I’m going to review some of the biggest MLMs in the next few posts, starting with XanGo, a fancy fruit drink MLM spinoff from MLM company Tahitian Noni…

An Overview of XanGo, LLC

What is XanGo?
XanGo LLC is a multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah that specializes in making dietary supplement products out of mangosteen fruit. They have hundreds of employees working on-site and hundreds of thousands distributors across the globe.

XanGo products are sold in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Quality of Product
As far as product quality is concerned, XanGo products do come in cool packaging and meet ISO standards of safety, but they shouldn’t be categorized as miracle workers. XanGo itself expressly states that their product “is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease” (which is required by law).

This might lead consumers to ask why the product is so special and so expensive. The answer would probably be the monopoly the company has on mangosteen. The two strongest selling points for the drink are its taste and its antioxidant content. Of those two features, the taste is the only unique quality though. After all, most fruits and vegetables are good sources of nutrients and antioxidants. Unfortunately, the taste is a hard to duplicate though.

Mangosteen really is a delicious fruit. It is a regular favorite of tourists and newcomers in Southeast Asia and, having been to Thailand myself, I have rarely met anyone who didn’t like mangosteen. Its flavor has occasionally been described as a sweet and creamy citrusy blend with a hint of peach.

In addition to having a flavor that is difficult to recreate, mangosteens have also been hard to come by because they are native to Southeast Asia and they only grown in very warm climates. That makes is hard to grown them in the U.S.

Importing hasn’t been a viable solution in the past either. In fact, it was illegal to import mangosteen into the U.S. until 2006. Even then, only small amounts were allowed across the border and then sold to specialty restaurants. In 2007, mangosteens began appearing in a few New York grocery stores for $45 a pound, but that price is much higher than it would be in a country like Thailand or Taiwan. Chalk it up to shipping costs, I guess. Such a high price makes XanGo juice look affordable.

Unfortunately, it might be hard to taste mangosteen in XanGo juice too. After all, XanGo juice is actually a blend of mangosteen, apple, pear, grape, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and cherry juice. With eight other fruits thrown into the mix, it must be pretty hard to taste the mangosteen. This last conclusion is really an assumption though because I haven’t been willing to become part of the MLM or fork over $37 to buy the product.

XanGo Success Rate
As far as distributor success is concerned, I am sure that some people have made a fortune working for XanGo. I am also sure, that most XanGo distributors (about 70%) merely use their status to buy XanGo juice at a discounted price. This makes them fit better in a loyal customer category rather than the burgeoning entrepreneur category. I guess the most important thing to remember is that XanGo is a legitimate MLM company with a reliable compensation plan; even if it does seem complicated.

Conclusion
Whether XanGo products are really amazing or not, the company is certainly doing well. There are plenty of people who are willing to swear by its beneficial effect on their lives. Personally, I would rather save up and go to Southeast Asia for fresh mangosteens rather than buy the products, but that is only my personal preference.

What is your experience with XanGo?