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Frontier began as a two-person operation in 1976 in a cabin along the Cedar River in Eastern Iowa. We have grown steadily for over a quarter of a century to become a major supplier in the booming natural products industry. This outstanding performance throughout the years reflects our close harmony with both industry trends and the values of natural products consumers.
Frontier has demonstrated an aptitude for associating itself with trends that fuel success. The business was originally structured as a cooperative that supplied herbs and spices to its members, all of whom were cooperatives engaged in retailing natural foods or cooperative buying clubs. Being a co-op itself helped propel Frontier into national distribution in rapidly expanding natural foods "co-op movement." Frontier also embraced many of the positive ideals underlying the popularity of co-ops. The early management envisioned a workplace where employees would enjoy their work, families would come first, the quality of products would be unsurpassed, organics would play a key role in the business and social responsibility would be inseparable from their actions. These values have been sustained—and have contributed significantly to Frontier’s success—throughout its entire history. |
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Initially Frontier acted as a wholesaler, repackaging several hundred varieties of herbs and spices into smaller one- and two-pound bags. Customers then resold these products in bulk to their retail customers, typically at a substantial discount to equivalent consumer-packaged products available in traditional supermarkets. In an effort to meet as many customer requests as possible, Frontier expanded its selection to include many uncommon herbs and spices, building both its supplier contacts and its reputation as a comprehensive source of botanical products. In 1978 Frontier bought and converted a grocery store building in Fairfax, Iowa, into a 5,200 square foot operations facility. Subsequent growth resulted in Frontier purchasing a ten-acre parcel of Iowa farmland in 1982 near Norway, Iowa, and constructing a 21,000 square foot facility. Plant expansions in 1984, 1988 and 1993 have increased the facility size to over 85,000 square feet. Frontier now owns an additional 50 acres of land adjacent to the main facility, 22 acres of which is maintained as tallgrass prairie.
During 1988 Frontier introduced a line of packaged spices. This was followed in 1991 with the introduction of a line of gourmet, 100% certified organic whole bean coffees. Subsequent introductions included a line of herbal extracts and the first certified organic beer in the United States. |
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Not all of these product lines were sustained successes, but all provided greater name recognition and expanded opportunities. The Frontier brand packaged-spice line developed into a significant sales contributor and laid important groundwork for the later establishment of the Simply Organic brand. Another Frontier brand, Frontier Coffee, was a part of the company for ten years. In addition to providing consumers with the highest quality organic coffee, Frontier Coffee funded a wide range of social programs in the poor coffee growing communities. Business loans, a power plant to produce electricity, computer equipment for schools, and a bridge were among the projects. In June of 2001, the coffee business was sold to Green Mountain Coffee. The most sustained and dramatic success with product expansion has been in the area of aromatherapy. Early in its history, Frontier accommodated its customers by buying bulk quantities of essential oils and rebottling them into one-half ounce glass bottles. This line grew steadily as the concept and practice of aromatherapy became increasingly popular. Frontier responded to this accelerating trend, capitalizing on its early success and bolstering its product line with the 1993 acquisition of Aura Cacia, a leading aromatherapy and natural personal care products company. Aura Cacia products include a full line of aromatherapy items such as essential oils, massage and body oils, mineral baths, and lotions. Frontier has grown the line into the clear aromatherapy market leader in natural health outlets nationwide, adding many innovative new products. A popular line of certified organic products, Aura Cacia Organics, has also been created. |
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