NewAge

Is it legit

NewAge, Inc. was a real, Nasdaq-listed (NBEV) operating company, not a fictitious scheme. However, its direct-selling brands carry a documented history of regulatory and financial concerns that a prospective participant should weigh.

• Health-claim regulatory history (Morinda / Tahitian Noni). In 1998 a multi-state settlement led by the Attorneys General of Arizona, California, New Jersey, and Texas required Morinda to stop making unsubstantiated disease claims for Tahitian Noni juice (e.g., that it could treat or prevent diabetes, depression, arthritis, and other conditions) [web]. Regulators and self-regulatory bodies have continued to scrutinize noni marketing since [web].
• 2022 DSSRC action. The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council cited Morinda (then a NewAge subsidiary) for both disease-treatment claims (cancer, diabetes, arthritis, depression, fibromyalgia, heart disease) and unsubstantiated earnings claims, and recommended they be discontinued [web].
• FCPA investigation. NewAge disclosed an internal investigation into potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations connected to Ariix, and reported voluntarily disclosing the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice and SEC; the cost of that investigation was cited among its financial pressures [web].
• Bankruptcy. On August 30, 2022, NewAge and subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11, reporting roughly $310 million in assets against about $149 million in debt, citing COVID-19 and supply-chain problems, China-business uncertainty, difficulty integrating acquired brands, management changes, and the FCPA investigation [web]. NBEV stock had collapsed from several dollars to pennies before the filing [web].

These are attributed regulatory findings, self-regulatory recommendations, a disclosed investigation, and a court bankruptcy filing — not accusations invented here. A prospective participant should note that health and income claims associated with these products have repeatedly been challenged, and that the corporate entity underwent bankruptcy and change of ownership.

Overview

NewAge, Inc. (formerly New Age Beverages Corporation; Nasdaq: NBEV) was a U.S. health-and-wellness company that combined a beverage business with a direct-selling (multi-level marketing) organization. It is no longer a joinable opportunity in its original form: on August 30, 2022 the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, and its direct-selling operations were subsequently reorganized under new ownership and, per trade press, rebranded as PartnerCo [web]. New Age Beverages was formed in 2016 to build a portfolio of "healthy" beverages, and in December 2018 it acquired Utah-based Morinda Holdings — the maker of Tahitian Noni juice — in an approximately $85 million cash-and-stock deal that closed on December 21, 2018 [web]. The combined company was described at the time as the world's roughly 40th-largest non-alcoholic beverage company, with a hybrid route to market spanning direct-store-delivery, wholesale, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer selling [web].

The direct-selling side grew further in 2020 when the company merged with Ariix, itself an aggregator of MLM brands (including Zennoa and MaVie). Through these deals NewAge sold beverages and supplements under brands such as Tahitian Noni (rebranded "Noni by NewAge"), LIMU, Slenderiiz, and Nutrifii, using a network of independent "Brand Partners" across many countries [web].

On August 30, 2022, NewAge, Inc. and subsidiaries Ariix LLC, Morinda Holdings, Inc., and Morinda, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware [web]. The direct-selling operations were subsequently reorganized and, per trade press, continued under new ownership rebranded as PartnerCo [web].

Cost to join

This is a historical record: NewAge's direct-selling opportunity is not currently joinable in its original form, having entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022 and been reorganized under new ownership [web]. The specific cost to become a NewAge / Morinda Brand Partner — such as any enrollment or kit fee, and any ongoing monthly purchase or autoship minimum — was not documented in the sources reviewed for this draft, and is not publicly documented in primary or official sources; it should not be stated as a figure.

What is documented is that the underlying Tahitian Noni / Morinda business historically used recurring autoship product orders, which carried over into the "Noni by NewAge" era [web]. Third-party reviews also described the products as relatively expensive for the fruit-juice category [web]; those characterizations were unverified third-party opinions, not official pricing. Because the parent company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022 and reorganized under new ownership, any historic cost or autoship terms no longer apply [web].