inc. type private multi level marketing industry manufacturing marketing distribution founded 1978 headquarters scottsdale arizona usa key people rex g. maughan founder products aloe vera and bee based products revenue 2.6 billion 2014 number of employees 4 100 2006 subsidiaries forever resorts aloe vera of america forever aloe plantations forever nutraceutical website www.foreverliving.com forever living products international inc. flpi is a multi level marketing mlm company based in scottsdale arizona which manufactures and sells aloe vera based drinks and bee derived cosmetics nutritional supplements and personal care products . 1 the company was founded in 1978 by ceo rex maughan . after acquiring the company aloe vera of america by the 1990s 2 current divisions include a manufacturing plant in texas the farming division forever aloe plantations 3 and the real estate division forever resorts which owns and operates properties such as southfork ranch . 3 in 1983 forever living was ranked as the sixth fastest growing private company in the united states on the inc. 500 list 4 and in 2006 it was ranked 340 on the forbes 400 list of the largest private companies in the united states . 1 in 2010 revenue was 1.7 billion . by that time the company was selling its products through 9.3 million distributors 5 and had over 4 000 employees . 1 forever living products is a member of the international aloe science council iasc . contents 1 history 1.1 founding and business model 1978 1980s 1.2 international expansion 1990 2009 1.3 recent developments 2010 2015 2 products 3 legal 4 see also 5 references 6 external links history edit founding and business model 1978 1980s edit forever living was founded in 1978 in tempe arizona as a direct sell company 6 by businessmen carl jensen and rex maughan . 1 by the 1990s maughan had purchased the texas company aloe vera of america with aloe vera of america selling its products to forever living for distribution . 2 initially selling only aloe vera juice jelly and lotions 7 in several western states 8 by 1979 the company was spreading its distribution across the united states . 9 some journalists have likened the multi level marketing business model of forever living s distribution system to that of a pyramid scheme . 10 forever living products headquarters in mccormick ranch in arizona in 2007 . the company s resort division owns several similar properties . the company purchased aloe fields in texas in 1980 . 8 forever living then purchased the assets of the company aloe vera of america in 1981 . 11 forever living also opened the resort division forever resorts in 1981 12 which over the coming years would come to own 18 resorts in various states 12 including southfork ranch . 7 in 1983 the company launched its forever bee products 8 a dietary supplement line consisting of royal jelly bee pollen bee propolis and pure honey . 13 the company later expanded its product line to include dietary supplements consisting of aloe combined with vitamins ginseng minerals fish oils garlic and other supplements . 13 also in 1983 the company was named no. 6 on inc. magazines annual inc. 500 list . introduced in 1982 the list ranks the fastest growing private companies in the united states . 4 international expansion 1990 2009 edit in 1992 sales exceeded 500 million . 8 according to arthur andersen s top 100 as of 1993 forever living products international was arizona s second largest private company . 14 operating in the uk since 1992 15 as of august 1995 forbes reported the company s product line included deodorants toothpaste laundry detergent and three dozen other products nearly all of which contain extract of aloe . 16 2005 saw annual revenues of over 1.15 billion 1 and forever living ended the year with around 150 000 distributors 17 and 55 employees . 18 the following year forbes named forever living as no. 340 on the forbes 400 list which ranks the largest private companies in the united states . with 4 100 employees at the time forbes stated the company was the world s largest distributor of aloe vera and beehive based products . 1 at that point the company was selling aloe vera gel natural aloe vera drinks vitamins and glamour and skin products in 100 countries . 1 recent developments 2010 2015 edit introduced in 2009 the fda food safety modernization act set stricter standards for nutraceutical manufacturers and to meet the regulations forever living spent 7 million on a new manufacturing plant in phoenix . completed in april 2010 the facility was named forever nutraceutical and initially employed around 60 people . 19 forever living also continued to own and operate its aloe vera of american inc. manufacturing arm in dallas 19 as well as the farming division forever aloe plantations . 3 in 2010 revenue was 1.7 billion and the company was selling its products through 9.3 million distributors . 5 in 2013 the publication new vision reported that forever living had over 20 000 distributors in uganda of which only 83 had reached a managerial level and begun to recoup expenses . 20 the company was active in over 150 countries as of 2015 . 6 in february 2015 the company announced they had appointed a new management team to oversee the affairs of the company in nigeria . 21 products edit aloe vera forever living s primary product is an aloe vera beverage . as of 2015 it marketed four different edible varieties of fresh stabilized aloe vera gel with flavors including original berry nectar peach and forever freedom . other drinks include herbal tea and spring water . 22 the company also markets various personal care skincare petcare and household products made from aloe including lotions creams soaps hair care products deodorant aftershave lip balm toothpaste colognes and perfumes and laundry detergent . 23 forever bee supplement line in 1983 forever living launched its forever bee products a dietary supplement line consisting of royal jelly bee pollen bee propolis and pure honey . the company later expanded its product line to include dietary supplements consisting of aloe combined with vitamins ginseng minerals fish oils garlic and other supplements . currently the products are combined as part of a fitness regimen and health regimen . as of 2015 the company continued to sell natural bee products . 13 essential oils in 2015 essential oils was introduced at forever global rally in singapore . legal edit in 1996 upon suggestion of the american authorities the internal revenue service irs and the national tax agency japan nta initiated a joint audit of rex and ruth maughan and related entities aloe vera of america ava selective art inc. flp international and flp japan for the period of 1991 to 1995 . 24 in 1997 following japanese media reports that flp japan ltd. committed tax evasion ava rex and ruth maughan maughan holdings gene yamagata and yamagata holdings 25 sued the united states for unauthorized disclosure of tax return information . 26 after years of court proceedings in february 2015 a usa district court stated that the irs knowingly provided some false information about ava to the nta in violation of the united states tax treaty with japan . 27 the court also found the irs liable for disclosure of false information and awarded the plaintiffs damages equivalent to the statutory limits . 27 in 2004 claims made about forever living products were found to be in violation of several laws in hungary related to advertising registration of nutritional products and the use of cosmetics as medicinal agents . as a result the company was fined 60 million huf approximately 280 000 usd . 28 in uganda although supplements are approved by the national food and drug authority as of 2013 the government received complaints that patients and carers were being falsely led to believe that network marketing products from many foreign companies can be used to treat diseases . 20 in 2007 author richard bach made claims against the company for copyright infringement and trademark infringement . 29 the lawsuit stated that for over 20 years forever living had used the character storyline and copyrighted excerpts from the novel jonathan livingston seagull to promote its marketing plan and also used the motion picture and novel as its corporate logo . 30 31 the claim was satisfied through arbitration 32 and shortly after forever living changed its company logo 33 from a seagull to an eagle . citation needed see also edit business portal old thong chai medical institution nutraceutical category forever resorts references edit a b c d e f g the largest private companies 340 forever living products intl . forbes.com . 2006 . retrieved 2008 06 29 . a b aloe vera of america inc v. united states . case law . july 30 2009 . retrieved 2015 06 06 . a b c our aloe . discoverforever.com . retrieved 2015 06 06 . a b richman tom december 1 1983 . going their way whatever else catapulted them to the peak it wasn t conformity to the norms of business . inc.com . retrieved 2015 05 27 . a b emmert j.m. 2011 . dsn global 100 the top direct selling companies in the world . direct selling news . retrieved 2015 06 06 . a b about forever living . www.foreverliving.com . retrieved january 31 2015 . a b interview transcripts with rex maughan . traveltalkmedia.com . june 24 2012 . retrieved 2015 06 06 . a b c d forever living timeline . facebook . retrieved 2015 06 06 . timeline forever living products expands . facebook forever living . retrieved 2015 06 06 . max de leon 28 april 2003 . a very thin line between multilevel marketing and pyramid schemes . retrieved 21 april 2014 . manufacturing facilities purchased . facebook forever living . retrieved 2015 06 06 . a b about . foreverresorts.com . retrieved 2015 06 06 . a b c forever living bee products huston jenni nov 12 1993 . no. 2 private company is best kept secret in state . forever living products international inc. in state . the business journal . trove . retrieved 2015 06 06 . about . forever living uk . retrieved 2015 06 06 . palmeri christopher august 14 1995 . the aloe juice man . forever living products international . forbes . business highbeam . retrieved 2015 05 27 . forever living products hopes to see sales up in h2 . ziarul financiar . august 2006 . archived from the original on 2008 08 04 . retrieved 2008 06 29 . forever living products hopes to see sales up in h2 . ziarul financiar . august 2006 . archived from the original on 2008 08 04 . a b gonzales angela march 4 2011 . fda gets tough with makers of herbal products . phoenix business journal . retrieved 2015 02 25 . a b kagolo francis 17 february 2013 . network marketing sucking billions out of ugandans . new vision . retrieved 29 january 2015 . bilbur jon february 20 2015 . forever living product gets new management team in nigeria . the tide news online . retrieved 2015 05 27 . forever living drinks forever living products cope charles w. february 2015 . united states held liable for making false statements to foreign tax authority . copetax.com . retrieved 2015 05 27 . 376 f. 3d 960 aloe vera of america inc v. united states . openjurist . july 19 2004 . retrieved 2015 05 27 . tax agency takes back penalty tax on u.s. affiliate firm . . kyodo news international inc. july 26 2002 . retrieved 2015 05 27 . a b kroh eric february 11 2015 . ariz. judge docks u.s. 3 000 for disclosing taxpayer info . law360.com . retrieved 2015 05 27 . hungarian economic