North Georgia couple develop dietary supplement

• What: Purple Tiger dietary supplement

• Company: Vista Health Products LLC.

• Address: 13905 Highway 27, Trion, Ga.

• Website: www.vistahealthproducts.com

• Telephone: 706-696-0060.

• Owners: Corrinna and LeBron Long

• What's special: The energy boost imparted by Purple Tiger is more gentle than that of energy drinks such as Red Bull, said co-owner Corrinna Long. "My husband and I are naturopathic doctors, so we formulated it to be very safe, especially - without making a claim - for those people who have high blood pressure and blood sugar disorders," she said. "They're the ones who have to lose weight the most but have to be the most cautious about doing it."

• The origin story: Long's husband, LeBron, developed Purple Tiger in early 2010 to help her lose weight she gained during pregnancy. When the formula worked, they founded Vista Health Products six months later and began selling the pills locally. They now order in batches of 200,000 pills and sell to customers in 35 states.

• How long does it take to make: Corrinna Long said there is a mandatory six-week waiting period per order from a Nevada-based laboratory. During this time, the pills are inspected against Food and Drug Administration specifications.

• Where it's sold: By phone, Web order or pickup at the company's Trion, Ga., offices, as well as through Judy's Herb Shop (Trion, Ga.) and BJ Market (Lyerly, Ga.).

• What it costs: $36.95 for 60 capsules.

• Future expansions planned: Corrinna Long said she is on target to reach her goal of shipping 1 million pills by the end of the year. Vista Health Products also recently released a digestive cleanser, ColonGo, and will introduce a pair of meal replacement drink powders on July 1.

• Lessons of the trade: "I put God in the center of everything, so that makes me think of other people first," Corrinna Long said. "It makes me think about people's health and their income and how they spend their money. That keeps me humble but excited about helping other people."

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