Paragon Laboratories is a full service contract manufacturer of natural products including dietary supplements and nutraceuticals. Paragon Laboratories has been in operation for over 40 years manufacturing and packaging capsules, tablets and powders. The company has recently expanded production capacity to better service its clients nationally and around the globe.

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Paragon Laboratories:
An Interview with President & Chief Executive Officer Jay Kaufman
NPIcenter
Fully integrated, full-service contract
manufacturer Paragon Laboratories have been
making natural products and supplements for over
40 years. Founded by Victor Kaufman in 1970,
the company has recently expanded production
capacity to better service its clients nationally and
around the globe. Whether it's producing special
shape products, enteric coatings, green foods or
completely novel formulations based on new
ingredients, the company stands ready to use its experience, relationships and standards support
new and existing clients.
We spoke with Jay about Paragon's history, its capabilities and approach, defining
characteristics, as well as some of the questions one should ask when choosing a contract
manufacturer.
Who is Paragon and what is the company’s background in Contract manufacturing for the
Natural Products Industry?
Paragon Laboratories is a full service contract manufacturer of natural
products including dietary supplements and Nutraceuticals. Paragon
Laboratories has been in operation for over 40 years manufacturing and
packaging capsules, tablets and powders.
In 1970 the number of supplement marketers in Southern California was
beginning to expand dramatically, as the region quickly became known as
a trendsetter in both nutritional supplements and natural products. That was
the same year Victor Kaufman decided to start Paragon Laboratories. With
degrees in chemistry and business, plus nearly twenty years of experience in pharmaceutical and
supplement manufacturing, (which included several years as VP of Operations for a major
supplement brand), he understood that the market’s expansion was going to create a demand for
qualified contract manufacturers.
At the time he started the company, over forty years ago, his business philosophy was rather

2. uncomplicated: Use only the best raw materials to produce the highest quality tableted,
encapsulated and powder supplements possible at competitive prices and deliver them where and
when they are needed.
Refusing to compromise that philosophy over the years enabled Victor Kaufman to establish
Paragon Laboratories as a leading fully integrated, full-service contract manufacturer; servicing
customers worldwide.
In 1990, Jay Kaufman assumed the responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer. Jay himself had
worked in the operation since high school, beginning with placing caps on bottles and knew the
operation intimately. Today, four decades after the company was founded, Jay and the
company’s Chief Operations Officer, Richard Kaufman, are determined to continue guiding the
company using the same founding philosophy for the next forty years and beyond. It’s a no
nonsense approach that has worked to the benefit of Paragon Laboratories and its customers
alike. Recently, the company expanded building capacity by over 20% to meet customer
requirements.
What differentiates and makes Paragon a leader amongst Contract Manufacturers?
Our state-of–the-art manufacturing operations include in-house analytical and microbiological
laboratories, production packaging and warehouse facilities. Our forty -plus years of expertise
enables us to identify industry trends far ahead of competition giving you, our customer, and
every advantage in the marketplace. And to top it all off, we have the industry’s vote of
confidence too, having received both (NNFA) National Nutritional Food Association and (NSF),
“The Public Health and Safety Company™”. (GMP’s) Good Manufacturing Practices
certifications for superior manufacturing practices, as well as (QAI) Quality Assurance
International Certified Organic certification. Paragon Laboratories has always been committed to
manufacturing top quality products at competitive prices, with on-time deliveries to customers.
Paragon Laboratories’ Quality Assurance and Quality Control Standard Operations Procedures
include:
Quarantining all incoming raw materials immediately upon receipt from pre-qualified
suppliers.
Subjecting the quarantined raw materials to analysis prior to their release to production.
Analyzing a formulation after blending a product to confirm ingredient accuracy and
potency.
Conducting in-process inspections throughout manufacturing, including fill-weight,
hardness, thickness as well as disintegration and friability and other test for compliance
verification.
Visually inspecting every finished unit dose using the latest automated inspection
equipment to prevent the packaging of cosmetically substandard products.
Quarantining finished goods until Quality Control chemists complete a final analysis and
confirm that the product is 100% correct.
Retaining bottled samples of each production batch by Q.A./Q.C. for future reference.
We’re serious about the quality of product we produce. We appreciate the importance of our

3. customer’s brand equity. It’s why we do everything possible to make sure our products are the
very best all the time, without exception.
Our technical staff is highly educated, holding degrees in chemistry, biochemistry and
pharmaceutical chemistry. Many on our staff hold advanced degrees. Their combined experience
is well in excess of a hundred years in the Natural Products Industry.
Our relationships with our clients are deep and exceptional. We know by volume of business that
we are, in many cases, a preferred supplier and in some cases, the only supplier.
What services does Paragon provide?
Paragon Laboratories’ service philosophy is
straightforward: be available, be helpful,
follow up and follow through. Our
professional sales staff knows that when you
need information, you need it now. They’re
here anytime to review an order’s status,
confirm delivery of ingredients, or check on
shipping. Because of our extensive production
tracking system, orders are constantly
monitored, and a project’s data is always at
our fingertips. In addition, our sales department personnel are also prepared to assist in every
way possible. Whether it is the production of a best seller, the development of an entirely new
formulation, or a completely new product line, we have the technical service staff working
together to provide you with assistance at every stage of new product development. This includes
initial formulation development through production of samples for evaluation and stability
studies to full-scale production. It’s our way of helping customers stay one step ahead of their
competition.
We have the unique capacity to package special shape bottles, packets, cans, Blister cards,
Packets in powder and tablet capsule dosage forms. We also produce uniquely shaped tablets and
custom shaped tablets. We can also produce Chewable tablets and Enteric Coated Tablets. In
total, the company has over 5000 formulas on file, and is involved in the development of new
ones every day. We are especially known for green foods, complicated formulas, including
multiple ingredients, vegetable type, capsules, etc. We conduct stability studies, and in the course
of our planning, take stability into account for calculating the averages required in the product
we produce for our customers.
What certifications does Paragon have?
NNFA & NSF GMP Certified, QAI Certified Organic in addition to governmental agencies.
(Which agencies?) California Department of Health Services, Los Angeles County Health
Department.
What steps did you take to get your various certifications? For what purpose did you
certify with the various agencies? What benefits do the certifications offer you?
NNFA & NSF GMP Certification requires full Standard Operating Procedures to be in place (an

4. excess of 500 pages of documentation outlining every process and procedure, including training
personnel, construction of the plant, and sanitation procedures). This places Paragon
Laboratories in the unique position of being one of only a handful of companies in the U.S.
privileged to be approved for these various certifications - certifications which give our clients
the assurance that Paragon is manufacturing top quality products. “(QAI) Quality Assurance
International serves the Organic Industry with Professional Certification that provides an
assurance of organic integrity. The (QAI) Certification Program is designed to certify every step
of the organic chain: From the land on which the product is grown; to the producers growing the
product; to the post-harvest facilities preparing the product; to the processing and handling
facilities transforming the product.”
Can you elaborate a bit about the certification processes and audits for Paragon?
Reviews are on-going throughout the year. Consultants, including our technical staff, are
continually in attendance. Periodically these consultants and their respective agencies send
independent auditors for a review of our procedures and facility. The individuals that are used
are experts in certification requirements for our industry. We also encourage our customers and
prospective customers to tour our facilities and to review our Quality Control and Quality
Assurances systems.
What should a client ask/look for when selecting a contract manufacturer? What are
common mistakes people make?
The client should evaluate the quality assurance and quality control systems the manufacturer
has in place including a detailed inspection of the analytical and microbiological documents that
are used in- house. A client should look at professional certifications; the intensity of the (QA)
Quality Assurance & (QC) Quality Control requirements, number of years in business, as well as
industry reputation. Common mistakes would be searching for lowest price only, not checking
certifications, or quality of procedures and systems. A review of the manufacturing records as
well as examination of analytical equipment used in-house to support QA and QC would be
appropriate.
As a customer, I would ask to review the manufacturer’s analytical and microbiological records
and equipment. A customer should expect to see systems and controls in place to manage
variance. We often receive compliments from auditors on the scope and completeness on our
manufacturing and laboratory records. Our Laboratory is quipped with the latest analytical
instrumentation, which includes: HPLC, Atomic Absorption, FTIR, UV/ VIS Spectrophotometer,
Fluorescence Spectrophotometer, Dissolution, Disintegration and Friability.
What natural products industry sector do you concentrate on servicing? What type of
client?
Paragon Laboratories concentrates on all sectors. This includes but is not limited to, distributors
who service major chains as well as those who deal directly with the consumer i.e. mail order
and multi-level operations. Paragon Laboratories is at the forefront of searching for new active
components to support our clients. We are actively involved with the industry through our
network of suppliers, trade shows, conferences and memberships to industry trade organizations.
We are members of NNFA, now the Natural Products Association, American Botanical Council,
and the American Herbal Products Association.

5. I spoke earlier of our special formulation expertise, and as far as starting a program, we’re
typically beginning at 100,000 tablets or capsules or more, or 500kg of powder.
Is the contract manufacturing business growing? Where do you see the most growth
opportunities?
The natural food industry is constantly growing and evolving. Customers are service oriented
and increasing expectation for quality products as well as new products. We see growth in this
marketplace. In order to service these areas Paragon Laboratories has doubled our blending
capacity, and doubled the size of our packaging facility. Currently in the works is the acquisition
of new specialized packaging equipment. We are continually upgrading our laboratory’s
capabilities. We currently have the capability to produce in excess of over 100,000,000 tablets
and capsules per month.
How is Paragon working with customers on a global basis?
Paragon Laboratories is exhibiting in foreign tradeshows such as Natural Products Expo Asia,
Natural Products Expo Japan, Natural Product Expo East & West, Supply Side West, as well as
other additional domestic tradeshows. We are constantly involved in working with new export
customers. In conjunction with this, Paragon Laboratories has the experienced personnel capable
of preparing the detailed export documents required by governmental agencies to insure quick
certification. We believe our dedication and the hands-on way we work allows us to provide our
customers with the very best service in the industry, all day, every day.
We’re able to service clients in Europe, Latin America, South America, Asia and Canada. We
are experienced in the certification requirements of Canada, and we have received numerous
approvals.
Tell us more about your newest services, equipment, etc.
Paragon Laboratories has more than doubled its blending capacity as well as expanded the
packaging facility to include unique packaging capabilities. We are continually updating our
systems and equipment. Paragon has added personnel to assist you in every facet of new product
development. We can help develop a single new formulation, create a line extension or formulate
a new line of supplements. We have been instrumental in many product launches on a national
scale. Because of our relationship with our customers, we honor the confidential nature of the
unique type products that we are involved with.
What do you most want our audience to know about contract manufacturing?
One should do their homework to find a contract manufacturer of long standing with experience
in all phases of manufacturing, supported by experienced technically qualified personnel who
deliver quality products on time.

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www.ParagonLabsUSA.com
(800) 231-3670