Now that Southern California is in the midst of a frozen yogurt craze, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time when Americans were altogether unfamiliar with the dairy product. But such was the case in 1956 when Natren Inc. President Natasha Trenev moved from Yugoslavia to the U.S. with her family. “People in America didn’t know what yogurt was,” remembered Trenev, who was a pre-teen at the time. Americans’ ignorance of yogurt was a shock to the young Trenev. In her native Yugoslavia, it was commonplace for families to culture their own yogurt and an assortment of other dairy products. Not only is the practice in Trenev’s blood so to speak, it has been in her family for 750 years. In fact, her father supplied the dairy products he cultured to the King of Yugoslavia for several years, Trenev said. After the family entered the States through Ellis Island, ultimately settling in the Valley following a brief stay in Milwaukee, their fate changed. Neither of Trenev’s parents spoke English well and had to take menial jobs to support themselves. By the early 1960s, though, Trenev’s father had managed to acquire a dairy store in Glendale, where he cultured small dairy products to sell to the Lindberg health food store chain. Trenev learned the business firsthand by serving as a translator for her father. In 1970, Trenev worked for the family business fulltime. By the middle of the decade, the use of yogurt in America had become widespread, and Trenev had begun to research the bacteria in yogurt that offer health benefits to humans — which are known as probiotics. More interested in the science of yogurt than in culturing dairy products, during this time Trenev left the family business to capitalize on what today is the booming industry of probiotics. She launched the pioneering probiotics company Natren Inc., which has a manufacturing plant, a sales and marketing office and a corporate office all in Westlake Village. The company was formerly in North Hollywood. The supplements that Natren makes are found in stores such as Whole Foods and most major health food chains in the nation. Trenev has come a long way from the days when yogurt was considered exotic to the American public and the field of probiotics didn’t exist. Today, companies as well known as Dannon bill their products as having probiotics, though Trenev is quick to point out that lawsuits have been filed against companies for failing to include the beneficial bacteria in products that they claim are present. To weed the authentic from the imitators, Trenev even has a blog called the truthaboutprobiotics.com. Question: What is the truth about probiotics, and what has your role been in introducing probiotics to the public? Answer: I brought the term to use in the early 1980s to the health industry. I introduced it to Europe, Mexico, Canada, Australia and the U.S. I was first to research the beneficial bacteria and their impact on humans. I identified a species of beneficial bacteria in 1982. I hand-delivered (the supplement) to alternative health food businesses. By the summer of ’83, I had distribution already. Our product was available through clinics and health food stores. I started with nothing but my husband. I literally hand-filled bottles in my kitchen. Q: It seems that Natren had the most growth in the 1990s. Can you discuss that period and the size of the company now? A: We opened the GNP facility in Westlake Village in 1999. We moved from North Hollywood. The company grew exponentially. In 1995, we had exponential growth. Now, it’s a mid-sized company with 75 employees. Q: What did you do to market the company? A: We did radio programs, radio ads, television shows. Q: So, what are the health benefits of the bacteria found in yogurt? What should the public know? A: The problem is that 50 years of unbridled antibiotics use has caused huge gastrointestinal problems, which has caused autoimmune disease, allergies, depression, learning disabilities. Q: What are some of Natren’s best-selling products, and how much do they cost? A: We have Healthy Trinity, which is like a wholistic approach. GastroP-H is chewable. You take it before meals and it helps digest food. It curbs acid reflux. Gy-Na-Tren is a completely natural, 14-day treatment for vaginal yeast infections. We came out with a new product for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) sufferers called Life Start 2 two years ago. We have products for cats, dogs, horses. There are a lot of sick animals who have diarrhea and constipation. The products range from $30 to $150. Q: So, probiotics tackle a range of digestive problems. What about people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Do you have products to treat that? A : Acidophilus (a bacteria) helps the body to digest lactose. It simulates the body to produce our lactose. Q: Who is your target audience? Who should be taking probiotics? A: We’re targeting the audience who’s more aware. Q: Today, probiotics are so popular that I hear them being mentioned in television commercials. At what point did they become a part of the American lexicon? A: I was doing the missionary work, but, in the beginning of 2000, that’s when you heard about them going into drinks and yogurt. SNAPSHOT – Natasha Trenev Title: Founder and President, Natren Inc. Age: 60 Education: Bachelor of Arts in political science and Slavic languages from the University of California, Los Angeles Most Admired: Marie Curie and Albert Einstein. I think in our society we worship people in entertainment, but we don’t admire people who give up their lives for science who have made longstanding benefits for humanity Career Turning Point: Selling standards for probiotics that were read in Congress in December of 1994. I believe this affirmed my status as an expert in the field Personal: Married with one daughter.
