When was NAF set up?
Set up over 30 years ago by Richard Cleeve
Where did the idea for NAF come from?
Started on a dairy farm with a single product called Thrive. Main active ingredient was MSM.
What are some of NAF’s sister companies?
- Natural Vet Care (dogs/cats products)
- beauty company
What is the cleanliness grade of the mixing room in the factory?
10,000
Human grade cleanliness
What is the one product sold that does not come under the Clean Sport Initiative?
Devil’s Claw
It is not approved because the active ingredient (harpagoside) is not FEI approved.
Needs separate vessels for storage.
Where is the NAF factory?
Monmouth, Wales
Why are there different variations of products for different countries?
- different banned ingredients around the world e.g. St. John’s Wort in Germany/Sweden
- different market an market segments, e.g. Denmark and England have a large market for happy hackers, but Germany doesn’t.
When there is a banned substance, often the whole product is reformulated and rebranded e.g. Magic
How many countries do NAF export to?
Over 35
What is the process of development of new products?
- Research and Development - a new product must work well and have appeal to a relatively large market. First ideas often come from the sales team or technical team, e.g. vets. Also from new research and customer feedback through things like social media.
- Formulation - development of new products in the labs. Ingredient list put together and recorded
- Trial - may be in house or independent, depending on product type. NAF may pay for an expensive clinical trial for a product they hope will appeal to a lot of customers.
- Marketing - must appeal to customer and retailer. Main distribution channels include programmes, social media, online, word of mouth
- Feedback/analysis comes from questionnaires, publications etc
Why are samples of all NAF products kept?
To ensure clean sport - when customers ring up and have an issue with contamination, NAF can prove it is not their product’s fault. Often it is customer storage.
How are NAF products stored in the factory?
Everything is stored in wood containers.
Anything that is out of date or tampered with is ethically destroyed.
What is unique about the NAF factory?
- small compared to output and the size of the company
- has a high labour workforce, as opposed to machinery
- anything ordered before 1pm is sent out next day.
