Like any other businesses across various industries, the health and wellness sector has struggled in coping up with the changes brought by the current pandemic. Among these businesses is Santé, an active global player in the distribution and wellness industry.

Santé has always been about offering premier organic health and wellness products and services, designed to help people live better lives. With its flagship Santé Barley, the company has developed a comprehensive selection of everyday barley-based products. They are specifically made with organic pure barley from farms, as certified by BioGro, New Zealand’s leading organic certification agency.

While its business remains strong, Santé was not spared from the current pandemic situation, which, just like a storm, brought challenges that affected the way people live. The company, for instance, relies mostly on third party suppliers for some aspects of its business operations, including the supplies and logistics. 

With limited mobility, especially with the community quarantine guidelines set by the authorities, even Santé’s most trusted logistics partners had extended their timetables when it comes to deliveries. And with ports being stricter, supplies from other countries also took some time to get past the borders.

Aside from supply and logistics, the company also had to cope up with other changes brought about by the much-needed responses, such as lockdowns and other safety measures, to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Braving a “Perfect Storm”

Joey Marcelo, chief executive officer of Santé, said that ever since the start of the CQs, the company understands that the health, wellness, and safety of employees, partners, customers, and other stakeholders must be on top of its priorities. 

“For our employees, we immediately adopted a work-from-home setup to minimize potential exposure to COVID-19. All our employees are also assured of continued salary. There is also a fitness workout for all of us, done virtually, three-times a week. Townhalls were also conducted via video conferences,” said Marcelo. 

Aside from its employees, Santé knew that its distributors and their families also rely on the company for their livelihood. This reality pushed the Santé to go digital.

“We reacted fast, making sure that our online systems are working, from our customer services to online ordering systems. Most importantly, we made sure that the top management was visible – zoom meetings were done daily – with our teams and distributors here and abroad,” Marcelo added. 

Santé also has an app (IOS, Android) that allows its distributors to conveniently order products and have them shipped. They can also transact everything via Santé’s website.

After the adjustments made to navigate through the “new normal,” Marcelo said, the company is blessed to still receive growing demands despite the pandemic, referring to it as a “perfect storm.”

“Despite the current situation, our business has been a blessing to others, especially to our distributors, who we refer to as Santé Business Owners. We have been receiving a lot of positive and grateful feedback. They are happy that they have a business that is ‘pandemic-proof.’ Most of them have been working remotely from home. The pandemic may have minimized their person-to-person selling, but they just easily shifted to pure online selling and, they are all back on track,” said Marcelo.

Santé remains hopeful as they face a “perfect storm” and continue providing products like the Santé Pure Barley and Daily-C, a non-acidic sodium ascorbate supplement. These products are highly relevant and in-demand during these times. People are looking for products that would help them maintain a healthy immune system. 

In May, the demand for Santé Daily-C increased by almost 1000%, Marcelo noted. 

Providing Opportunities 

Another opportunity for Santé brought by the ‘perfect storm’ is to provide a livelihood for those who lost their jobs or source of income amid the current situation. As of April, there are about 7.3 million unemployed Filipinos, says a report[1] from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“Santé business owners are happy that they can provide for themselves and their families despite the current pandemic. And because they have their testimonies of how they thrive, they are more passionate to encourage others to join them in the direct selling business,” said Marcelo.

There are currently 10,000 active independent Santé distributors, referred to as business owners. Only half of which were active last year. By the end of the first quarter this year, Santé expects a 50% increase in the number of its business owners.

Since Santé is present in 10 key cities worldwide, distributors also earn in US dollars. They also never stop learning. With Santé’s Engage system, its distributors have easily plugged in leadership, product, and business training sessions that help equip and aid in their growth as a businessman and as a person. 

Fastly adapting to the COVID-19 situation, Santé’s Engage sets of training are all accessible online and given for free.  

“At Sante, we will always be open to help not just Filipinos but everyone around the world by providing opportunities, insights, and knowledge so they can continue earning even when they are at home,” added Marcelo.  

To learn more about Santé, visit its website at santebarley.com.

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