Tom Reilly, president of VMI Sports, brings a perspective from all over the industry, and he’s got a lot of educational things to say. Two decades spent at GNC, then in natural food distribution at UNFI, and eventually as a purchasing director and director at Lone Star Distribution gave him an unusually complete map of how supplements actually move through the market. VMI grew out of that experience, launched as a house brand for Lone Star in 2012 before Tom took it full time in late 2015, and has been grinding ever since — bootstrapped, profitable, and growing every single year.

In Episode #205 of the PricePlow Podcast, Mike and Ben sit down with Tom to cover the full arc: how VMI got started, what distribution taught him that brand founders usually learn the hard way, the evolution from specialty sports nutrition into grocery chains, the K-XR pre-workout legacy, the PEZ collaboration strategy, and some genuinely exciting teases for what’s coming in 2026, including two canned beverages that are neither energy drinks nor protein sodas.

This is a good one, and Tom’s willingness to mentor others shines through, as we learned a lot in this one – and we guarantee you will too.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for VMI Sports news alerts before diving in — you won’t want to miss those can reveals when they drop.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/tom-reilly-vmi-sports-205

Video: Tom Reilly of VMI Sports on Distribution, Grocery, PEZ, and What’s Next

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIkHJOngDPk

Detailed Show Notes: Tom Reilly and VMI Sports

• (0:00) – Introductions
• (0:30) – Tom’s Background: GNC, UNFI, and Lone Star
• (3:00) – Building VMI from Within Lone Star
• (7:45) – Going Full Time: The 2015 Pivot
• (10:30) – Business Wisdom from Distribution
• (13:00) – Consumer Education and Supply Chain Reality
• (18:00) – Vision Meets Innovation: The VMI Name
• (23:15) – K-XR: Origins and the Miami Vice Flavor
• (25:00) – K-XR: Three Caffeines, Grocery, and the High-Stim Formula That Works
• (30:15) – Winning on the Grocery Shelf
• (33:30) – Packaging Evolution and the PEZ Aesthetic
• (36:00) – More on the PEZ Collaboration
• (41:15) – Pump & Flow: The Sleeper Hit with Hydronox
• (44:00) – Protolyte: Ahead of the Hydration Curve
• (47:30) – Acquisition, Retention, and Brand Philosophy
• (52:00) – Staying Independent: VMI’s Long Game
• (54:30) – Two Canned Beverages Coming in 2026
• (57:30) – K-XR RTD and the Beverage Category Landscape
• (1:01:30) – Distribution Realities of Canned Beverage
• (1:05:00) – Wrap-Up and What’s Next

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with Tom Reilly and VMI Sports

• LinkedIn: Thomas Reilly
• LinkedIn: VMI Sports
• Instagram: @tom_vmisports (Tom Reilly)
• Instagram: @vmisports (VMI Sports)
• VMI Sports Website
• VMI Sports on PricePlo…

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What if you could deliver all the benefits of traditional collagen without any animal ingredients?

In Episode #204 of the PricePlow Podcast, we explore VC-H1, a revolutionary vegan collagen alternative derived from organically grown hibiscus. Eric Withee from Freemen Nutra returns to discuss the science behind this innovative ingredient, while Marc Bruggemann, an e-commerce expert specializing in Amazon strategy, reveals the massive untapped market opportunity for plant-based collagen products.

Unlike traditional “vegan collagen boosters” that merely mimic amino acid profiles or throw together kitchen-sink formulas, VC-H1 delivers actual collagen peptides from a botanical source. At just 1.5 grams per serving, this clinically studied ingredient stimulates collagen synthesis through the same pathways as bovine or marine collagen (with price parity, organic certification, and sustainable sourcing from Laos).

With 400,000+ annual searches for “vegan collagen” on Amazon alone and virtually no legitimate products to meet that demand, the timing couldn’t be better for brands to enter this blue ocean market.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for our alerts before we dive into this game-changing ingredient.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/vegan-collagen-freemen-nutra-vc-h1

Video: Vegan Collagen from Hibiscus: VC-H1 with Eric Withee & Marc Bruggemann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tchb8BYjqpU

Detailed Show Notes: Eric Withee (Freemen Nutra) and Marc Bruggemann Discuss VC-H1 Vegan Collagen

0:00 – Introductions

Ben welcomes returning guest Eric Withee from Freemen Nutra and introduces Marc Bruggemann, an e-commerce expert with deep Amazon marketplace experience. Unlike typical podcast episodes that focus purely on ingredient science, today’s conversation takes a different angle by examining how innovative ingredients actually perform in the marketplace. Marc brings valuable perspective from his career building Amazon channels for supplement brands, including working at NutriBio Labs and Thrasio (the fastest company in US history to reach $10 billion valuation) before specializing in helping top-10 supplement brands dominate Amazon’s competitive landscape.

0:45 – Marc’s E-commerce Background and Amazon Expertise

Marc shares his journey through the dietary supplement e-commerce space, starting with building Amazon channels and eventually working with some of the industry’s largest brands. His experience spans everything from product development to advertising strategy, taking brands from limited distribution to nationwide presence. This unique perspective on both the marketplace dynamics and consumer behavior sets the stage for understanding why certain ingredients succeed or fail on platforms like Amazon. Marc’s track record includes elevating multiple brands into Amazon’s top 10 supplement sellers, giving him invaluable insights into what drives consumer purchasing decisions in the crowded digital marketplace.

1:45 – Introducing VC-H1 Vegan Collagen Alternative

Eric introduces VC-H1, a vegan collagen alternative that immediately captured Marc’s attention during their initial conversation. Unlike traditional collagen supplements derived from animal sources, VC-H1 is composed entirely of peptides…

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What happens when a supplement company built on pharmaceutical-grade testing standards gets raided by federal agents? In Part 1 of our two-part series with Nootropics Depot, founder Paul Eftang and Director of Business Development Matt Harrier take us through their origin story, the harrowing 2021 FDA raid that changed everything, and why regulatory inconsistencies leave consumers more vulnerable than protected.

Paul started on Reddit’s r/Nootropics community, calling out mislabeled supplements that sent people to hospitals. When donations to test products revealed widespread fraud across the industry, he founded Ceretropic (later acquiring Nootropics Depot) to prove quality control was possible. Matt was part of the original Nootropics Depot team, and they united by their shared priority: making sure what’s on the label is actually in the bottle.

But their commitment to transparency and pharmaceutical-grade testing made them a target. In 2021, while Paul was out of the office, armed agents raided their facilities — not for safety violations, but for technical regulatory interpretations around compounds like racetams. The agents complimented their equipment and testing standards even as they seized products. Two years and significant legal costs later, a deferred prosecution agreement required destroying inventory and paying fines, but no criminal charges stuck.

This episode reveals uncomfortable truths about FDA enforcement: selective raids while warning letters go to others, funding through civil asset forfeiture, and regulatory ambiguity that punishes good actors while bad actors continue unchallenged. It’s the backstory that shaped why Nootropics Depot now operates pharmaceutical-grade supplement testing lab that most supplement brands wouldn’t even recognize.

Be sure to subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Nootropics Depot news alerts before we dive into this revealing conversation.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/nootropics-depot-fda-raid-203

Video: The FDA Raid That Changed Everything – Paul Eftang & Matt Harrier of Nootropics Depot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSZIlbPsT7c

Detailed Show Notes: Inside Nootropics Depot’s Origin, Raid, and Fight for Consumer Protection

• (0:00) – Introductions and Welcome
• (2:15) – The Reddit Origins: When Fake Supplements Sent People to Hospitals
• (7:45) – Matt Joins: From Nootropics Depot’s First Incarnation to the Team
• (13:15) – The Pivot Point: From Synthetic Nootropics to Natural Ingredients
• (20:20) – The Regulatory Gray Zone: Why Racetams Attracted Attention
• (25:30) – 2018: Scaling Back and Hoping for Clarity
• (34:30) – The 2021 Raid: Guns Drawn at a Quality-Focused Facility
• (45:45) – The Investigation: When Good Faith Meets Civil Asset Forfeiture
• (1:01:15) – The Resolution: Deferred Prosecution and Its Costs
• (1:15:30) – Strict Liability: Why Testing Doesn’t Protect You
• (1:28:45) – Civil Asset Forfeiture: The Funding Model That Warps Enforcement
• (1:33:00) – The NMN Situation: Regulatory Ambiguity by Design
• (1:38:25) – Chevron Doctrine and Regulatory Authority
• (1:40:50) – DSHEA and the Third Classification Debate
• (1:44:15) – The Implementation Problem: When Regulations Fail Consumers
• (1:49:15) – The Emotional Toll: Why Paul Can’t …

Read more on the PricePlow Blog