Brand Story

Meiriki started with a dream, and an enduring friendship between two women. The two managing directors of the company – Ophelia Lin and Joanne Cheung, were childhood friends whose casual dream of opening a company together turned into a successful reality when they grew up. Setting up Meiriki allowed them to pool together their expertise – Ophelia in marketing and design, and Joanne in pharmacology, to create the perfect health supplement company. Established in 1997, the company has weathered many changes in the health supplement landscape to thrive, year in, year out, with their now signature products a permanent fixture on the market.

Ophelia explained that the landscape before 1997 was mostly dominated by vitamins, preventive supplements and simple, crude products. People have barely heard of health supplements such as DHA and bilberry extract ‘Nowadays,’ she explains, ‘customers are much savvier when it comes to making choices. Before, health food is seen as outdated and meant for old people. Nowadays, young people actively seek it out as a preventive measure.’ As a result, the company keeps pushing itself in terms of technological advancement and research, to provide ever more effective solutions for ever more discerning customers. With a portfolio of products that is specifically meant for Asian bodies, health problems and needs, Meiriki believes that everyone in the territory – young, old or in between, can benefit from these health enhancers. Centered faired the core values of ‘quality’, ‘safety’ and ‘effectiveness’, the company, according to Ophelia, is not bent on making a profit rather, the client’s health comes first. ‘Nothing makes me happier than to know that I have made a positive difference to a customer life,’ says Ophelia, summing up her attitude towards running her business.

The brand is committed to high standards of quality, based on the Japanese model. All its products are made and developed in the country, and are the result of extensive research and R&D. From testing to packaging, tile whole manufacturing process is under strict quality control, and therefore is a guarantee of superior quality. Insisting on manufacturing in Japan is, despite incurring higher costs, something both Joanne and Ophelia insists on as a matter of principle. Although the costs are higher, they believe that the more stringent measures on quality would ensure that their clients’ health is well taken care of. Moreover, the team regularly collaborates with other countries’ universities to learn of changes, breakthroughs and developments in international products. Swedish products have now been highlighted along with Japanese ones, because of their superior formulas. ‘We hope to provide the best for our clients,’ says Joanne, ‘and we therefore keep track constantly of the latest research and developments in medicine mid beyond.’ Having launched products regularly almost every year, Meiriki now has a strong catalogue which caters for organs as diverse as the brain, the heart and the eyes, promoting holistic bodily development.

Meiriki also goes the extra -mile in providing basic health care services mid nutritional advice for its customers. First of all, all customers can become ‘members’ of Meiriki. Moreover, not only does a team of professionals follow up on customers’ purchase, the company also boasts a roster of certified pharmacists and nutritionists who provides support on the phone and in person. Face-to-face consultation allows customers and members to undergo such procedures as body check, exploration of health issues and fitness examinations, so that they can choose the right product and take tile right dosage at tile right time. Never just about the product, Meiriki aims at building a total solution to your health problems. The grand opening of their new flagship store in Tsim Sha Tsui is a case in point. Situated at the heart of the city, this flagship store aims to provide a one-stop health solution for its members. Not only does it provide product information, it is also a veritable health center, staffed by a team of nutritionist who would be happy to guide you through each aspect of your health. The flagship store will also be host to a number of fun activities, such as making nutritious moon cakes, cookery lessons on healthy snacks, and workshops on maintaining fitness and weight control. Personalized, customized and attentive, here is a team that is dedicated not merely to putting products on shelves, but to your individual health.

Not only are they health-conscious, but Meiriki is also a corporate with a heart. For 10 years, it has been heavily involved in corporate social responsibility, with staff members regularly contributing to social projects. They are staunch supporters of the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong, and team members regularly teach at their centers, providing arts and tutorial lessons for underprivileged children, as well as promoting green living through their home fanning workshop. For the past 10 years, it has been selected as a ‘Caring Company’ by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and has been garlanded for their social contributions by the Trade and Development Council. ‘Our staff members,’ says Ophelia, ‘believe that tile sense of achievement they gain from such exposure trumps the hours they put in at the office, making money.’ At heart, Meiriki remains a company with a deep social consciousness not only in the amount of hours it puts in at the community center – which Ophelia allows workers to do during office hours, but because it remains at the core of the health food revolution. In promoting a positive health message for people of different economic backgrounds, the two managing directors are making a definite difference to the well-being of people in Hong Kong and beyond. It is this mission that arms them with a sense of pride and responsibility towards the community, a source of motivation which will surely continue to propel them forward beyond this 24th anniversary. ‘Small acts lead to big change,’ says Ophelia and Joanne, ‘In making a social difference, everyone should start with themselves.’