Forever Living Products of the US, which specializes in the cultivation, manufacture and marketing of aloe vera-based and bee products, has decided to enter the Israeli market. The decision to invest in local activity was made after successful test marketing. Ehud Ravad has been named local general manager of FLP.
FLP employs direct marketing together with multi-level marketing (MLM), in which local distributors build an independent marketing network with ongoing support from the parent company. The company has operations in place in Latin America, Asia, Australia and most of Europe, with the recent addition of Russia, the Czek Republic and Slovakia.
FLP is the world’s largest grower of aloe vera with over 15,000 crop acres (60,000 dunam) in the US, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Philippines. The company is also the world’s largest manufacturer of bee products.
"Globes": Today, many direct marketing cosmetics companies are in trouble. Why will you succeed?
Ehud Ravad: "First of all, our products are unique. They sell well. The [MLM] method is very successful. In a recession, the company grows even more, because from a marketing standpoint, our products are less affected by economic upheavals, and FLP a good business opportunity for people who have left the job market."
"We give each distributor the opportunity to build his/her own business, independent of the [parent] company. I estimate our annual sales will reach $20 million within a few years."