Mona Vie Scam? Hardly, But There Are Some Questions To Be Asked.
Mona Vie sells a few versions of a nutritional juice product through a multi level marketing system. The products are reported to have the health benefits of antioxidants as well as increasing energy and reducing aches and pains. Successful distributors can earn a good income.
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mona Vie was started by Dallin Larsen. The firm is well respected and is considered to have a generous compensation program that can be lucrative if you produce. Like many MLM programs, Mona Vie pays a team bonus on a binary plan in addition to various other income streams including retail sales mark-up, bulk order bonus, first order bonus, star maker bonus, executive bonus and a leadership incentive.
The Mona Vie juice costs $30 to $40 per 25 ounce bottle and the difference between wholesale and retail prices allows for a mark-up of about 15 percent. Bulk purchases qualify for lower pricing and earn bonus points. Obviously, the idea is to incentive volume purchases and reward those who move a large volume of product.
The recommended dosage of the juice in order to achieve the claimed benefits is one to two ounces twice daily. At that rate, a bottle would last about a week. The key ingredient is acai berry, from the Brazilian Amazon. Acai is considered to be a super-food due to high levels of antioxidants. Other fruits are added to created a juice blend which tastes great to some people.
As with many nutritional supplements, one hears claims that Mona Vie can increase your energy level, reduce joint pain and ward off serious medical conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and so on. Mona Vie does not make aggressive disease prevention claims in their literature so such claims are probably the work of over-zealous distributors. The company literature talks about delivering antioxidants, phytonutrients and glucosamine and esterified fatty acids in certain of their products.
Studies have shown that few Americans consume the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables. People whose diet is lacking can benefit from a nutritional supplement. However, it is important to check the product label details and not just assume that a product is well rounded. From what I have seen, Mona Vie does not replace a multi-vitamin.
Mona Vie literature shows that the juice provides 20% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C per serving and 1% and 3% of sodium and total carbohydrates respectively. The ORAC score which is a measure of antioxidants is not shown. Acai berry is the principal ingredient and it has a high ORAC but that does not necessarily mean that a serving of the juice provides a high dose of antioxidants.
For the price of Mona Vie, I was expecting much fuller coverage of all the vitamins and minerals and a stated ORAC value per serving. Based on what I have seen, the product delivers a very narrow amount of diet supplementation at a high price. The liquid multi-vitamin supplement that I use, which is also an MLM product, costs only $30 delivered for a whole month’s supply and covers all the vitamins and minerals as well as phytonutrients and antioxidants (2500 ORAC per serving). The Mona Vie juice looks very weak in comparison.
For a really powerful antioxidant supplement, I like Xocai Healthy Chocolate, which is an MLM product. One Xocai Power Square contains 3582 ORAC and it tastes great. I think a limitation with a juice business is that you have to get people to change their habits and start drinking the juice whereas with healthy chocolate they want to eat it, especially when it is good for them.
I think that Mona Vie strengths may lie in marketing and distribution rather than in the value equation when it comes to the product. Consumable products are an advantage when you are trying to build residual income but it is best if the products are value priced. I know of several products that offer better value to the consumer and that raises a red flag in my mind when it comes to Mona Vie.
It is easier to promote a business when the products are better value than what people can find elsewhere, have strong appeal (who doesn’t like chocolate) and are something that people are already spending money on.
In conclusion, I do not see Mona Vie as a fit for me but one has to respect the success that the company and their distributors enjoy. Those that see value in the product will be best positioned to succeed with it.
Filed under: Home Based Business