2025 Reflections from Elan
2024 was about momentum. We expanded services, hit new highs, reorganized for scale, and turned quality transparency from an idea into something you could see on products around the world. It was a year of building and betting. 2025 was about whether those bets held up when the market stopped applauding and started asking harder questions. They did.
This year made one thing clear across the industry: growth without discipline doesn’t scale. The market rewarded proof, not promises. Quality and transparency didn’t fade as talking points, they hardened into differentiators. Seeing a version of Alkemist Assured™ transparently deployed at the highest levels reinforced that credibility compounds when standards are clear and defensible. AI accelerated, but it raised standards instead of lowering them. Innovation moved fast, but evidence and validation decided what lasted.
Demographics quietly reshaped the conversation. Longevity and healthspan continued their shift from aspiration to infrastructure, while consumers grew more selective, not less engaged. What stood out most was something we’ve long believed: science, strategy, and storytelling aren’t sequential. They’re inseparable. Remove one, and progress stalls.
Looking ahead, I’m less interested in chasing what’s new than in designing what lasts. Innovation still excites me. Growth still matters. But only when it’s earned through rigor, relevance, and trust. The next chapter isn’t about staying small or becoming generic. It’s about taking what made Alkemist precise and respected and giving it the scale and reach to help set the standard. The future belongs to those who can scale integrity without losing it. That’s where we’re headed.
2024 Reflections from Elan
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Do you suffer from neck pain? I do. My massage therapist friends and my father, who is a retired chiropractor, believe it’s because I took up Jiu-Jitsu early in 2024. Considering I’m 45, have never played a contact sport, let alone a combat sport, and regularly get squashed by larger men multiple times a week—well, they might have a point. But I think they are wrong! It’s probably all the neck cranking from reflecting on the whirlwind that was 2024!
Looking back: Wow, what a year! Our sales hit an all-time high in our 28+ years of business. We launched massive new services, including pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents analysis, and microbiological services. Our Alkemist Assured™ quality transparency program seal is now proudly displayed on bottles worldwide! To support this growth, we underwent an uncomfortable but necessary reorganization and recruited a COO to help steer the ship into deeper waters. Sidney Sudberg, the founder of Alkemist Labs, was honored with the AHPA Herbal Insight Award. This is wonderful news and a subtle nudge for him to start the talks about talking about him maybe beginning the early stages of something characteristic of retirement… IYKYK
Lastly, we finally filled an information gap in the industry by developing and sharing a comprehensive guide to evaluating analytical testing labs to make a wise choice. The enthusiastic response was the cherry on top!
Looking forward: We are psyched about our new growth goals and can’t wait to see our new team and services in action. Plus, we’re rolling out a long-overdue new LIMS system for an even better client experience. Perhaps most exciting is the hope that RFK will become our industry’s next champion. Rest assured, I will continue to be your advocate for quality and transparency in lab testing, ensuring our beloved industry keeps providing safe and effective natural medicine to the world.