Importing and distributing vitamins

[margaret]

I have a few questions, maybe members can help answer.

1. Do you think there's much of a market for vitamins in the DR?
2. How do consumers buy their vitamins? From a doctor, health food store, pharmacy, La Sirena, online, "pyramid sales" (I forget what that model is called).
3. Which brands dominate?
4. What are the price points for supplements?
5. Has anyone ever tried importing supplements?
   

Thanks, in advance!

 

[bienamor]

great market

I have a few questions, maybe members can help answer.

1. Do you think there's much of a market for vitamins in the DR?
2. How do consumers buy their vitamins? From a doctor, health food store, pharmacy, La Sirena, online, "pyramid sales" (I forget what that model is called).
3. Which brands dominate?
4. What are the price points for supplements?
5. Has anyone ever tried importing supplements?
   

Thanks, in advance!

have at least 6 GNC stores here in Santo Domingo.
Depends on the vitamin, and the strength, but all of the above
What kind of supplements. think A-Rod

 

[juanita]

I always buy my vitamins in Canada's superstores for two reasons: Big bottles (500+) and good price. I find it hard to find this here for exemple: Calcium, magnesium and vitamin C, vitamin E. I want the big bottles that you can buy in Zellers or Walmart...

 

[margaret]

have at least 6 GNC stores here in Santo Domingo.
Depends on the vitamin, and the strength, but all of the above
What kind of supplements. think A-Rod

A Canadian brand - Vitamins, multivitamins, minerals, herbs, Omega and ERAs, probiotics. You'd buy these in a pharmacy or Shoppers Drugmart here in Canada. Products - Supplements

I was interested in the business model used and what sort of hoops you would have to jump through to import them and get them on the shelves of a pharmacy or chain store or with physicians.

 

[jrhartley]

i buy them in pricesmart but not knowing the brand I am always dubious about how good they actually are - I buy fish oil and multivitamins - multivitamins just turn your wee luminous

 

[margaret]

i buy them in pricesmart but not knowing the brand I am always dubious about how good they actually are - I buy fish oil and multivitamins - multivitamins just turn your wee luminous

LOL....

You buy Jamieson vitamins in the Dominican Republic? Maybe Pricemart imports them from the US? They're good vitamins, it's one of the leading brands. But I like gel cap Platinum vitamins myself from the health food store, which are around 85$ CDN for 100 caps. And then calcium and vit. D for around $35. and Salmon oil.

 

[dv8]

margaret, we have a farmacia, let me ask miesposo what he thinks about this idea and i will give you his feedback based on his experience...

 

[margaret]

margaret, we have a farmacia, let me ask miesposo what he thinks about this idea and i will give you his feedback based on his experience...

Thanks dv8. I'll be very interested to hear what thinks.

 

[BettyDiamond]

the last batch of cod liver oil says members brand on it- make what you will of that

id be interested in high level glucosamine

 

[dv8]

1. Do you think there's much of a market for vitamins in the DR?
2. How do consumers buy their vitamins? From a doctor, health food store, pharmacy, La Sirena, online, "pyramid sales" (I forget what that model is called).
3. Which brands dominate?
4. What are the price points for supplements?
5. Has anyone ever tried importing supplements?

based on pharma experience in DR:
1. there any so many vitamins and labs available it will be rather difficult to break into the market. some brands/labs sell better than others. at the end of the day it will depend on your location and target customers.
2. normally people buy in farmacias. in santiago/SD they may use GNC stores. richer dominicans may bring things from abroad or buy online. i believe the same will apply to foreigners who frequently travel.
3. swiss brand pharmaton is quite popular. also GNC. centrum vitamins.
4. price depends on the brand and supplement, starting from 10 pesos per pill.
5. there are many companies in DR that import and distribute medicine, supplements included.

i must add that there are also plenty of generic brands used by most dominicans, some of the stuff is produced in latin america.
apparently the market for healthy things is on the rise, especially in SD.

 

[margaret]

based on pharma experience in DR:
1. there any so many vitamins and labs available it will be rather difficult to break into the market. some brands/labs sell better than others. at the end of the day it will depend on your location and target customers.
2. normally people buy in farmacias. in santiago/SD they may use GNC stores. richer dominicans may bring things from abroad or buy online. i believe the same will apply to foreigners who frequently travel.
3. swiss brand pharmaton is quite popular. also GNC. centrum vitamins.
4. price depends on the brand and supplement, starting from 10 pesos per pill.
5. there are many companies in DR that import and distribute medicine, supplements included.

i must add that there are also plenty of generic brands used by most dominicans, some of the stuff is produced in latin america.
apparently the market for healthy things is on the rise, especially in SD.

Thanks dv8 I appreciate your efforts. They have a better line of products than Centrum but they are manufactured in a Canadian laboratory so the costs are higher and that would make them less competitive. They have high quality standards and I think they're ethical and guarantee the potency of the supplements. They're well respected here in Canada. I don't know about Pharmaton, we don't have them in Canada. But I believe they are manufactured by a Swiss pharmaceutical company that has moved into nutritional supplements, I recognize the name parent company and it's very well respected but I see they only have a few products. If Jamieson vitamins are being sold in PriceSmart they would be coming in from Trinidad as there is no one in the DR who is importing them directly. They might be coming from Haiti.

I don't know enough about the business or the market or the system, so I think it's best to stick to what I do know. Thanks!

 

[dgtlman]

vitamins

what about other medications, is there a market to import drugs for pharmacies?

 

[drgringo]

any ideas on where are the best deals on probiotics and oil of oregano in city center SD.

 

[el forastero]

The Dominican pharmaceutical business is well-developed, with several large local pharma manufacturers.There are also many distributors who have the rights to distribute the larger foreign brands of both medicinal and consumer products and nutritional supplements.

There is also a regulatory body in place for all medicines, with a product registry.

 

[Manuel01]

Sanitary Permit

What ever Vitamins or Drugs you are going to import.
You will step on somebody's foot and they will make you Hell !
For every single type of Vitamin you are planning to distribute,
you will need a Sanitary Permit (Registro Sanitario). If you try to sell your imported Stuff without it, the competition will have your goods confiscated and shut your Business down. If you need more detailed information, please let me know.

 

[AlterEgo]

We wholesale about 50 different vitamin, mineral & herbal supplements (to US stores and ship worldwide through Ebay), and just today I sent a case to a forwarder in Miami that is destined for DR. To my knowledge no one has ever had a problem with customs when they're sent that way - can there be a problem getting them through? Or is that special permit/paperwork only for large/container/pallet shipments?

My Dominican in-laws talked about us hooking them up with our manufacturer [they have a wholesale business in SD] but after they looked into it on their end we all decided it wasn't a good idea.

AE

 

[Manuel01]

If you operate below the Radar...

If you sell your Stuff here below the Radar, i mean little amounts, nobody is going to cause you any trouble. But at the moment you get big and start making money, they will make you hell. You need for every single article
a Sanitary Permit, otherwise you are in trouble.

 

[jaguarbob]

Readers Digest just did a report on Vitamins, which pretty much blows the whole "take your vitamins" routine your parents used to give you clear out of the water.

I don't think it hurts to take them, but their value certainly is debatable.

5 Vitamin Truths and Lies | Your Medical Care | Reader's Digest

china town here in SD has many stores selling everything under the sun for health...and cheap too...all from china I suppose....
bob