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Country Life, LLC

company_profile Updated: 2025-12-17

Overview

Country Life, LLC is a vitamin and supplement company founded in 1971 as a family-run business in Hauppauge, New York (Long Island). The company operates a multi-brand portfolio strategy with three distinct supplement brands targeting different market segments.

In August 2023, Country Life was acquired by Lion Equity Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, from Kikkoman Corporation (which had owned the company since approximately 2008).

Key Facts

  • Founded: 1971 (as family business)
  • Headquarters: Hauppauge, NY (Long Island)
  • Manufacturing: Long Island, NY facilities
  • Current Owner: Lion Equity Partners (since August 2023)
  • Previous Owner: Kikkoman Corporation / KI NutriCare (~2008-2023)
  • Total Products: 1,682 (DSLD database)
  • Brands: 4 (Country Life, Biochem, Iron-Tek, Desert Essence)
  • Employees: Unknown (local manufacturing workforce)

Corporate History

Year Event
1971 Founded as family-run vitamin company in Hauppauge, NY
1999 Acquired Iron-Tek brand (sports nutrition)
~2008 Acquired by Kikkoman Corporation via KI NutriCare subsidiary
2023 Acquired by Lion Equity Partners (August)

Ownership Structure

Current (2023-Present): Lion Equity Partners

Lion Equity Partners (Private Equity)
│   • New York-based PE firm
│   • Consumer goods & health focus
│   • Acquired August 2023
│
└── Country Life, LLC
    • Headquarters: Hauppauge, NY
    • Founded: 1971
    • Manufacturing: Long Island facilities

Previous (2008-2023): Kikkoman Corporation

Kikkoman Corporation (Japanese food conglomerate)

  • Best known for soy sauce
  • Entered health/wellness via KI NutriCare subsidiary
  • KI NutriCare also owned Allergy Research Group during same period
  • Divested Country Life to Lion Equity in August 2023

Why Kikkoman Sold:

  • Strategic refocus on core food business
  • KI NutriCare divested multiple health assets in 2023

Brand Portfolio

1. Country Life® (Main Brand, since 1971)

DSLD Group: 760 Products: 1,535 Market: General wellness, vitamins & minerals

Sub-brands:

  • Realfood Organics - USDA organic supplements
  • Target-Mins - Chelated minerals
  • Gut Connection - Probiotics (adult & kids)
  • Ageless Theory - Anti-aging
  • Maxi-Sorb - Enhanced absorption

Positioning: Mid-tier natural supplements, quality-focused

2. Biochem® (Sports Nutrition)

DSLD Group: 13210 Products: 131 Market: Athletes, fitness enthusiasts

Key Products:

  • Whey protein (best-selling in natural channel)
  • BioChem Sports - Sports-specific line
  • Performance supplements

Positioning: “Clean” sports nutrition for health-conscious athletes

3. Iron-Tek® (Acquired 1999)

DSLD Group: 2918 Products: 16 Market: Hardcore fitness, bodybuilding

Status: Now part of Biochem brand portfolio, positioned separately to avoid cannibalization

Strategic Role: Serves niche hardcore fitness market without competing with Biochem

4. Desert Essence® (Personal Care)

Not in DSLD (personal care, not dietary supplements) Products: Natural personal care products

Note: Listed in Lion Equity portfolio alongside supplement brands

Multi-Brand Strategy

Country Life operates a market segmentation strategy with distinct brands for different audiences:

Brand Target Market Product Focus Distribution
Country Life General consumers Vitamins, minerals, herbs Natural retailers, drug stores
Biochem Health-conscious athletes Whey protein, sports nutrition Natural channel, Whole Foods
Iron-Tek Hardcore fitness Performance supplements Specialty fitness stores

Rationale:

  • Avoid brand cannibalization
  • Access different distribution channels
  • Serve multiple price points
  • Maintain acquired brand equity (Iron-Tek)

Manufacturing & Operations

Location: Hauppauge, NY (Long Island)

Local Manufacturing:

  • Long Island facilities (per investigation sources)
  • Maintained since 1971 founding
  • Vertically integrated production

Headquarters: Same location as manufacturing (Hauppauge)

Heritage: 50+ years of Long Island-based operations

Market Position

Company Size: Mid-tier supplement manufacturer

Comparison:

  • Larger than single-brand companies (OLLY: 186 products)
  • Smaller than major conglomerates (NBTY: 3,414 products)
  • Similar scale to Allergy Research Group (2,359 products)

Competitive Advantages:

  • Long history (since 1971)
  • Local manufacturing (Long Island)
  • Multi-brand portfolio
  • Strong natural channel presence (Biochem whey protein leadership)

Recent Developments

Lion Equity Acquisition (August 2023)

Significance:

  • New private equity ownership
  • Potential for capital investment
  • Possible expansion or consolidation
  • Fresh strategic direction

Post-Acquisition Strategy (speculation):

  • Brand consolidation (Iron-Tek into Biochem?)
  • Manufacturing expansion
  • E-commerce growth
  • Potential acquisitions

No Public Statements on specific plans as of investigation date (2025-12-17)

DSLD Data Characteristics

Fragmented Grouping

Country Life brands are in three separate DSLD groups:

Group Brand Products Why Separate
760 Country Life 1,535 Different brand name
13210 Biochem 131 Different domain, brand name
2918 Iron-Tek 16 Different domain, brand name

Evidence of Ownership in Contacts table:

  • “Country Life, LLC (Biochem)”
  • “Country Life, LLC (Iron-Tek)”

For Analysis:

  • Product-level: Use individual groups
  • Company-level: Aggregate all three groups

KI NutriCare Portfolio (Former Parent)

During Kikkoman ownership era, KI NutriCare also owned:

  • Allergy Research Group (also sold 2023, different buyer)
  • NutriCology (ARG subsidiary)

Similar Companies

Company Founded Owner Brands Similarity
Country Life 1971 Lion Equity (PE) 3 -
NBTY/Bountiful 1971 KKR/Nestlé 3+ ⭐⭐⭐ Very similar
Nutraceutical 1993 PE firms 6+ ⭐⭐ Similar
Allergy Research Group - New buyer 2 ⭐ Former sister company

Data Sources

本卡片資料來源：

  1. DSLD database (Groups 760, 13210, 2918)
  2. from_the_refinery: legitimate_brand_families.md (2025-12-15)
  3. Investigation report: country_life_brand_investigation.md (2025-12-17)
  4. Business Wire announcement (August 2023)
  5. Lion Equity Partners portfolio page

Generated by DogTag System | Last verified: 2025-12-17 Investigation Report: 20251217_country_life_brand_investigation.md

Live Data (Census)

Census data generated: 2025-12-20 09:29

Relationships

  • parent_company Lion Equity Partners since 2023-08
  • parent_company Kikkoman Corporation since 2008
  • acquired_company Iron-Tek since 1999

References