he’ll be looking to offer more nutritious and affordable organic plant-based foods in North America and possibly around the world.

Social and environmental benefit

The rising trend of health-consciousness among consumers in North America establishes long-term opportunities for Kapok to support healthy lifestyles. Consumers now consider a balanced diet as an essential element to their nutrition, a way of living a healthier life, and as a way to support people with non-communicable diseases. However, the consensus is that some health foods or superfood pricing is just still too expensive for consumers to incorporate these foods into their everyday lives.

Kapok naturals understands this challenge, and has set out to offer lower than industry-average pricing for a wide range of “superfoods” in raw, powdered, supplement, or popped forms. The variety of products offered ensures that consumers can combine numerous superfood products on a daily basis which helps them create unique and healthy recipes, many of which have been shared on Kapok's blog. Overall, Kapok Naturals’ “Superfood Suite” offers a wide array of health benefits, ranging from alleviation of cardiovascular issues, to improving libido and fertility, with some even serving as an antidepressant.

One example is its popular superfood Maca, which can only be found in the high Andes of Peru. This “superfood” is an adaptongenic herb that supports overall health, offering antioxidants, amino acids, and a multitude of vitamins. It is also known to increase energy, support endurance and fight fatigue.

Another example, is Kapok’s Chanca Piedra (Phyllantus Niruri) also known as Stone Breaker. Kapok offers this product for about half the price of other established brands. This plant grows to one-or-two-feet in the tropical areas of the Peru and urologists have demonstrated that Chanca Piedra normalizes levels of calcium in urine. It naturally helps break apart kidney and gallstones and is known to help reduce blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol.

Not only does Kapok Naturals offer affordable of health “Superfoods" but it also provides economic prosperity to local farmers in impoverished regions of Peru. The company are happy to continue to work towards a United Nations agenda of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals whilst minimizing its footprints by reducing transportation needs and ensuring that its products are grown organically.

Interview

Cameron Alksnis, Founder