How Santé has remained relevant in the wellness industry for 18 years and counting 

For many companies, an 18-year run is a monumental achievement. But for Santé, it’s a testament to a foundational mission: helping people live better lives. What began as a direct-selling company with a commitment to organic health and wellness products has evolved into a global force.

According to Santé CEO Joey Marcelo, when the company started, Santé wasn’t the first to offer barley grass to the market. They had two significant competitors, but this didn’t faze the company.

“I believe in the power of being first. Pero when we say first, it’s not the first to launch but the first to make the product known. When we started barley in the market, we wanted to make sure that this will grow globally,” said Marcelo.

Part of the success behind Santé’s relevance in the market is due to the awareness raised by the late Filipino actor-singer April Boy Regino, who often attributed his recovery from cancer to Santé Barley. Although Marcelo and the company wanted to leverage this traction, they also marketed their barley grass beyond healing those with ailments–it also applies to those pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Here’s where Kim Atienza, popularly known as Kuya Kim, comes in. He has become the face of Santé Barley by promoting it to the public.

“It’s a matter of finding the right people, and you will go far. It’s not a matter of being the best when it comes to products, best when it comes to this and that. It’s a matter of finding the right people because, at the end of the day, it’s not the product that will make the people move, but it’s the other way around. It’s the people leaders who will make the product move. And true enough, 18 years later, we’re a known brand not only in the Philippines but globally,” Marcelo said.

“We’ve had our experiences of wins and losses, and Santé International is our greatest win because we have found the right business partners. They run with the vision and the mission of the company to help people live better lives, and one of the dreams that we really want to see happen soon is Santé Balrey as a household name around the world,” added Minette Carag, Santé Co-Founder and Board of Directors member.

The Santé CEO also shared that the company continuously innovates and develops new marketing strategies for its flagship product: Santé Barley Grass. As the brand celebrates its 18th anniversary, Santé is gearing up to face opportunities beyond the next year, but for what could happen 10 to 20 years ahead.

“We had so many experiences, and each experience we take as a challenge and a learning opportunity. So every time there’s a challenge, we adapt and we’re very flexible. We found out that when you’re fast in pivoting and learn from your mistakes, mabilis din ang growth namin. I think one of the biggest characteristics that has propelled us to success,” shared Paul Caluag, Santé Chief Network Development Officer and Board of Directors member.

From a humble Filipino brand, Santé grew to become a global name with a manufacturing factory in New Zealand. Besides continuing the vision and mission to grow Santé into a global brand and helping people, the company is eyeing possibilities to develop new products

“Since day one, we’ve been progressing on sales, and we’re expecting a lot since we were expecting a lot of development of new products. Hopefully, we surpass the biggest sales that we had in past years,” said Karen Marcelo, Santé Finance Director.

In the meantime, the company is also focusing on empowering new leaders to usher Santé into the future.

“We’re heavy on leadership development because we know that the rise and fall of any organization is all about the leaders. If you have strong leaders, the business will grow. If you look at these people 5, 10, 15 years ago, they are ordinary people. But whenever they stand in front of people globally, they have built a business all over the globe because I believe we’ve set a foundation of leadership in the organization,” Marcelo said.

Coinciding with its bid for innovation, Santé will also be embracing artificial intelligence (AI) in growing the business locally and globally.

Building on a legacy of 18 years, Santé’s journey from a local distributor to a global health and wellness brand is a masterclass in strategic vision and dedicated leadership. Ultimately, as Marcelo makes clear, the true engine of growth for Santé is not just the product itself, but the people behind it. As Santé looks ahead to the next 10 to 20 years, its commitment to innovation and empowering its people ensures that its core mission of helping people live better lives will continue to thrive on a global scale.