Wal-Mart - Sam's Club Set To Put MonaVie Out Of Business?

When your company doesn't have a unique product, your only choice is to build your business on hype, false claims and other mumbo-jumbo.

Regardless of what some may think, people are not stupid.  They will eventually find out that a product similar to MonaVie is being sold in Sam's Club for $17.24 while MonaVie product is being sold for $39. 

Introducing Frut A Vie:

Here is the price tag from Sam's Club (a division of Wal-Mart) - note the comparison to MonaVie on the shelf tag:

Finally, have a look at the back label.  I will be posting a comparison of ingredients soon:

Wal-Mart and Costco are not stupid either, gang.  Building a business based on a juice that can be copied so easily along with hype filled testimonies that many times cross the legal line into medical claims will catch up MonaVie.  The hype only lasts so long.

Update II (Ingredients):

Frut A Vie ingredients:

Proprietary blend of Acai (Freeze Dried Powder & Puree), Grape Juice, Pear Juice, Cherry Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Goji Juice (Wolfberry), Apple Juice, Cranberry Juice, Blueberry Juice, Acerola, Grape Skin Extract, Bannana, & 1140mg of Mangosteen Peel Extract. (incomplete - I am working on getting the rest of the ingredients).

MonaVie Active ingredients:

Proprietary blend of acai (freeze dried powder and puree); Fruit juice from concentrate (white grape, nashi pear, acerola, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, wolfberry [goji], pomegranate, and lychee, camu camu); fruit purees (pear, banana, bilberry);d-glucosamine hydrochloride, esterified fatty acids, natural flavor, citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate.

I also found a review of Frut A Vie on the Sam's Club site:

5 out of 5 fruit avie, 02/04/2008 By: judy This is great stuff! The acai fruit is the most healthful berry you can take and if you put a once in your smoothie it tasted great. Please bring it back!! Quality: 5 out of 5 Value: 5 out of 5

Pros: everything Cons: nothing

Gender: Female Age: 45-54 Owned product: 1-5 months Uses product: Every day Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

ORAC Values:

MonaVie has an ORAC score of 1027 per oz.

Frut A Vie has an ORAC score of 3500 per oz.

An Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) score is a test tube analysis that measures the antioxidant levels of food and other chemical substances. If a food has a high ORAC score, then it means the food is high in antioxidants. The antioxidant’s strength is its ability to eliminate oxygen free radicals.

Comments

[Andrew Murphy]

Ouch that's gotta hurt! It certainly pays to do your due diligence when looking at a company for the long term. Too many "juice" deals without any kind of composition patent is going to kill off many of these companies unless they come up with something unique and protected with a patent.

Andrew

[Josh]

It's a good thing you're not biased, being that you are involved in another MLM. Either way, it's also a good thing very few people read this blog. Good picture though, because it states an ingredient being "water", whereas the first and largest ingredient in MonaVie is acai (patent pending process; freeze-dried). There is ONLY whole fruits in the bottle of MonaVie. Do you deny that difference? If you weren't bias you would post this comment on your blog so ALL those people you have in YOUR business can read it. What everyone ought to know is that you're really just butt-hurt that Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady chose MonaVie over the little company you're part of (including 1300 other companies). You should know one thing though.. people like you don't make it in the TEAM anyway. Most people hate MLM professionals like you. You really shouldn't blame them. You don't really help people succeed. It's all about yourself. You couldn't show us five people that you've currently helped make a multiple six-figure income. You know what would be great.. comparing you and OW's business side by side. How hilarious would that be.

[G-Man]

Find people who drink this juice from Sam's club and see if they have anything good to say about it. Monavie testimonies will blow you away. If you want to compare the two products nutritionally, start with the fact that the knock off has four times more sugar than Monavie -- good one, sugar is good for you. Diabetics get them while they last at sam's club.

But more important than all that... can you get the juice for free from Sam's club? At $17+ dollars a bottle it's a rip off! I get Monavie for free because I shared it with 3 people -- take that to the Sam's club management and see if they'll give you the juice for free by bringing in three customers. I think your hype about putting Monavie out of business is pure conjecture pal.

[Ty Tribble]

Josh,

So it is OK for Orrin to talk about Amway and compare Amway to MonaVie, but I am not allowed to make a comment about a serious issue that WILL have an affect on all MonaVie associates because I am involved with another company?

Uh, yeah. That makes sense.

And your right, it's a good thing only a few thousand people read what I write every day. The truth can be a messy thing to fend off.

[Keith E]

G-Man,
Yes... Let's compare the two products shall we: Label from Ty's post - shows 4 grams of sugar per serving (1oz). Now, let's look at MonaVie: I have a bottle of Active right in front of me... WOW, it's got 4 grams of sugar per 1oz serving! Go figure!!!

Maybe you should check your facts PRIOR to posting a comment that more than just "you" will see. Additionally, sugar "is" good for you! without it you would definately have problems (Symptoms of low blood glucose levels (Hypoglycemia) include feeling anxious or confused, feeling numb in the arms and hands, and shaking or feeling dizzy, cranky, tired, sweaty, hungry, confused, and shaky. Glucose supplies the body's cells with energy, and a low level of glucose seriously affects the brain cells. If the blood sugar levels drop too low, a person can lose consciousness or may experience a seizure.) This is why the labels of these two products show 1-2% listed in the percentage of Daily value. It's an important part of our diet!

Moving on to the "putting MonaVie out of business" comment... Pretty neat how Ty put that pesky little question mark at the end of the entries title! Makes it pretty clear that he was not "stating" that it will happen, but rather was "speculating" that it could. Quite frankly, I think it is painfully apparent that what is being stated here is true... if you have a product that you are trying to "sell" (a very important part of "your" business since you have a "requirement" to "retail" a certain amount of product per month) and "your" price is double that of the competition, then you "will" have problems competing. People are willing to drive nearly accross town to save a mere nickel on a gallon of gas... exactly what makes you think they wouldn't choose the Sam's Club alternative to MonaVie at a nearly 50% savings?

[Steve]

Well, I believe the MonaVie has more fruits in it but I can't see all of the "other" ingredients so I may be wrong. Also, A/Q has survived for 50 years with products being double and triple what people pay at Walmart so MonaVie will most likely be around for a while and they may morph into something else 10-15 years down the road...who knows.

[Tom]

Where is Açai in the ingredients list? Aren't ingredients lists sorted by the amount of that item in the contents? So on my bottle of MonaVie™, the first thing is Açai. The first thing on their ingredients list is ... water? So you buy a $18 bottle of water at Sam's Club, or a $39 bottle of Açai from your friend. Who is the bigger fool? BTW, Açai is so far down in ingredients that it didn't even show up in the picture.

[Bella Lacava]

It was great to read a post on this site that wasn't 4 years old and full of historically obsolete "information". The MonaVie bubble will burst faster than the Amway wannabees of the 80s & 90s, probably because of the internet. The ability for people to research the countless numbers of "just-like-Amway-only-betters" whose bleached bones litter the path of history should diminish the allure of the latest instant-wealth snake oil miracle cures. Perhaps a business that markets a couple million products and services and has partnered with scores of other reputable companies, AND has survived 50 years of anti-capitalist onslaughts is still the only real viable option. Now if only they wore Hawaiian shirts.

[Ty Tribble - MLM Blog Author]

Bella, first, this site has been updated no less than 40 times in the last 2 months and has hundreds of posts in the last year.

But, I'm glad you brought up the term obsolete...that is exactly how you should characterize Amway. It is a 1959 compensation plan in the hybrid world of 2008.

If you held a gun to my head and made me choose between MonaVie and Amway, I'd take MonaVie without hesitation, but the truth of the matter is there are better options than a relic of the 1950's and a juice deal that is being copied by Wal-Mart.

The answer comes in innovation.

"It's not the big that eat the small, it's the fast that eat the slow."

[CIBN]

I totally understand the reaction of many esp. since water is listed as the first ingredient. The problem is, most people will not care about the ingredients as much as the ORAC score. This is the biggest blow to MonaVie since it is the main drive of why their product is better. They claim the process is what preserves the berry and produces the highest ORAC score. Sometimes love is blind. You should not love or believe in something so much, no matter how good it is, that you become "blind" to the possibility of red flags. Instead of getting defensive why not stop and think about how this might affect your future and those you lead? If I'm going to put my sweat into building a successful business, and lead others to do the same, I must I must always consider the impact. In my opinion MonaVie is lacking to many important ingredients!

[Wallace Nuanez]

Yah I was in Tahitian Noni and they claimed "super-natural" benefits also??
Just Run

[are you kidding?]

Orac scores can be artificially inflated by adding vit. E to the product. you also have to be sure it is gram per gram comparison. remember moderation , balance and variety.

Mona Vie has a higher Orac score than 1027 per oz. The ORAC Score of the Acai Berry alone is 1027 per gram (no other food is higher). If there is in fact more Acai in Mona Vie then it is not possible for Frut A Vie to have a higher ORAC Score.

It is clear that the copy is being attempted. That seems to be great news. They did not try to copy the other junk out there so at least we have a product worth the flatery. Next it is quite important to note that the ingredients appear to be listed in such a way as to imply the Acai is first on the list but the list repeats the prprietary juice blend statement later in the list on frut a vie.

I'll take Dr Schauss and $55 million in research before I get behind grape juice in a brown bottle. But to be sure and fair I'll gladly go spend $20 bucks and report the findings after a week of drinking it. I doubt anyone raving about frut a vie has ever had more than a shot of Mona Vie.

I'll let you know in three weeks.

[Not Kidding]

Dear Are You Kidding?

Who cares who they list it on the bottle...you are better off drinking a bottle of red wine than MonaVie Juice and I bet that you will have a lot more fun with the wine.

No, I am not kidding. Red Wine and grape juice have a higher ORAC than Acai berry juice according ot PubMed.org

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

The present study applied (1) four tests of antioxidant potency [Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), free radical scavenging capacity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)]; (2) a test of antioxidant functionality, that is, inhibition of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation by peroxides and malondialdehyde methods; and (3) evaluation of the total polyphenol content [by gallic acid equivalents (GAEs)] of polyphenol-rich beverages in the marketplace. The beverages included several different brands as follows: apple juice (3), açaí juice (3), black cherry juice (3), blueberry juice (3), cranberry juice (3), Concord grape juice (3), orange juice (3), red wines (3), iced tea beverages (10) [black tea (3), green tea (4), white tea (3)], and a major PJ available in the U.S. market. An overall antioxidant potency composite index was calculated by assigning each test equal weight. PJ had the greatest antioxidant potency composite index among the beverages tested and was at least 20% greater than any of the other beverages tested. Antioxidant potency, ability to inhibit LDL oxidation, and total polyphenol content were consistent in classifying the antioxidant capacity of the polyphenol-rich beverages in the following order: PJ>red wine>Concord grape juice>blueberry juice>black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice>orange juice, iced tea beverages, apple juice.

[ugh - do you people know how to read a label???]

OK - for all of you who don't know how to read a label - the active ingredients are listed on the label below the rda %. (Proprietary blend). If it it 98% juice how can the first ingredient be water? The part with water etc are listed as OTHER ingredients. Meaning these aren't main ingredients - but necessary for the production of a product.

[ksnide13]

Dear not Kidding,

Youre absolutly right!

Here is the link directly to the article.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18220345?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Fruit A Vie has both PJ (pomegranate juice) and grape juice high on the ingrediant list. Therefore a higher orac value!

[sceptic]

I drank a bottle of Monavie at the insistance of a friend's wife (2 x 4oz per day) and was sick for the entire week. I felt dizzy and had headaches. It tasted like super sweet grape juice. The distributors all claim it helps them with all of their health issues.....while this magic juice is not unhealthy for you, it is very overpriced so it can fuel the MLM concept and make the top of the pyramid rich.

[James Lewis]

I was in Monavie for 6 months and also had over 20 personal's and 850 people in my downline BUT because everyone kept cancelling their monthly autoship of (2) cases minimum for full commission eligibility at $253.00 shipping included I had to find a better more affordable product.A short time ago my wife and I were introduced by a friend that was a gold whom left the Monavie biz for all the same reason's I did.The product is from a 200 million dollar debt free company that just joined the health biz a few month's ago and the product allows you to share with 30 people for about the same price as a bottle of Monavie with less shipping too because of the packaging with a better pay plan in my opinion and marketing website than Monavie without the rah rahs or home tastings ! contact info. Kent 909-593-4525 businessmonavie @gmail.com

[BRIAN]

Amway would be okay if they disclosed that you make most of your money from the training materials that your dowline buy. Without those there really is no hope in soap. So I would pick Monavie over Amway for sure. By the way what is up with all of these juice companies from off of Hwy 15 in UTAH? I thought Mitt Romney wasn't running anymore.

[Jon Monnette]

Monavie is a great product. It has helped many people. However it is also very expensive. I was a bronze in Monavie (120 distributors) before I discovered the 70% drop off rate. I finally chose to move to a new company (Kyani) that is not binary based and does not offer a signup fee of 39.00. The fact that you can get a healthy beverage at Wal-Mart is great, but for the most part - people join mlm's for the opportunity - not the product.
Let's be real about this. Anyone who has ever made any money in any mlm will tell you the real commodity in any mlm is your downline - not the product.
I agree with Ty - This will affect sales of Monavie. Monavie looks to be around for a long time as it has already surpassed the billion dollar a year mark. The question is will Monavie launch a new product - Probably. In conclusion, our health is the most vital asset we have - If someone wants to build a passive residual income then fruita Vie is not the answer - If someone wants to be more healthy then maybe Fuita Vie can help. As far as Amway - We should all be thankful for Amway as they have truly paved the way for all of us to enjoy the benefits that a good mlm company can provide!

[ann]

Does anyone have the full ingredient list of fruitavie? How about information about the quality of the fruit? Is it tested for pesticides, herbicides, etc? This is a huge concern for me because it is well known that lots of mangosteen come from cultivated sources that are heavily contaminated with harmful substances. How do we know that the bottle isn't just a concentrated source of harmful chemicals from cheap fruit sources? That scares me.

"Thailand and the Philippines are the worlds largest suppliers of mangosteen fruit and also one of the biggest users of pesticides in the South Asia region. Most of the pesticides are imported;
73% fall into the WHO hazard categories I: Ia - extremely hazardous or Ib - highly hazardous.
A further 33% are category II - moderately hazardous.

The three main insecticides used are the organophosphates monocrotophos, methamidophos, and methyl parathion, all of which contain carcinogens and other pathogens. Human consumption of these pathogens, over time, could result in various deadly diseases.

The most nutritious part of the mangosteen is the pericarp (rind or skin) because of its rich xanthone content. Chemical pesticides sprayed on the mangosteen tree will contact the fruits, especially the skin. Determining how heavily sprayed the fruit is and what pesticides were used is often difficult because most companies get their pericarp from fruit canning companies. These companies can/bottle the pulp (white inner meat) and throw away the skin as “waste material,” which is then swept off the floor and sold to companies looking for pericarp. Since these large canning companies buy their fruits from many different farms, the quality of the pericarp will be inconsistent. The cleanliness of the factory floors is also a concern since most of these canning operations are in third-world countries."

Also, what lab has verified the ORAC? If the product is so great and comparable to Monavie, why isn't the internet abound with people reporting feeling better with their aches and pains. Why doesn't fruitavie have a website so I can learn about this product?

I am not some brainwashed Monavie distributor, but rather someone who has had great health results from the product. I feel good knowing that the product is tested for harmful chemicals. I had no intention of starting a business, but based on my experience people wanted some and the thing just snowballed. I now put time into it, but it has been a lot of fun. I tell people about it and if they are interested great then I show them how to set up an account. If not, then that is fine too. In the course of 6 months I am making a nice supplement to my professional mid 6 figure income. I recouped my cost in a month and now pay for my juice 40 times over each month. Of course, I know that Monavie is not some miracle juice, but rather a simple way to get quality fruits and antioxidants/phytonutrients into my system, which helps everything work better. That is priceless to me.
To comment on the study about the orac of the juices...acai juice is very different than freeze dried acai and the study was done on the acai juice. Monavie is not acai juice.

[madelene]

I found website by googling frut a vie duhh

http://fruitology4life.com/index.html

[$17 vs $39]

for all of you that think Mona Vie is a better product because it costs more, well, check this out. The reason why they charge so much is because they have to pay their distributors. For each case (4 bottles/case) being sold, by a downline distributors, the up line is making 10% of it. Let's say the distributor in the downline has 10 people above it, and they all qualified, they will each receive 10% of the case sold. A case costs between $120-$150 + shipping but commission is only based rounded to the least 100 integer. So Monavie has to pay $10 for each distributor in the upline. So on a case that was sold for ~$150, they have to give away $100. So, now try to figure out how much it really costs to make the juice !!!!!!!! I'm drinking Mona Vie right now but ready to switch over and try this Frut A Vie.

[ANN]

no duhh...I googled it as one word and it didn't come up...so thanks for the link. What a crummy website. There is no phone number for the company -- a huge red flag. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to order anything off the internet if there was no phone number. Also, there is no address of the company -- just the city and state. There is no ingredient list and there is no information about whether the fruit is wild or organic. There is no information about any testing of their product or the quality of the fruit. I wouldn't drink it if it were free!!! It is cheap because it is a cheap product...they definitely didn't spend any time or money designing a website or even hooking up phone service. My gut tells me that the same attention that went into the website went into the product. Also, regarding the breakdown of the payout for commissions. You forgot to mention that there is another leg for each person (that is bigger) that is not being paid out on. So your 10 dollars is at the most really 5 dollars, but in actuality much less because lots of people are drinking the juice for its benefits and not doing it as a business. Go ahead and put a juice in your body that is produced by a company that won't even publish their phone number -- I care too much about my family's health to take that chance....Luckily, the price isn't an issue for me because I have a great job and I also get my juice for free many times over.

[Anthony]

I've never tried Mona Vie and just recently heard about Fruit-A-Vie being sold in Costco stores. I believe this will truly have an affect on Mona Vie, maybe not a drastic one but yet still one. I'm pretty sure though that both juices are NOT bad for you in any way, but what I'm more interested in is the business side. Unless I was already in Mona Vie, I don't feel I could do a very good job of moving this product with Costco now selling something similar and cheaper. After looking into compensation plans there's only been one company that has truly caught my attention and their 'juice' is just has good (probably even better) than Mona Vie and Fruit-A-Vie. Not to mention it's protected by patents. And yes that's patents (with an 's'). Anyone interested in comparing please contact me. Awheeler360@yahoo.com

[Bob O'Shea]

I have tried both of them. The bottom line for me (fifty year man) is that I don't have any pain in my body while I'm on a daily dose on MonaVie. Now that's priceless!