In Episode #165 of the PricePlow Podcast, Mike and Ben welcome Cody Flynn of OmniActive Well being Applied sciences to debate the corporate’s spectacular botanical ingredient portfolio and manufacturing processes. Recorded at Pure Merchandise Expo West 2025, this enlightening dialog covers OmniActive’s journey from its roots within the spice commerce to changing into a pacesetter in standardized botanical extracts for each the dietary complement and sports activities vitamin industries.

Cody Flynn of OmniActive Well being Applied sciences discusses enXtra, sustainable botanical sourcing, and revolutionary ingredient functions at Pure Merchandise Expo West 2025 on Episode #165 of the PricePlow Podcast
Cody, Enterprise Growth Supervisor for OmniActive, shares his journey by way of the complement business and his experiences visiting OmniActive’s in depth agricultural operations in India, the place they associate with over 10,000 native farmers. The dialogue explores the corporate’s vertically built-in strategy – from their 14-acre seed analysis facility close to Bangalore the place they develop hybridized botanical seeds, to their sustainable manufacturing vegetation powered by steam power.
The dialog dives deep into signature elements like enXtra (alpinia galanga extract), analyzing its mechanism of motion by way of dopamine pathways and real-world software as a caffeine companion or various for sustained focus with out sleep disruption.
Past their flagship elements Lutemax and enXtra, Mike, Ben, and Cody talk about OmniActive’s evolution from strong dose codecs into powders and drinks, addressing taste challenges with botanical extracts and exploring revolutionary supply techniques like freeze-dried fruit functions.
The episode additionally reveals upcoming improvements in girls’s well being elements and new medical analysis set to be unveiled at Provide Facet West. For anybody excited about botanical elements, sustainable manufacturing, or the science behind cognitive enhancers, this episode gives a captivating glimpse into one of many business’s most revolutionary ingredient suppliers.
0:00 – Introductions
Mike and Ben welcome Cody Flynn, Enterprise Growth Supervisor for OmniActive Well being Applied sciences, to the PricePlow Podcast at Pure Merchandise Expo West 2025. The group reminisces about first assembly at an NPA occasion in DC, setting the stage for this in-depth dialog about OmniActive’s ingredient portfolio and Cody’s background within the complement business.
Cody shares that he’s been with OmniActive for about 18 months, however his business expertise extends a lot additional. Previous to OmniActive, he labored with Glanbia on the model aspect dealing with business operations for his or her contract manufacturing enterprise, specializing in their bar division with manufacturers like ThinkThin and SlimFast. Earlier than that, he was with Nellson, working totally on powders, giving him a complete background throughout a number of supply codecs together with capsules, tablets, bars, purposeful meals, and powders.
2:15 – OmniActive’s Transition from Strong Dose to Sports activities Diet
Mike asks Cody to clarify what “strong dose format” means for listeners who won’t be accustomed to business terminology. Cody clarifies that strong dosage refers to capsules and tablets, which fashioned the muse of OmniActive’s enterprise for a few years, significantly with their flagship ingredient Lutemax focusing on an older demographic.
Mike poses an fascinating query about why an organization profitable within the mass market would wish to enter the extra area of interest sports activities vitamin area. Cody explains that whereas sports activities vitamin could also be smaller, it’s extra dynamic and options early adopters who’re faster to embrace innovation. He notes that the traces between classes are blurring as mainstream shoppers change into extra educated about dietary supplements, with the “biohacking” pattern making previously area of interest merchandise extra accessible to common shoppers.
4:15 – Utility Science: The Problem of Botanical Flavoring
Ben brings up the subject of “software science”, noting that when most individuals hear this time period, they consider bars, meals, and drinks, however hardly ever contemplate powders since they appear simple. Cody clarifies that powders really signify the primary important hurdle in software science for corporations historically targeted on capsules and tablets, the place taste isn’t a priority.
Cody explains that when he first began having conferences about enXtra and Lutemax, the preliminary questions from R&D groups weren’t about medical science or potential claims, however about style profiles. He shares how OmniActive has developed to handle this problem, shifting from merely providing samples in capsule kind to partnering with taste homes to develop complete taste techniques that work with their botanical elements. This strategy acknowledges that whereas botanicals is probably not as bitter as amino acids, every has a novel taste profile that have to be thought-about throughout formulation.
7:40 – Agricultural Roots: OmniActive’s Farming Heritage
Cody reveals that OmniActive has deep agricultural roots, based by Sanjay, who comes from the spice commerce. The corporate contracts with roughly 10,000 native farmers in India, making botanical extraction their core competency and a key differentiator available in the market. This agricultural basis offers OmniActive with full provide chain management from seed to completed ingredient.
After spending 18 months studying the merchandise and business panorama, Cody had the chance to go to India to see the corporate’s operations firsthand. He describes spending two weeks in India, with one week devoted to visiting the agricultural aspect of the enterprise. These area visits took him to distant components of India that vacationers would by no means see, typically requiring five-hour drives from Bangalore to succeed in farming operations with spotty cell service and restricted infrastructure.
10:35 – Seed Analysis and Botanical Standardization
Cody describes OmniActive’s spectacular 14-acre seed analysis facility south of Bangalore, the place their group conducts cross-breeding and hybridization of marigold flowers (the supply materials for Lutemax), paprika, and different botanicals. This scientific strategy to agriculture permits them to optimize and standardize the compounds derived from these vegetation.
The corporate identifies particular plant varieties with fascinating traits, then sells these optimized seeds to their contracted farmers. OmniActive offers schooling, fertilizer, and sources to assist farmers efficiently develop these crops. After harvest, the vegetation return to OmniActive for extraction, making a closed-loop system that ensures high quality and standardization all through the provision chain.
14:25 – Vertical Integration: From Farm to Completed Ingredient
Cody explains that every one of OmniActive’s processing happens in India, with extraction amenities in Pune and Hosur. He notes that Lutemax and Capsimax are produced in a single specialised plant utilizing proprietary microencapsulation expertise to enhance stability, whereas enXtra and different commonplace botanical extracts are manufactured at their different facility.
When Mike asks about mental property safety, Cody confirms that OmniActive has patents round a few of their applied sciences, significantly for stabilizing oxidation-prone elements like Lutemax. Their specialised spray drying expertise permits them to guard these delicate compounds from degradation, making certain consistency and efficacy within the last product.
16:45 – Sustainable Manufacturing: The Steam-Powered Plant
One of the crucial fascinating revelations comes when Cody describes visiting OmniActive’s manufacturing plant in Hosur. He explains how the ability is powered by steam generated from burning sawdust and different supplies, making a sustainable power supply for his or her extraction processes. This eco-friendly strategy is so efficient that the plant tracks carbon financial savings on a whiteboard within the boiler room.
Cody admits this sustainability story stunned him when he witnessed it firsthand, noting it wasn’t prominently featured within the firm’s advertising and marketing supplies regardless of being a compelling narrative about their environmental dedication. When requested about water sources, he mentions that the area experiences a monsoon season that gives important rainfall, although he’s uncertain about particular water conservation efforts on the facility.
18:30 – enXtra: Mechanism and Advantages
Shifting focus to particular elements, the dialog turns to enXtra, OmniActive’s alpinia galanga extract that has gained reputation in sports activities vitamin formulation. Cody explains that like many botanical elements, alpinia has conventional roots in natural teas and dietary supplements, however OmniActive has remoted particular lively compounds and carried out analysis to grasp their results.
Their analysis consists of an MRI mechanism of motion examine that exposed enXtra works as a dopamine uptake inhibitor, affecting the dopamine pathway within the mind. This mechanism explains its advantages for alertness, consideration, and focus. Cody positions the ingredient not as a caffeine substitute however as a complementary device that pairs effectively with caffeine or can stand alone. When mixed with caffeine, enXtra helps maintain results for as much as 5 hours and mitigates the crash sometimes skilled with caffeine alone.
22:15 – Sleep-Pleasant Focus: enXtra’s Versatility
Cody highlights one among enXtra’s key benefits: in contrast to stimulants, it doesn’t negatively influence sleep high quality when taken later within the day. This makes it very best for non-stimulant pre-workout formulation focusing on night exercisers who need focus and efficiency advantages with out sleep disruption. OmniActive has carried out particular research confirming enXtra doesn’t have an effect on sleep or enhance blood stress.
The medical dose for enXtra is 300mg, however Cody mentions they’ve examined security as much as 900mg for these utilizing a number of servings all through the day. He personally takes 600mg when utilizing the ingredient and finds it significantly efficient in non-stimulant pump merchandise that want a spotlight part to ship an experiential impact. The group discusses how shoppers wish to “really feel one thing” even from non-stimulant merchandise, and enXtra offers that noticeable cognitive impact inside 30-60 minutes.
Word: A full write-up on enXtra might be coming shortly on the PricePlow Weblog.
25:00 – Portfolio Growth: The Innovate Acquisition
Mike asks about different elements in OmniActive’s portfolio, which leads Cody to disclose that enXtra really originated from an organization known as ENovate Biolife. OmniActive initially bought simply the enXtra ingredient from Innovate however has now acquired the whole firm, including new elements to their portfolio together with Muvs and Oxyjun.
These newly acquired elements are at the moment being evaluated to make sure they meet OmniActive’s scientific requirements earlier than being totally built-in into their choices. Cody mentions they’re nonetheless working by way of the authorized course of and scientific validation, however is worked up about increasing their ingredient lineup and doubtlessly discussing these new additions in future conversations.
26:30 – Sleeproot: Concentrated Valerian for Restoration
Cody introduces Sleeproot, OmniActive’s valerian extract, which exemplifies their strategy to botanical elements. Whereas commonplace valerian extracts comprise round 0.8% valerinic acid (the lively compound), OmniActive’s model is concentrated to 2%, permitting for a a lot smaller efficient dose of simply 200mg in comparison with the 800-900mg sometimes required with typical extracts.
This focus makes Sleeproot extra sensible for formulations, because it’s simpler to taste a smaller quantity of this notoriously unpleasant-tasting botanical. Cody shares that at Provide Facet, they boldly showcased Sleeproot in a liquid format with flavoring and acquired constructive suggestions. He positions sleep as the subsequent frontier within the restoration class, noting that optimizing sleep is essentially the most basic restoration device obtainable.
30:00 – Scientific Validation: Sleep Analysis
The dialog turns to medical analysis behind Sleeproot, with Cody sharing that they’ve two revealed medical research utilizing the gold commonplace Pittsburgh Sleep High quality Index. Their analysis included goal biomarkers past simply subjective questionnaires, reinforcing the scientific rigor behind their elements.
Most impressively, their second examine demonstrated day-one efficacy, a uncommon achievement in sleep dietary supplements that sometimes require buildup durations earlier than exhibiting outcomes. This fast impact offers Sleeproot a major benefit within the aggressive sleep assist market, the place client satisfaction typically hinges on noticeable advantages from the primary use.
31:00 – Private Background: Wrestling and Health
The dialog shifts to Cody’s private background as a aggressive wrestler. He reveals he began wrestling at age six or seven and continued by way of school, although he humorously notes his ears remained undamaged regardless of the game’s status for inflicting cauliflower ear. Immediately, he nonetheless stays related to the game by teaching a youth wrestling program at St. Simon’s Catholic College in Indianapolis.
Cody shares that he was a late bloomer bodily, weighing simply 100 kilos in eighth grade earlier than rising to about 200 kilos by his sophomore yr of highschool. This transformation modified his wrestling trajectory, turning early struggles towards bodily mature opponents into later success as his physique caught up, instructing him priceless classes about perseverance.
33:15 – From Athlete to Mannequin: Dymatize Connection
After his wrestling profession, Cody labored at a GNC whereas attending the College of Illinois, which led to an sudden alternative when a good friend advised he enter Dymatize Diet’s “Greatest Our bodies” mannequin search. To his shock, he was chosen and signed with Dymatize as an athlete, touring to business commerce reveals just like the LA Match Expo round 2015-2016, giving him his first introduction to the complement business from the model aspect.
When Mike asks if these health modeling pictures nonetheless exist on-line, Cody reveals he gave up social media for Lent about 5 years in the past and by no means returned, although he does keep a LinkedIn profile for skilled functions. He confirms that his bodybuilding pictures nonetheless exist on his dormant Instagram account, although he doesn’t actively use the platform anymore.
34:15 – Private Complement Routine: enXtra Utilization
Mike asks Cody about his private complement routine, significantly how he incorporates enXtra into his routine. Cody shares that he was previously “fairly a caffeine junkie” with morning and afternoon doses, however now limits caffeine to mornings solely and makes use of enXtra within the afternoon to take care of focus with out disrupting sleep.
Relying on his schedule, which typically consists of early morning calls with India, Cody both takes enXtra capsules along with his pre-workout at lunchtime or takes his pre-workout within the morning after which dietary supplements with enXtra alone within the afternoon, often with a protein shake after his exercise. This technique permits him to take care of productiveness all through the day with out the sleep disturbances that include afternoon caffeine consumption.
36:10 – Caffeine and enXtra Timing Methods
Cody mentions that he’s experimented with delaying his first caffeine dose by 60-90 minutes after waking, permitting cortisol ranges to naturally lower earlier than introducing caffeine. He finds this strategy, adopted by afternoon enXtra with out caffeine, creates a clean power curve all through the day, although he acknowledges it might not work for everybody.
The group discusses caffeine dependence, with Mike sharing his expertise doing a month-long caffeine detox. Whereas he finally returned to caffeine use, discovering its advantages outweighed the drawbacks for his particular state of affairs, he acknowledges that enXtra may have been a priceless device through the detox course of to mitigate withdrawal signs.
41:10 – Future Improvements: Ladies’s Well being and Provide Facet West
Because the dialog winds down, Mike asks what messaging OmniActive is highlighting at Expo West. Cody reveals they’re getting ready to launch a girls’s well being ingredient at Provide Facet West later within the yr. Whereas he can’t share particular particulars but because of confidentiality, he hints at a blended botanical extract focusing on this rising market section.
Cody additionally mentions an upcoming medical publication on enXtra that might be launched shortly, together with improvements for Capsimax that cut back manufacturing prices whereas enhancing efficiency. By eradicating the inert sugar core beforehand used of their microencapsulation course of, they’ve created a extra sturdy bead that lowers cost-in-use for his or her clients whereas sustaining performance.
44:00 – Novel Supply Methods: Freeze-Dried Purposes
Ben asks concerning the freeze-dried functions of enXtra that OmniActive showcased at Provide Facet the earlier yr. Cody enthusiastically describes their partnership with an organization known as Soften & Jet to create revolutionary freeze-dried fruit supply techniques loaded with botanical actives.
This software ties into OmniActive’s Lutemax story, as they’ve medical research supporting its use for youngsters ages 5-12. The freeze-dried fruit format gives a cleaner various to conventional puffed snacks that always comprise processed starches, utilizing solely freeze-dried fruit because the provider for lively elements. Whereas this novel supply system acquired glorious suggestions at Provide Facet, Cody notes that like most revolutionary codecs, price concerns stay a problem to widespread adoption.
The gents say thanks and shut it down.
Thanks to Cody Flynn for becoming a member of us at Expo West 2025 to debate OmniActive’s elements and sustainable strategy to botanical extraction. Keep tuned for extra episodes of the PricePlow Podcast that includes business leaders and scientific innovators, and join PricePlow’s OmniActive Information so that you don’t miss new analysis and product launches!
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