Founder of NPI Mitch Gould on How the Best Brands Are Built to Be Remembered

As founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International (NPI), Gould has spent more than 35 years helping health, wellness, beauty, and consumer product companies build successful brands and expand into the United States. Along the way, he has developed a marketing philosophy centered on one core principle: memorable brands are rarely built by accident.

"Consumers have more choices than ever before, and retail buyers are introduced to new products every day," Gould said. "If your brand doesn't stand out, it becomes much harder to earn attention. Building a memorable brand starts long before a product reaches a store shelf."

That philosophy has shaped Gould's career for more than three decades and is reflected in his book, The Blonde, The Ferrari, and The Kwan: A True American Story of Love and Success. Gould says the same principles that shaped his own career continue to guide the way NPI helps international brands establish themselves in the U.S. marketplace.

Those principles ultimately led Gould to develop Evolution of Distribution®, NPI's proprietary business model that helps international manufacturers establish and grow their U.S. presence through a single, integrated strategy.

"It's never enough to simply have a great product," Gould said. "Companies also need a compelling story, consistent messaging, and a strategy that creates recognition and trust. That's what helps brands build momentum."

Evolution of Distribution® combines global logistics and U.S. market entry, product readiness and regulatory alignment, market positioning and brand strategy, retail and e-commerce placement, and post-placement marketing and demand generation into one coordinated platform.

"When an international company comes to us, we're not simply looking at how to distribute a product," Gould said. "We're looking at how to position that brand for long-term success in the United States. Distribution is important, but so are messaging, credibility, market positioning, and creating demand."

NPI works with companies from around the world seeking opportunities across major retail, e-commerce, specialty, and mass-market channels. By serving as an extension of its clients' organizations, NPI helps simplify the process of entering and competing in the U.S. market.

"The principles I discuss in my book are the same principles we apply every day through Evolution of Distribution®," Gould said. "Our goal is to help companies build brands that retailers remember, consumers trust, and the marketplace embraces."

About Nutritional Products International (NPI)

Nutritional Products International (NPI) is a U.S.-based retail consulting and distribution firm founded by retail distribution expert Mitch Gould. With more than three decades of experience, Gould has helped domestic and international brands successfully enter and expand within the U.S. market, representing high-profile brands and celebrities including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Ronnie Coleman, and Wayne Gretzky.

NPI works closely with manufacturers and major retailers to guide products from concept to shelf, providing strategic support across retail introductions, regulatory readiness, operations planning, and market visibility through its proprietary Evolution of Distribution® platform. The company is known for helping brands navigate the complexities of U.S. retail efficiently while building long-term, scalable growth.

About Mitch Gould

Mitch Gould is a third-generation retail distribution and manufacturing expert with more than 25 years of experience launching and scaling consumer products across dietary supplements, sports nutrition, skincare, hardware, and beverages. He has worked with iconic consumer brands such as Igloo, Rubbermaid, Sunbeam, and Miracle-Gro, as well as high-profile celebrity brands including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Liddell, 8× Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, and martial arts pioneer Bob Wall.

Over the course of his career, Gould has played a key role in helping shape the growth of the U.S. sports nutrition category-supporting the expansion of performance-focused products across major retail and e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Walmart, GNC, CVS, and Walgreens. His work has centered on bringing muscle-building, recovery, and performance-oriented products to a broader consumer audience.

Gould is known for his hands-on, execution-driven approach to building consumer brands at scale and for his deep understanding of what drives success in highly competitive categories such as sports nutrition and dietary supplements. He continues to focus on the evolving intersection of performance, wellness, and consumer demand for effective, results-driven products.