Thrive Life’s MLM Shutdown Marks End of Utah-Based Food Empire
Thrive Life, a Utah-based MLM company specializing in freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, will cease operations on August 31, 2025, per a notice on its website, thrivelife.com. The company, founded in 2005 as Shelf Reliance by Jason Budge and Steve Palmer, adopted its MLM model in 2009 and rebranded to Thrive Life in 2013, per prnewswire.com. A 25% off online store promotion is running until closure, with shipping delays due to high demand, per thrivelife.com. No official reason for the collapse was disclosed, and social media accounts have been inactive since May 2025, per cryptobriefing.com. X posts from @justgoogleit38 on r/UtahInfluencerDrama note promoters were informed last week, with some expressing shock and financial loss, especially long-term employees and shareholders.
Corporate History and Ownership Shift
Initially focused on food rotation systems, Thrive Life expanded into a wide range of freeze-dried products, processing 18 tons daily across 80+ items, per gea.com. In December 2023, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Budge and Palmer sold the company to Entrepreneurial Equity Partners (Chicago) and Mubadala Capital (Abu Dhabi), who merged it with Mercer Foods, a freeze-dried food manufacturer, per zoominfo.com. The merger aimed to scale production but failed to sustain the MLM model, per cryptonews.com. Reddit threads on r/antiMLM highlight the collapse as a blow to distributors, with some speculating top promoters will pivot to other MLMs like Mixhers or Shine, per reddit.com.
MLM Structure and Market Context
Thrive Life’s MLM required consultants to purchase a $199 starter kit and maintain a $50–$300 monthly Thrive Q subscription to earn 20%–30% commissions on sales and up to three levels of downline recruitment, per mlm.com. Unlike pyramid schemes, it sold tangible products, but high costs and low calorie-per-dollar value drew criticism, per supplementpolice.com. Utah’s MLM-heavy culture, tied to its Mormon community’s focus on self-reliance, fueled Thrive Life’s growth, per talkingpointsmemo.com. The collapse aligns with broader MLM scrutiny, as seen with Modere’s abrupt April 2025 shutdown, per sltrib.com. X posts from @vpr5703 note the company’s failure to deliver on promised financial freedom, with some distributors losing significant investments.
Investor and Distributor Guidance
Thrive Life distributors should avoid reinvesting in similar MLMs and consider reporting losses to the FTC or Utah Division of Consumer Protection, per cryptobriefing.com. The 25% off sale may offer a chance to stock up on products, but expect shipping delays, per thrivelife.com. Investors in regulated assets like BTC ($123,091.61) or ETH ($3,811), per CoinMarketCap, should monitor broader market trends, as MLM collapses don’t directly impact crypto but reflect regulatory risks in unregistered schemes, per cryptonews.com. Track updates on X (@UtahInfluencerDrama) or Reddit (r/antiMLM) for community insights. Thrive Life’s closure highlights the fragility of MLM models—proceed with caution in similar ventures and prioritize verified investments.