Melaleuca’s Inspiring 40-Year Journey Featured in SUCCESS Magazine
As Melaleuca: The Wellness Company celebrates its 40th anniversary, SUCCESS magazine profiled Melaleuca founder Frank VanderSloot in an inspiring entrepreneurial story titled “Bootstraps, Beef and Billions.”
The article shares Frank’s journey from humble beginnings in rural Idaho to leading one of the largest online wellness shopping clubs in North America. Capturing Frank’s down-to-earth personality and lifelong belief that true success isn’t measured in money, the piece states that true success is found in relationships, purpose, and service to others.
“Everybody’s goals are pretty similar,” Frank said at Idaho State University’s Professional of the Year banquet. “They just want to be happy. And very seldom are those goals financially based. For most people, a great life is about relationships, family, the concept of giving love and being loved.”
From Farmhand to Entrepreneur
Raised on an 80-acre farm, Frank grew up with an old-fashioned work ethic instilled by his father, who worked on the railroad. By age 12, Frank was managing farm duties on his own. Later, while studying as a college student, he lived in the back of a laundromat while scrubbing floors three times a day to cover tuition.
Those long days and nights taught him the value of grit and the satisfaction that comes from earning your way. After graduating debt-free, Frank began a successful corporate career before returning to Idaho in 1985 to start something new: Melaleuca: The Wellness Company.
Building The Wellness Company
Melaleuca started small, with just eight products all featuring Australian tea tree, or Melaleuca oil. But over the past four decades, Melaleuca has grown into a $2 billion enterprise with more than 400 exclusive health and wellness products. Today, the company serves millions of individuals each month and employs more than 4,000 people across 20 countries and territories.
Even as Melaleuca has expanded around the world, Frank says the mission has never changed: to enhance lives by helping people reach their goals—whether that’s through better health, financial freedom, or a safer home.
“Our products are being enthusiastically embraced throughout the world,” Frank told SUCCESS Magazine. “Although Melaleuca has experienced periods of explosive growth over the years, consumers are flocking to Melaleuca now more than ever because they are concerned about their family’s overall health.”
Staying True to His Roots
Even as he built Melaleuca into a global brand, Frank never lost touch with his farming and ranching roots. In 1991, he and his wife Belinda founded Riverbend Ranch, which has become one of the largest Black Angus cattle operations in the United States.
Spanning 290,000 acres and raising over 62,000 head of cattle annually, Riverbend Ranch is recognized for its advanced genetics program and vertically integrated beef production.
“This allows us to control the entire supply chain from start to finish … [offering] a product that is far superior to any of our competition,” Frank explained.
Family, Faith and the Future
Beyond business, Frank devotes time to family and mentoring the next generation. Each summer, he hosts “Grandpa’s Academy” at Riverbend Ranch, teaching his many grandchildren the satisfaction of hard work, integrity, and responsibility that he enjoyed in his own childhood.
From farmhand to founder, Frank VanderSloot’s story embodies the American Dream. It reminds us that American Dream is alive and well, and that success built on service, family, and perseverance is rooted on an enduring foundation.
As Melaleuca: The Wellness Company marks 40 years of enhancing lives, SUCCESS Magazine’s feature story captures the spirit of the leader who made it all possible.