The Standard Process Journey with Special Guest Charlie DuBois

What does it really take to create high-quality nutritional supplements? Charlie DuBois, Chairman and CEO of Standard Process, pulls back the curtain on the 95-year journey of this family-owned company that's refusing to compromise on whole food nutrition.

Starting with his unusual path from electrical engineer to supplement company leader, Charlie shares how he borrowed "more millions than years of age" at just 29 to purchase the family business from his great-aunt's estate. This decision has preserved Dr. Royal Lee's founding vision that whole foods—not isolated nutrients—provide the best nutritional foundation.

The conversation reveals Standard Process's unique farm-to-supplement approach, including their impressive 1,200-acre certified organic farm (dwarfing the average 4-acre organic operation in America) and their commitment to keeping production entirely within Wisconsin. Charlie explains how they've expanded their scientific credentials through their North Carolina research center, which conducts everything from cellular studies to human clinical trials.

Perhaps most surprising is Charlie's revelation that he receives serious offers to buy Standard Process weekly, yet remains committed to transitioning leadership to the fourth generation—his children Jack and Simone. "When private equity owns a supplement company, the results are different," he notes, highlighting how this commitment to family ownership rather than corporate consolidation directly impacts product quality.

For chiropractors and health practitioners interested in nutrition, this rare glimpse into the philosophy, research, and family values behind Standard Process illuminates why their approach to supplementation continues to align so strongly with holistic healthcare. Listen now to understand what truly separates quality supplements from the countless options flooding today's marketplace.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hi, I'm Dr Arlen Foer , the Chairman and Founder of
Activator Methods International,and I want to welcome you to
Activate your Practice podcast,and today I'm really happy to
have a friend of mine, charlieDubois, who is the Chairman and
CEO of Standard Process, andwe're going to talk a little bit
about nutrition.
And so welcome, charlie, gladto have you on.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, thank you, I appreciate that.
What an honor.
I mean, like you said, we'veknown each other for so many
years.
I think this is the firstofficial podcast we've ever done
together.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
I think so, and you know I was telling you that in
the nutrition world there's somany variables that go on.
People just have no idea whatit takes to get where a good
product is out there for theirconsumption.
We're going to talk about thattoday.
Yeah, excellent, but first canyou tell me a little brief
overview about Charlie Dubois?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah, I think that's always interesting to always
have the listeners understandwho I am and where I'm coming
from.
So yeah, I'm a Wisconsin boy,grew up in Wisconsin and joined
Standard Process, first fromworking in the fields.
So that was my first job waspulling weeds in the beet fields

(01:16):
, and then later on I graduatedfrom Marquette University in
electrical engineering.
So you're wondering why a guyrunning a supplement company is
an electrical engineer.
I know you're thinking aboutthat, but I'll get to that.
So then my career just grewwithin standard process and in
1995, I had the opportunity tobuy the company from my great

(01:40):
aunt, her estate.
So after she passed away, theway the death taxes are in this
country was not very conduciveto our generation taking this
over and inheriting it.
So I ended up buying it and, at29 years old, borrowed more in
millions than I was in years ofage to carry on the family
business.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
And your uncle, was he a dentist?

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, so Dr Royal Lee started Standard Process.
It was called Vitamin ProductsCompany back then, back in 1929.
And he was a dentist from againMarquette University.
So there's a theme runningthere, I think.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Well, can you give the listeners a brief overview
of Standard Process?

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah, absolutely so.
We're a nutrition-based company, so founded back in 1929, we
actually take our products fromour raw materials that we grow
on our certified organic farmsall the way through the
production process to the finalpackaging and everything else,
all within the state ofWisconsin, right there in

(02:45):
southeastern Wisconsin.
So I have 650 employees.
We're a third-generation familybusiness.
A fourth generation is alsoinvolved in the business.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
That's Jack and.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Simone, yes.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
I know them.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Two of my children.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah, yes, and you know what makes Standard Process
unique in a crowded nutritionworld.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah, I think again, that's where we go back to the
raw materials and we go back tothat uniqueness about our
products that they're whole foodbased.
Dr Lee believed way back whenthat the best source of
nutrients comes from whole foods.
And yet man over the years hasdecided that we're smarter than

(03:31):
nature and have done isolatednutrients and have thought that
that was a better solution.
Dr Lee really felt and we keepthat legacy carrying on that
whole foods are the best sourceof those nutrients.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
You must be really happy to have RFK then in the
cabinet, because he's reallyraising cane with the food
supplies, the kids andeverything.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, yes, we are.
We hope that that's going tohave a great influence on people
choosing the right things.
And when you're looking atcreating supplements dietary
supplements for people that arebased on organic, regenerative
farming, all the things that wedo to make them the best that we
can make them it's reallysatisfying to all of a sudden,

(04:20):
now start hearing some of thatrespect come through from a
political standpoint as well.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Now you say you're in Wisconsin-based but you have a
research center in NorthCarolina.
Tell me about that.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yes, we do so.
Back in May of 2018, we decidedthat we really needed to up our
research efforts and we foundedour research center down in
North Carolina, in Kannapolis.
It's on the North Carolinacampus and it's a really a great
place that's focused on wholefood research.

(04:52):
So really surrounding ourselveswith a lot of really talented
young researchers that theirfocus is whole foods, so really
fits in.
So we've got about a 14,000square foot facility that we
built out in one of thebuildings down there and, really
neat, we do anywhere from cellculture research, discovery type

(05:18):
things all the way through toactual clinical trials on humans
down there as well.
Oh, clinical trials, yeah, andwe conduct those right there at
our facility, or we're able towork with other contract
research organizations and stufftoo.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
You know, I just as an observation, have seen that,
you know, supplements haven'tbeen regulated very much from
how can I say this, a consumerstandpoint, and can you?
Is that getting better?

Speaker 2 (05:49):
consumer standpoint and can you?
Is that getting better?
Yeah, I think that's the thething with dietary supplements.
Um, back in 1994 they passedthe dietary supplement health
and education act which actuallygave some guidance and
everything else for structure,function claims that would be
allowed for nutritionalsupplements.
Specifically prior to we werejust under the food regulations.
So it really did give us anopportunity to make a little bit

(06:11):
more, you know, structure,function, type of claims and get
more information out there tothe general consumer.
But, however, within anyindustry I think, and especially
in the dietary supplementindustry, there's a lot of
players that push the limits,that don't back up what they're
saying and that aren't veryethical.
In the dietary supplementindustry there's a lot of
players that push the limits,that don't back up what they're
saying and that aren't veryethical in the things that

(06:32):
they're doing.
So that's why, with our 95-plusyear history and the fact that
we invest in that research westart with whole foods on our
farm all those kind of thingsreally gives us a lot more
credibility out there within themarketplace.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
How many acres do you have at your farm?

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yes, we've got about 1,200 acres and we utilize about
85, 90 of those acres.
900 of those acres I'm sorryfor our needs right now and then
we've got that capacity tocontinually grow and everything
else, but 900 acres of certifiedorganic is a lot of certified

(07:12):
organic products coming off ofthere.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
Yes, I just wondered how big it was being a farm kid.
You know, in Minnesota if youhad a quarter section you were
doing quite well.
So 1,200 makes me think big.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah well, an average size organic farm in the united
states is about four acres yes,so that gives you an
understanding of where you're atwe're doing it in a big way.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
You have given a lot.
I'm, of course, being close toLogan.
I've seen stuff that you'vegiven there, but I know this
goes on around all the othercolleges because we teach there.
What prompted you to be good tothe chiropractic world?

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, I think it's one of those things where I like
to give back and we have beensupported for so many years by
chiropractors.
I think our whole foodphilosophy aligns more
strategically with theprofession of chiropractic than
any other company.
And I think, as we have alignedwith chiropractors and they've

(08:08):
seen that you know, feeding thebody the right foods, the right
nutrients from a whole foodbased really gets the results.
So we've had such a greatrelationship with chiropractors
and the chiropractic professionso I feel that it's, you know,
my obligation as well to giveback and help that next
generation and the nextgeneration after that

(08:29):
continually.
So we do a lot withscholarships, we do a lot with
some capital campaigns andeducational programs and funding
a lot of things like that forthe schools and I know, I know
Activator is very generous aswell to schools also in the
profession.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Well, I think you got it right.
You know, the new practitionerscoming out are going to be the
future, and so what do you thinkabout the future of the
chiropractic profession?

Speaker 2 (08:53):
You know I've I've asked that quite a bit, you know
, because I've been around itfor so long, being a
non-chiropractor too, but Ireally think that chiropractic
has got a great future.
You know, I think the way thatchiropractic believes in
treating the whole person andtaking the time to get things

(09:13):
right and get people back to youknow that that middle ground on
things, um, and allowing thebody to heal itself is just the
right way to be Um, and I thinkthat philosophy behind
chiropractic is going tocontinue to inspire, uh, that
next generation to join thisprofession as well.

(09:34):
So I'm really encouraged, um,by the by the future of
chiropractic.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
What do the next 10 years coming up look like for
Standard?
Have you got a plan?

Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, you know, I do.
I mean I think you know.
So I've been at StandardProcess for a little over 40
years and that seems like a longtime.
It feels like a long timesometimes.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
But you were young when you started.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
I was young when I started, but thank you for that.
But I guess that's where I havetried to build this company and
put it in a good shape for thatnext generation to carry it on.
My whole plan is that this getspassed on to the next
generation as a family business.
I actually get serious offersto buy.
Standard Process at least oncea week, and I have had the same

(10:23):
discussion as I always have isthat we're not for sale and
that's something within thesupplement industry that there's
a lot of consolidation, there'sa lot of private equity coming
in and buying up the businessesand unfortunately, when private
equity owns a supplement companyor any company, the results are

(10:44):
different, and so I want tokeep that preserved and keep
that intact.
And you mentioned Jack andSimone earlier.
I'm really excited to starteducating and training them to
take this company over one day.

Speaker 1 (10:59):
Well, I think you've started that.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
I have yes.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Because, having met them a few times, I can see that
I guess Jack works in the fieldarea.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, Jack's focused more on sales and marketing
right now.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
Oh is he, Yep?
I think he's a natural.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
He is a natural.
He definitely is.
And then Simone, on the otherhand, has got her talents as
well.
She is really smart, yeah, yeah, and she is technically.
She is just great, and sheloves it too, she loves the
field of nutrition.
She could be a CEO and Jackcould be a CEO as well.
That's going to be the debateover time, so I might need your

(11:36):
help with that.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
Well, no, you go to Judy, my wife.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
Oh, go to Judy, she knows how to handle that.
Yeah, of course.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
So what does the next 10 years look like for you
personally?

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah, for me personally, it's just preparing
those kids.
I call them kids and they're intheir mid-20s, upper 20s but
just preparing them and givingthem the most direction that I
can to make sure that they're ingood shape to take this over
one of these days.
You know, I think, as I lookback, I've done a lot for

(12:08):
Standard Process to grow.
It really enhance the businessand I've grown it tenfold over
my time.
But I think they can take it toall new levels and so I just
want to see them, you know, havesome fun with it.
And I think they love what theydo.
They love working for thecompany and knowing that these
products change people's livesin such an incredible way, and I

(12:32):
think that's the best that Ican do is give them that
opportunity and let them havefun and just take it to the next
level.

Speaker 1 (12:40):
Well, thank you very much.
I have enjoyed the interview,just because you're a friend
that I knew a lot about you, butI didn't know some things and
I'm happy to have the greaterchiropractic world here to learn
about the process and theresearch and the things that are
necessary to bring a product tofruition.
So, thank you very much,charlie Dubois, the CEO of

(13:01):
Standard Process.
Well, thank you.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
Appreciate it.