The Story Behind SeabuckWonders Revealed in this Interview

By Seabuck Staff , published Apr 10, 2024

Roberta Kapsalis of the health blog Greek Goes Keto recently sat down for an interview with SeabuckWonders (video to come soon on the Greek Goes Keto Youtube channel)

Greek Goes Keto is a revolutionary approach to nutrition which blends elements from Mediterranean culinary heritage. Greek Goes Keto helps their readers achieve long-term health using non-conventional methods while also making creative and new fusion recipes!

James Liu, president of SeabuckWonders answered Roberta's interview questions in the blog post below.

 

Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind founding SeabuckWonders and your journey in establishing the company?

A: I grew up in a family deeply entrenched in the world of cultural and medical anthropology. My father, Xingwu Liu, taught Cultural and Medical Anthropology at several universities. He dedicated his research on Southeast Asian culture and traditional Tibetan medicine, and it was through his research that he encountered the remarkable properties of the sea buckthorn berry.

I vividly remember the transformative impact sea buckthorn oil had on my mother, Joanne. Suffering from seasonal dryness and sinus issues since her youth, she found immediate relief upon using sea buckthorn oil, an experience that left both my parents astonished by its healing power. However, they realized that this super berry was virtually unknown in the United States at the time, even though sea buckthorn berries and oil have been used in the east and other parts of the world for centuries. It was then that we decided to bring this amazing super fruit to the American market.

In 1995, fueled by a passion to share the benefits of sea buckthorn, my parents embarked on a mission to introduce it to the US market. Thus, SeabuckWonders was born, with a commitment to educating the public about the vast advantages of this super berry. My father Xingwu spoke at many health food forums and seminars, spreading awareness of SeabuckWonders and establishing it as the go-to brand for health food retailers across the nation. That is where our line "The Original Sea Buckthorn Company" comes from!

We are very serious about the quality of our sea buckthorn oil. We oversee every step, from seed to shelf, in making our small batch organic sea buckthorn oil.

We harvest organic sea buckthorn from the pristine Tibetan Plateau, where the unique climate and topography of the Himalayas provide optimal conditions for its growth more than any other region. The purity and potency of our products stem from using only wild-grown, handpicked sea buckthorn. Every bottle contains high levels of Omega-7, essential amino acids and Vitamin E.

 

Q: We know sea buckthorn is an extremely healthy fruit for oral consumption. What are the benefits of using sea buckthorn oil for skincare and overall wellness?

Sea buckthorn contains Omegas 3, 7, 6 & 9, plus natural vitamin E and antioxidants. Omega-7 is the rarest of the omegas and sea buckthorn is the most potent plant-based source of this fatty acid. Omega-7 promotes moisturization at the cellular level of the skin, hair, and nails. The plant-based Omega-3 (ALA) in sea buckthorn oil supports cardiovascular health.

Sea buckthorn oils also help dry eyes, dry mouth, dry nose, feminine dryness, and supports a healthy gastrointestinal and digestive system. Sea buckthorn can also promote a healthy inflammation response throughout the body.

 

Q: What sets SeabuckWonders apart from other producers of sea buckthorn products in the market? And could you shed some light on the process of sourcing and cultivating sea buckthorn for your products?

SeabuckWonders is the ORIGINAL sea buckthorn company; we have been around for 30 years! Our products are farm to shelf. Using our years of expertise, we grow sea buckthorn trees on our farm on the Tibetan plateau. Sea buckthorn berries grown in harsh weather conditions such as on the Tibetan plateau end up with the highest level of nutrients.

After harvest, we use a CO2 extraction process to ensure that the most nutrients remain in the oil – 32% or more of Omega-7 – while also leaving a pure product with no remaining solvents or chemicals.

Our sea buckthorn skincare products contain the highest amount of sea buckthorn oil compared to others in the market, which you can tell from the color of our products.

 

Q: How do you ensure the purity and quality of your sea buckthorn oil and other products?

We have numerous testing and protocols in place following cGMP manufacturing guidelines in the US. cGMPs (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) are regulated by the FDA. SeabuckWonders’ products are made in California, known to have the most stringent supplement regulations. Every single batch is third party lab-tested to ensure purity and quality.

 

Q: Can you share any success stories or testimonials from customers who have experienced the benefits of your products?

We have had so many satisfied and loyal customers during the past 30 years.

Many customers with dry eyes use our products, and some health care professionals recommend our oils and supplements to address these issues. You can see this in our Amazon product reviews. Many use sea buckthorn oil as a facial oil, reducing fine lines, and enhancing glow. Cassandra Bankson, a Youtube and IG skincare influencer, likes our sea buckthorn berry oil for her skin. We still remember her early videos of her face covered in the bright orange berry oil!

We recently saw a video on Instagram posted by a lady who swears by our Omega-7 Complete to help her sinuses which had become very dry during menopause. We have customers praising our products for other skin issues like eczema and rosacea.

Our sea buckthorn oil droppers have also been a favorite in the vegan community for years. One customer, after moving to Thailand, called us to order the oils when he ran out of the droppers. He said his skin became so dry and couldn’t find a good replacement for the sea buckthorn oil. After resuming use, he noticed his skin became rejuvenated in just a few days!

 

Q: Could you elaborate on any ongoing research or development initiatives at SeabuckWonders to enhance your product offerings?

We are looking into the benefits of sea buckthorn oil for feminine or menopausal dryness. We want to eventually offer a product that addresses this concern.

 

Q: How do you envision the future of SeabuckWonders and the role of sea buckthorn in the health and wellness industry?

Sea buckthorn oil has become more popular as more people realize its amazing health benefits, especially for cellular health, dryness, and soft tissue repair both internally or externally.

With the younger generation embracing a healthy and natural lifestyle, adding the plant-based omegas to smoothies with fresh fruits and vegetables is a great and creative way to use the oils. It would be great if more diet plans and recipes recognize the amazing benefits of sea buckthorn oil in the future.

Plant-based Omegas found in sea buckthorn oil is trending due to the growing vegan community in the US. Sustainability also matters in this industry – plant-based Omega fatty acid is more sustainable due to the intensive and wasteful process to make fish-based Omega fatty acids. We have a fresh crop of sea buckthorn berries every year and the sea buckthorn trees in our farm produce premium quality oil year after year. We think sea buckthorn oil will become a staple in the health food industry just like goji berries and Omega-3 fish oils. Omega-7 is the next Omega-3.

 

Q: From a marketing perspective, what strategies does SeabuckWonders employ to reach and engage with its target audience?

A large portion of how we try to reach our target audience is through word of the mouth. It has always been the best way to bring in new customers. The authenticity of word of mouth is what everyone strives for! When we post education on the ingredient and its benefits, we hope that this information will eventually reach the right ears.

Stay true to our passion and beliefs, we sincerely try to share our thoughts with our audience. Anchored in the natural food industry, we also engage with health-savvy professionals and health food retailers all the time.

Your audience can tell when you put your heart and soul into making something great. The Internet is a crowded place with a lot of noise, and unfortunately there are companies out there selling fake sea buckthorn products just to make money. We have to put more work into educating our audience to prevent people from falling into a trap like that. We put out educational videos on Youtube and our website and cover topics like how to identify good quality sea buckthorn oil, benefits of the oil, and new and upcoming research.

We’re active on our social media channels including Facebook and Instagram to bring awareness and share customer testimonies.

 

Q: How do you communicate the unique selling points of SeabuckWonders' products to consumers?

We try to make communication channels simple and streamlined through educational videos and blog posts. We are an open book with our end consumers about the difference between our sea buckthorn products and others. We’re also published in industry magazines and editorial boards, with a professional track record of being the number one organic sea buckthorn oil brand in the United States.

We also welcome influencers and reviewers to try out our products and share our information across platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Perhaps most importantly, we stay connected with our Amazon consumers because they have become a large portion of our core audience.

 

Q: Can you share any upcoming campaigns or initiatives that consumers can look forward to from SeabuckWonders?

We have an exciting new product coming out later this spring that focuses on feminine health and menopause. I can’t share more right now, but stay tuned.

 

Q: What are some of the challenges you've faced in promoting sea buckthorn products, and how have you overcome them?

We were the first to talk about sea buckthorn in this market, which is a challenge in itself, to create awareness of this “miracle berry”. In the early 2000s, we were fortuitously invited to showcase our products on The Dr. Oz Show, which we still very much appreciate!

The market has grown in the meantime, so there is now a larger population who have general knowledge of sea buckthorn oil. But it is still a niche category. During periods of expansion in the health industry, we built sales channels via independent health food retailers. We then adapted omni-channel early on and built e-commerce sales, which helped us tremendously during the pandemic when in-person purchasing became difficult.

However, e-commerce channels like Amazon also present a new challenge – fake products appear on the Amazon marketplace with unreasonably low prices all the time. Being an actual manufacturer of sea buckthorn oil from harvest to the final product, we have the knowledge and expertise to bust false claims fake products make. Detailed educational campaigns via videos and social media prevent fake products from ruining this niche category.

High production cost is also a challenge but we were able to streamline and overcome those challenges with a professional, knowledgeable team that have been with us for more than 10 years. We truly are grateful for our team members in all departments, including harvest, production, manufacturing, sales, and marketing.

 

 

Q: How do you stay connected with your customers and gather feedback?

We conduct polls and questionnaires from time to time to gain insight to the wants and needs of our customers. We’re always plugged into our social media, reviewing comments and answering questions. 

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to individuals who are considering integrating sea buckthorn products into their daily routines for health and skincare purposes?

We would encourage them to go to our website (https://www.seabuckwonders.com/) and learn about all of our products. Our helpful FAQ page https://www.seabuckwonders.com/pages/faq may have answers to any questions they might have. Otherwise customers can feel free to contact our customer service at cs@seabuckwonders.com!

Our #1 product, Omega-7 Complete, is an amazing organic supplement that is easy to add to your daily routine. The dropper bottles (seed oil and berry oil) can conveniently be used topically and ingested orally, so you can use them in recipes as well as directly on your skin! Our all natural Enhydro oil serums are based on sea buckthorn oil but also provide many benefits depending on your skin type at an affordable price. Lastly, our facial cleanser, facial cream, and body lotion provide high-end quality at an affordable price. Check out our bundles https://www.seabuckwonders.com/collections/health-beauty-kits and save!