Zija International, the Lehi, Utah-based direct seller, announced that it has acquired XANGO, the health and wellness company also based in Utah that was the first to market a premium mangosteen beverage to consumers worldwide.
The acquisition was made possible through the efforts of Zija’s Founder Ken Brailsford, who also co-founded Nature’s Sunshine and founded Enrich International (now Unicity). Brailsford has also mentored some of the most recognized company leaders in direct sales, including XANGO executives.
“Every one of the XANGO founders has worked with Ken during our careers,” said XANGO Founder, CEO and Chairman Aaron Garrity. “Ken brought my partner Joe and I into the direct selling business and shaped the early parts of our careers. He is a mentor and a trusted friend. Ken has always shown deep respect for what we have all built with XANGO, and he shares our belief that a company in our industry must make distributors its top priority.”
Zija executives say the company is poised to drive change in direct selling and continue a path of accelerated company growth, led by President and CEO Ryan Palmer. XANGO distributors, which number more than 2 million in over 40 international markets, will now have access to the entire Zija catalog, including the Core Moringa Supplements, Améo Essential Oils, Ripstix Fitness Supplements and GenM Personal Care.
“We’re very excited for the momentum we have been able to create by adding the mega-brand XANGO to our family,” said Palmer. “Ken, myself and the full Zija International team are excited to share our company’s story and offerings with a distributor workforce who fueled the global growth of one of the most recognized brands in the history of the industry.”
XANGO was founded in 2002 by brothers Joe and Gordon Morton and Aaron Garrity. Brailsford founded Zija four years later, in 2006.