Over the last 20 years, Ørjan and Hilde Sæle have turned Zinzino from a small, Scandinavian coffee startup into an international life science pioneer of test-based, personalized nutrition. What began as a response to past frustrations has grown into a mission to redefine health focused on prevention and precision, positioning the Norwegian husband-and-wife team as global leaders who don’t just see the future—they build it.
Zinzino made it into the Top 50 on the DSN Global 100 List of companies with $200 million in annual revenue. Their vision a quarter-century into the future is a customer base of 100 million. As their company celebrates its 20th anniversary, DSN is proud to honor this trailblazing power couple with this year’s Bravo Leadership Award.
Humble Beginnings, Bold Ideas
Zinzino’s story started in the early 2000s with coffee, not nutritional supplements. “We got started as a coffee company. Primarily it was to make a home for people who wanted to build a sustainable direct selling company by promoting exceptional product experiences,” Ørjan recalled. He and Hilde launched a subscription model, planting the seeds for what would become a customer-centric success story shaped by compliance and best practices. By 2015, Zinzino had evolved into a life science company driving the new standard in personal health, its focus shifting to targeted health solutions grounded in test-based nutrition.
Ørjan’s initial journey was shaped by disillusionment with negatives in the direct selling industry. “Hilde and I came out of another company, and we had had bad experiences. We were ready to create something different. To be honest, we wanted to reinvent the industry.”
Ørjan watched network marketing drift from customer sales to “internal consumption” with no real end customers; a trend he scorned. This frustration ignited his resolve to build a company that rewarded customer turnover and where the distributors are offered ownership in the company they essentially build, collectively.
“A customer is happy when a product delivers on its promise. A distributor is happy when he earns the income he was promised,” he explained. “That’s why there’s a lot of unhappy distributors out there. The customers are not getting the products they bargained for, and the distributors are not making the money they anticipated. But, if you aim for having a lot of customers, you will have a lot of happy people all around.”
A Distributor-Owned Revolution
From the couple’s discontent emerged a radical vision: a company owned by its distributors. “We wanted this to be a company owned by field leadership,” Ørjan explained, ensuring power stayed with those in the trenches. “We are a NASDAQ-listed company, and if we look at our 20 largest owners, about 16 of them are Zinzino Partners who work in the field.”
He and Hilde still work in the field, actively leading from the front as 5-Star Global Presidents. Zinzino’s compensation plan also offers ownership through publicly traded shares. This model reflects their core belief: Partners should make money while customers spend money.
Ørjan’s leadership is hands-on, rooted in action over theory. “When Hilde and I are out there talking about best practice, it’s because we’ve actually tried it, done it, practiced it, whether it’s how to recruit new salespeople, leading or coaching.” By actively selling, recruiting and mentoring alongside his team, Ørjan keeps his leadership both practical and effective. This active role underscores his commitment to a distributor-led company, bridging vision with execution.
Guess Based to Test Based
The pivot to test-based nutrition was personal to Ørjan. In 2012, despite decades of building nutrition expertise and consuming massive amounts of different Omega-3 supplements, by age 35 Ørjan faced a health crisis. “I was in the best shape of my life, and then all of a sudden I got sick.”
In 2012, a “balance test” revelation hit hard. “Someone asked me, ‘Have you ever tested your essential Omega-3 and Omega-6 ratio in your body?’ When I said no, he pointed out that I needed to know if my fatty acid balance was pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory.”
Failing the test shattered his assumptions, but four months of taking the unique blend of pure fish oil and premium olive oil, BalanceOil+ fixed his health and sparked a new mission. In 2012, Zinzino acquired the Norwegian Omega-3 supplement and fatty acid blood test company, BioActive Foods. “I decided we’ve got to stop guessing if we’re on the right track with our health, and start testing to get concrete evidence. After I had my first BalanceTest done, it was the easiest thing in the world to fix since there was also a product that could rebalance my body.”
This game-changing personal experience birthed Zinzino’s new strategy to offer test-based, personalized nutrition heralded by the Balance concept with the BalanceTest and a range of BalanceOils+. Over the years Zinzino has expanded its portfolio of scientific home health tests and tailored supplements for Omega-3 deficiency to include immune, gut and skin health.
Ørjan rejected the “guess-based” nature of generic supplements, insisting on tailored solutions and health tests knowing this would transform the concept of personal health. “When everyone gets the dosage they need, everyone gets the results they deserve.” Driving this shift has turned Zinzino into a global life science leader, offering customers measurable health improvements over vague promises.
Acceptance of this approach has steadily grown over the years. “If we go back 10 years, resistance to taking a blood test was huge,” Ørjan admitted. Today, it’s standard practice for professional athletes, and sports nutrition enthusiasts applaud the shift. The 20- to 30-minute home-testing process delivers clarity with hard facts and deep insights on a cellular level.
Ørjan said test-based nutrition will be the norm in the future, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence and its ability to diagnose and recommend highly tailored approaches to health. “Personal nutrition is going to move from guess based to test based,” he explained, estimating 30-40 years for full adoption. He envisions a norm where testing precedes supplementation—as routine as a blood pressure check—insisting that people trust their blood work when it changes, driving reliability.
Visionary Strength
Ørjan’s leadership hinges on vision and consistency. “I’m very much a visionary leader, pointing to where we’re going,” he explained. “There’s a stability factor around what Hilde and I do. We’re very centered on our mission.” His coaching empowers distributors to harness their strengths, balancing involvement with independence to guide Zinzino’s growth.
The same holds true in his own pursuit of guidance. Ørjan chose his mentors inside and outside the industry based on their areas of expertise instead of seeking all-in-one support. For example, Brian Klemmer honed his personal resilience; Randy Gage sharpened his and Hilde’s strategy; and Tom Schreiter simplified his messaging. His politician mother and newspaper editor father taught him to see through facades, further shaping his clarity and skepticism.
For emerging industry leaders, Ørjan’s advice is clear. “The ones who believe in the future will own the future.” He urges a consistent cycle of planning, acting and adjusting, stressing that the industry’s core remains sales and recruitment. His philosophy is that belief—paired with persistence—unlocks any dream.
From the May/June 2025 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
