Our Story

The History of Vitargo

The Vitargo story actually starts in North Sweden in 1990 with a scientist/bodybuilder named Roger Sandström.  Roger was intrigued by the challenge from his friend, and very talented long distance skier, Håkan Westin, who lived in north Sweden…

Håkan (skier) complained to Roger Sandström (the scientist) that there has to be a better way to fuel and recover from his demanding sport.

The sugary sports drinks, gels and powders Håkan tried made his energy crashes worse, and came with unpleasant digestive issues.

Because he couldn’t find a good carb source, Håkan would have energy crashes that dropped his speed and power mid race.  During multiple day races he was also struggling with recovery because he couldn’t get enough carbs in to help fuel the next day’s race.  With that, Roger started to think/mix/develop a better alternative to the sports drink on the market… 

If he could somehow create a “better carb designed specifically for athletes” then guys like Håkan could…

After months of work in his lab with various results – Roger decided to enlist the help of two other gents, Åke Ståhl and Mikael Brynoff…

Together, the three men refined the product, initially named Carbomax, and worked under a Swedish starch manufacturer to plan for the patent, studies, graphic profiles, etc. 

The name was later changed from Carbomax to Vitargo, VITA(L), TARG(ET) and GO.…

Now it was time to seek the BEST in the world to put Vitargo to the test.

The Karolinska Institute and Professor Eric Hultman, a world recognized researchers in the field of carbohydrate, were approached to conduct the first study. (SIDE NOTE: Hultman was also a key player in the rise of creatine within the supplement world).

Hultman did not want to do the study as he believed it would not show any significant differences to existing carbs. 

After some convincing, Hultman decided to do the study and was amazed at the results. In fact, his feeling was “It’s not possible…

Professor Hultman knew this carbohydrate powder would be a game-changer for athletes.

The speed of Vitargo through the gut was astounding. Subsequent studies also showed the superior muscle glycogen recovery, significantly faster and higher insulin response, better endurance and power performance…  

This patented starch truly lived up the saying, “Not all CARBS are created equal!” 

To this day, Vitargo continues to be unrivaled in it’s claims. Many other supplement brands tout fast absorption but they never have dared to compare themselves to Vitargo… instead picking inferior carbs like sugar, dextrose and even bread or rice for comparison to showcase their “fast absorption” claims.

Today, everyone from Olympic Gold Medalists -to- profession athletes in the UFC, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB, CrossFit (to name a few) -to- countless Collegiate Athletes -to- Youth and so many others all use Vitargo as their fuel.

PROOF BEFORE PROMISES®…

Vitargo is one of those rare products reinforced by multiple university studies, conducted in top research labs led by world class scientists. The evidence showing Vitargo to be the
“Fastest Muscle Fuel” links a critical metabolic sequence, unmatched by any other carb:
from gut transit to glycemic response to glycogen recovery to recovery performance.

The start

Our Founder

Hi, my name is Bernie Wooster.

I’m a lifelong athlete, entrepreneur, award winning graphic designer,  CEO of Vitargo, Inc and most importantly a mom to two amazing children. 

Since a young age I learned the value of hard work, consistency and discipline through physical fitness, and being a multi-sport athlete. Being raised in a house with three brothers and a bodybuilder Dad gave me a different upbringing than most other kids.

At Dad’s we didn’t have Doritos and Fruit Loops, instead we ate baked chicken, broccoli, vegetables, oatmeal and protein shakes.

I still remember sitting on the floor of the garage gym as a little girl watching my Dad “lift heavies” as I used to call them, and thinking one day I wanted to do the same.

At Mom’s with my Farm-Dad I enjoyed the farm life.

There were daily chores that involved feeding the cows and chickens, bailing hay and sometimes helping to break horses.

I had a unique childhood to say the least, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything because…

The midwestern grit I learned from each of my parents’ households taught me how to hold my own in the weight room, and in the boardroom.

That discipline, hard work and consistency I learned from my parents and  being a lifelong competitive athlete…

Is why I’ve won multiple international graphic design awards.

It’s why I’ve worked with countless Silicon Valley companies, both start-up and Fortune 500 to develop and define their brands.

It’s also why I’ve started and built multiple companies of my own as an entrepreneur.

Nowadays though things are different for me as an athlete and business owner.

The biggest thing is my children come first, and my biggest mission is to raise them right, and lead by example.

So, I’m not hopping on stage to compete in NPC Bodybuilding shows like I used to, or competing on the show American Gladiators.

Check out Season 5 of the show if you want to see me compete ; – )

However, I still hit the weight room hard and cycle competitively every single week because it’s a part of who I am.

In business, I have one mission today…

Educate athletes, and provide the best fuel on the planet to anyone who wants to get the most out of their training and recovery with Vitargo.

When athletes are able to perform and recover better they forge the discipline and consistency to not only win in sports, but in life too.

This same mindset is what’s allowed me to persevere with Vitargo, Inc. in the face of multiple obstacles over the years.

Yet, with that adversity the mission here at Vitargo, Inc. has only gotten clearer and stronger.

It’s why our tagline “Proof Before Promises” is something we all live by…

That means our claims are backed up by University, peer reviewed research.

We’re unmatched in our testing, certifications and quality of Vitargo, and we truly have the world’s fastest mouth-to-muscle carbohydrate.

If you want to see a lot more of the science behind Vitargo please check out the Science Of Vitargo tab on the website.

Thanks for reading!

Bernie Wooster

CEO of Vitargo, Inc.