1955

Arriving in America

After more than a year of waiting, the family immigrated to the U.S. in 1955, settling briefly in Milwaukee with an uncle. Despite the warm welcome, they left nine months later in search of better opportunities.

1956

California Dreams

In late 1956, the family moved to Hollywood, California, with just $100 and no job offers, driven by the promise of a healthier lifestyle and greater opportunity.

Early 1960s

The Yogurt Revival

The founder’s father reentered the yogurt business with a mission to create the best probiotic yogurt in America. He imported their original live culture from Yugoslavia by personally arranging for a friend to bring it over.

1960s

Continental Culture Specialists Is Born

Launching in Glendale, California, the family founded Continental Culture Specialists, selling liquid yogurt by the gallon and solid yogurt in pints—before the era of flavored varieties.

1980

Starting from the Garage

In 1980, Natasha gained access to a lab and began producing her own probiotic supplements—overseeing culturing and freeze-drying, and ultimately bottling herself. The business operated from her home, where they stored the product in their garage refrigerator and her husband delivered dry ice daily to preserve the live cultures in thermally controlled packaging and shipping.

1980s

Frustrated by Poor Industry Standards

Despite her efforts, Natasha was dismayed by the lack of quality control and standards in the dietary supplements industry. She was asked by the National Membership of the National Nutritional Foods Association to author the first standard in the dietary supplement industry of any kind. She was asked to write the Standard for Probiotic Product Labeling to stimulate other members to set more standards in other dietary supplement categories. Her probiotic labeling standard was voted on and accepted in July 1989 by an overwhelming vote of the entire NNFA membership.

1980s

Educating on Super Strains

Even well-known strains like L.acidophilus were being undermined by generic or mislabeled species and strains in probiotic supplements. Natasha emphasized the difference between scientifically validated super strains and unreliable formulas with little to no benefit.

1989

Establishing Industry Standards

Working with the Natural Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), Natasha helped develop the first official probiotic labeling standard. Adopted in 1989, it required clear labeling of strain identity, cell counts, expiration, storage, and safety certifications—standards still largely unmet by competitors.

1993

Global Recognition

In 1993, Natasha was invited by the World Health Organization to speak at the Fifteenth International Congress of Nutrition in Australia. Her talk on probiotics earned a standing ovation from a room full of global scientists and medical professionals.

1994

Read into Congressional Record

Her Probiotic Labeling Standard were read into Congressional Record in order to facilitate the passing of the DSHEA Amendment. The standards were routinely ignored by the Dietary Supplement Industry thereafter.