By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA
Natural Biologics came to be in 2015, when three colleagues joined together with a goal to promote better animal health through the use of naturally-derived ingredients from around the world. “We were founded in May 2015,” said Natural Biologics President and CEO Charlie Elrod. “The three of us had all worked together previously. I was the head of the dairy division, one colleague focused on beef, and the third was the office manager for customer service. When we saw that employee ownership wasn’t going to come to pass, we started dreaming and planning to start our own company. After a year we started Natural Biologics. We wanted to make sure the company wasn’t tied to any one technology, but rather searched the world for the very best providers of natural ingredients that had scientifically proven activity, and then combine them into products that supported animal health.”
Sadly, 4 months into the new venture, co-founder Dr. Richard Ware passed away from leukemia, leaving the company’s future to fellow co-founders Elrod and Beth Jones. “We had to think long and hard of how to continue without him,” said Elrod. “But we decided to persevere and keep going.”
An interesting part to Natural Biologics business strategy is how decentralized the company is. Jones is based in Iowa City, IA; Elrod in Ithaca, NY; Ware was located in Cedar City Utah; and their manufacturing facility is located in New Holland, Pennsylvania with a warehouse in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. “We’re very much a dispersed company,” said Elrod. “In the early days we traveled a lot. A lot of our business grew up in the mid-west. We import several ingredients from around the world, so we wanted our manufacturing close to the ports on the east coast.”
Natural Biologics has had a relationship with NEAFA for several years now, with Elrod currently serving on the NEAFA communications committee. “One of our investors, and member of our [Natural Biologics] board is John Mitchell, a former president of NEAFA, so really it was John’s encouragement to become active in the organization,” said Elrod. “I think it’s really a great chance to network and to get together with people that I’ve interacted with over the last 30 years in the Northeast agricultural sector. It’s really a wonderful opportunity to learn from them and about their operations and the way that they do business. Being a part of NEAFA is also a great way to help support the agricultural industry of the Northeast.
While Natural Biologics largest customer base is the dairy industry, they also focus on beef and swine. “We basically have a tool box with seven to eight ingredients that support animal health,” said Elrod. “We formulate products to address the health challenges that animals are facing, since a baby pig is very different from a lactating cow. We tailor our products to the health challenges of each particular class of animals.”
While the company is relatively new, they’ve seen substantial growth since they launched five years ago. “I think we have some unique technologies that we can offer at cost effective prices, “ said Elrod. “They’re working tremendously well in the midwest. In the first few years we averaged 35% growth, and in the last two years we’ve seen 50-60% growth. I think it’s a testament to how well our products are working and the value proposition they bring. For dairy, the benefits are more subtle as it’s supporting the health of the animal. But by reducing pathogen loads and supporting immune system - the cow has more resources to put into productionor growing a fetus. You’ll see more consistent production, higher protein,and improved overall health.”