Church & Dwight Co. Inc.

The story began in 1985 when husband and wife entrepreneurs Marty Rifkin and Kate Jones ventured into the dietary supplements business. They quickly realized that the vitamin category was bland, so they decided to shake things up with a novel idea: making vitamins fun. Thus, the gummy vitamin was born.

Initially, major retailers scoffed at the idea, but Marty and Kate remained persistent. They were convinced that kids would love it—and they were right. Suddenly, there was a better, more enjoyable option: gummy vitamins that combined essential nutrients with flavors kids craved. Marty and Kate named their delicious innovation L’il Critters®, and the product line soon dominated the children's market.

The overnight success of L’il Critters led to another big idea: creating a brand of vitafusion gummy vitamins for adults, which quickly outpaced the children’s line in sales. Marty and Kate’s company, Avid Health, Inc., eventually developed over 150 products across multiple brands. In 2012, Avid Health was acquired by Church & Dwight Co., Inc., becoming an impressive addition to the company’s portfolio.