The shops
Questions about us rather than the stock
Everything below is a question somebody has actually asked about the company. The front page covers the stock, the prices and the labels.
Who actually owns and runs this?
THE FRUITFUL YIELD, INC., EIN 36-2792168, registered in the United States at 244 Knollwood Drive, Bloomingdale, IL 60108. That is the name on your receipt and on your card statement.
There is one company and one trading name. We do not sell under a second identity on marketplaces and we run no affiliate programme that would put our shelf list in the hands of people we have never met.
| Trading company | THE FRUITFUL YIELD, INC. |
|---|---|
| EIN | 36-2792168 |
| Registered address | 244 Knollwood Drive, Bloomingdale, IL 60108, US |
| Website | fruitprobe.com |
| Questions | info@fruitprobe.com, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm Central |
| Governing law | State of Illinois |
Are you a chain or a single shop?
A small chain, all of it in Illinois, all of it operated by the one company above. We buy centrally and each shop carries the same list at the same price, which is the only reason the markup can be as low as it is.
How do you decide what goes on the shelf?
Five questions, asked of every supplier, every time. A supplier who cannot answer one of them does not get a purchase order however good the margin looks.
| Question | A failing answer |
|---|---|
| Who makes it, and in which facility? | "That is commercially sensitive." |
| Is there a certificate for this lot? | A specimen certificate from a batch made two years ago. |
| Does the label give the nutrient form? | A mineral named with no salt stated. |
| Is your own packaging free of health claims? | Anything that says it treats something. |
| Will you take stock back? | "All sales final." Our 30-day return only works if a bad batch can go back up the chain. |
Do suppliers pay you for shelf position?
No. Nothing on our shelves is there because somebody paid for the spot, and nothing is recommended at the counter because of a supplier incentive. Staff are not on commission.
Who am I talking to at the counter?
Shop staff. Not clinicians, and we are careful never to let the distinction blur. They know the stock, the labels, the lots and the returns policy inside out, and they are instructed to say "I do not know, ask your pharmacist" rather than improvise.
Written questions go to info@fruitprobe.com, read Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm Central. That inbox is the only remote channel we run: no outsourced call centre, no third-party chat widget, no social media account answering about orders it cannot see.
What happens when you get something wrong?
We fix it at our cost and we do not make you prove it first. Wrong item, damaged in transit, short-dated on arrival: say what happened at info@fruitprobe.com and a replacement goes out the next business day with the return postage covered.
If the answer you were given at the counter turns out to have been wrong, tell us that too. We would rather correct the training than keep the reputation.
What if something you sold me gets recalled?
Lot numbers are recorded against sales, so a recall can be traced to the people who actually received the affected batch rather than announced into the air. We contact you, refund in full, and do not ask for the product back before refunding.
This is also why the shelf label carries the lot and expiry. A recall that cannot name who received what is not a recall.