history of vita health
History of Vita Health Natural Food Stores of Manitoba
Canada's oldest health food store
Vita Health began in 1936 as a small mail order company selling various herbs and patented medicines, chiefly to a small group of European immigrants who maintained their traditional use of herbal products. Under G.W. Seier, Vita Health's founder, the mail order business grew throughout the 1950s and 60s. The popularity of Vita Health's natural remedies had by this time spread from the core group of European immigrants to local clientele. Downtown Winnipeg was much improved with the creation of the first Vita Health Retail Store, located at 220 Portage Ave.
In the 1960s, Vita Health began to package and wholesale herbals and vitamins throughout Canada. Vita Health's manufacturing facility was opened in Manitoba in 1974. It is here where the still popular VHC vitamins and minerals and HSC herbals were developed.
In 1971, John Holtmann began working for G.W. Seier and the family business. He started out in manufacturing, continued in purchasing and eventually became the national sales manager for Vita Health. In 1979, Mr. Seier transferred control of the Vita Health Company, both manufacturing and retail, to his children. Both sides of the company continued to grow and prosper, and the manufacturing division emerged as one of the largest providers of supplements for the Health Food and Mass Markets in Canada.
The Vita Health retail stores continued to flourish and grew to 7 stores in Winnipeg, including the flagship store located at 296 Kennedy Street. In 1997, Vita Health Company was sold to Leiner Health Products of Carson, California. In 1998, John Holtmann, G.W. Seier's son-in-law, purchased the retail stores to keep them as a family-owned company operating as Vita Health "Natural Food Stores of Manitoba". Since then Vita Health Natural Food Stores of Manitoba has continued to lead the pace in Manitoba's highly competitive natural health market.
Vita Health is Still Growing...
The continued growth of Vita Health resulted in the creation of two new stores, including one in Lindenridge and one in Steinbach, Manitoba.
Getting Bigger and Fresher...
Carrying forward into the third generation, John's son Mathew Holtmann is working within the business as Corporate Grocery Manager. Mathew is managing the expanding organic grocery in the newest, Fresh Market stores. Since 2007 Vita Health has opened 4 Fresh Markets, which offer full service organic groceries, supplements, herbs, natural beauty and green household products.
A key to Vita Health's success lies in remaining true to the personable and dedicated business practices of the store's founder, G.W. Seier. We have been able to do this by remaining a family business.
