Acquire Supplement Knowledge by Condition, Brand, Ingredients; Think-on-your-feet Protocol Skills; Public Education in Food & Natural Health Products

Open to all 2024 graduating students—watch for requirements and prerequisites, if any—dependent on where you are in the program.

Respond by: Ongoing and still one of THE BEST learning environments for recalling/sharing your knowledge base and educating people on their health journeys!

Start date: Dependent on you and the Natural Health Product and Health Food Store (NHP/HFS) Co-op partner

Hours: 50 hours minimum, for optimal learning/work exchange 140 hours is most valuable for the student and Co-op partner. Work schedule will be developed between the Co-op student and the store manager.

To Apply:

1. Read all the contents of this page for learnings and expectations

2. Email 3 store names and locations to your campus Co-op coordinator that you’d like the contact names of:

Toronto and Vancouver campus + Online Eastern and Pacific students:
Email Theodore Papadopoulos at theodore@instituteofholisticnutrition.com

3. If you do not see the name of the store that you want to Co-op at, not a problem! Email your campus Co-op coordinator to let them know you have made arrangements with the store for approval.

Students must have completed Symptomatology I and II to be considered for this Co-op with Professional Practice completion being an asset.

If you are considering clinical practice, an immersion into gaining a foundational knowledge of supplements, is very supportive.

IHN’s NHP/HFS Co-op partners understand the exchange IHN graduating students are looking for:

• Gain required knowledge for private practice on the thousands of professional and consumer supplement lines and natural health merchandise
• Receive coaching, support and guidance from qualified and experienced owners, managers and senior staff
• Build acuity for answering health questions by actively engaging with customers to provide recommendations on supplements, nutrition and lifestyle changes
• Develop the required confidence to assert solution based food and supplement recommendations to healing
• Learn to interact with and communicate with experts in the therapeutic product field through store staff, suppliers and access to manufacturer material
• Build your identity as a practitioner
• Add excellent content the “Experience” section of your resume
• Learn the aspects of running an NHP/HFS, become involved in any area of retail operations that you are interested in
• Upon successful completion of Co-op hours, some locations may offer employment opportunities

Everyone, at every store, will begin with:

• An introduction to the NHP/HFS store staff, managers and owners
• A complete store product layout tour (by condition, remedy or brand)
• Understanding what reference material can be used during customer interactions
• Knowing the key staff you can go to for support with challenging questions
• Several days of shadowing/being in observation of the store’s staff and their interaction with new and current clients/patients*
• Having you understand the process of education to sell-through of product that you have recommended

All students will then:

• Once in a general comfort zone—past the overwhelm—you may begin to greet, work with and recommend NHPs or natural health merchandise to customers
• Actively approach store customers/patients* in a friendly manner as indicated by the store’s mandate and offer assistance

* patients is used here to indicate that some NHP/HFS locations are run by an HD, ND, TCM doctor—those practitioners refer to their clients as patients*.

You will be taught to:

• Listen to a customer’s/patient’s* needs or symptoms
• Ask the most accurate questions to define their health concern/preventive measure
• Recommend beneficial supplements and foods for the most acute issue presented while considering root cause (NHP for symptom + NHP for root cause)
• Educate the customer/patient* to secure compliance and give them the ability to articulate the product’s mechanism of action themselves
• Discern raw materials in products, ingredients, formulas and why certain products are used in different cases based on individual’s individuality
• Build a client/customer base through respect, intelligence, expertise to support the change the individual needs
• Maintain your personal—and the store’s—reputation and by extension a solid customer base

Depending on the NHP/HFS you select, as possible additional components to the primary work, you may:

• Work clinically with the HD, ND or practitioner owner to support with protocol development
• Participate in and develop material for store and community events such as in-store table top promotions, exhibits and product demos
• Unpack product, confirm pricing, track merchandise and maintain displays
• Assist in the preparation of food for cooking classes and assist in the clean up after the cooking class
• Help in the promotion of the store or products with writing through social media
• When called to the phone, listen to and answer questions asked by customers
• Develop workshops and other in-store initiatives to help customer’s/patient’s* reach optimal health

* patient—depending on what kind of environment and practitioner you are working with

Natural Health Product and Health Food Stores – Ontario

Ajax

Healthy Planet 
280 Kingston Rd E e4, Ajax, ON

Brampton

Healthy Planet 
18-150 West Dr, Brampton, ON

Burlington

Nature’s Emporium
2180 Itabashi Way, Burlington, ON

Nature’s Signature at Metro 
2010 Appleby Line, Burlington, ON

Etobicoke

Healthy Planet 
Islington Ave #3, Etobicoke, ON

Nature’s Source
40 Ronson Rd. Etobicoke, ON
bikki@natures-source.com

Gravenhurst

Fresh Nutrition ‘N’ Lifestyle
280 Bishop St, Gravenhurst, ON

Guelph

Nature’s Signature
500 Edinburgh Rd S, Guelph, ON

Hamilton (Stoney Creek)

Nature’s Signature – Winona
1370 South Service Road, Stoney Creek, ON

Kitchener-Waterloo

Healthy Planet 
1400 Ottawa St S b21, Kitchener, ON

London

Nature’s Signature 
395 Wellington Rd. London, ON
niharika@naturessignature.ca

Markham

Healthy Planet 
8567 McCowan Rd, Unionville, ON

Milton

Healthy Planet
1250 Steeles Ave E e3, Milton, ON

Nature’s Signature
1050 Kennedy Circle, Milton, ON
tracy@naturessignature.ca

Mississauga

Healthy Planet
1425 Dundas St E, Mississauga, ON

Nutrition House 
Town Centre, 5100 Erin Mills Pkwy, (Erin Mills Mall) Mississauga, ON

Nature’s Signature
910 Southdown Rd, Mississauga, ON

Nature’s Source 
5029 Hurontario St, Mississauga, ON

Newmarket

Nature’s Emporium 
16655 Yonge St, Newmarket, ON

Nature’s Signature
16640 Yonge St, Newmarket, ON

Oakville

Healthy Planet (403 & Dundas)
2501 Hyde Park Gate c2, Oakville, ON L

Healthy Planet (QEW & Dorval)
210 North Service Rd W, Oakville, ON

Nutrition House 
240 Leighland Ave, (Oakville Place) Oakville, ON

Simply For Life 
2333 Taunton Rd, Oakville, ON

Nature’s Source 
2391 Trafalgar Rd. Oakville, ON
roy@natures-source.com

Orangeville

Harmony Whole Foods
163 First St, Orangeville, ON

Ottawa

Healthy Planet – Kanata
400 Earl Grey Dr, Ottawa, ON 

Healthy Planet – Trainyards
590 Industrial Ave Unit 3, Ottawa, ON 

Herb & Spice Shop – Bank
375 Bank St, Ottawa, ON 

Herb & Spice Shop – Wellington
1310 Wellington St W, Ottawa, ON 

Kardish Health Food Centre – Barrhaven
3101 Strandherd Dr, Ottawa, ON

Kardish Health Food Centre – Kanata
499 Terry Fox Dr, Kanata, ON

Kardish Health Food Centre – Merivale
1701 Merivale Rd, Nepean, ON

Kardish Health Food Centre – Orleans
3712 Innes Rd, Orleans, ON

Kardish Health Food Centre – Westgate
1309 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON

Manotick Natural Market
1136 Tighe St, Manotick, ON

Natural Food Pantry – Barrhaven
4325 Strandherd Dr, Barrhaven, ON 

Natural Food Pantry – Billings Bridge
2277 Riverside Dr, Ottawa, ON

Natural Food Pantry – Westboro
1960 Scott Street, Ottawa, ON

Natural Food Pantry – Kanata
5537 Hazeldean Rd, Ottawa, ON

Nature’s Care Health Products
115 Bank St, Ottawa, ON

Nature’s Signature – Orleans
4510 Innes Rd, Ottawa, ON

Nutrition House – Billings Bridge
2277 Riverside Dr, Ottawa, ON 

Nutrition House – Carlingwood Mall
2121 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON

Nutrition House – Rideau Centre
50 Rideau St, Ottawa, ON 

Nutrition House – St. Laurent Centre
1200 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON

Rainbow Foods
1487 Richmond Rd Ottawa, ON

The Nutrition Company
1980 Ogilvie Rd, Gloucester, ON 

Paris

The Hollow Willow Health Store
15 Grand River St N, Paris, ON

Richmond Hill

Healthy Planet
10520 Yonge St Unit 32, Richmond Hill, ON

Sault Ste Marie

The Wellness Store
760 Second Line E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Toronto

Better Living Wellness Clinic and Health Store
1500 Royal York Rd Unit 7, Etobicoke, ON

Happy Nutrition
2323 Bloor St W Unit 5, Toronto, ON

Healthy Planet – Danforth
568 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON

Healthy Planet – North York
588 Sheppard Ave W, North York, ON

Nature’s Signature – Stockyards
2155 St. Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON
rebecca@naturessignature.ca

Nature’s Signature 
3003 Danforth Ave. Toronto, ON
alam@naturessignature.ca

Nature’s Signature at Metro – Liberty Village
100 Lynn Williams St, Toronto, ON

Nutrition House
1800 Sheppard Avenue East, Fairview Mall Dr, North York, ON

Nutrition House – Liberty Village
120 Lynn Williams St, Toronto, ON

The Big Carrot Community Market 
348 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON

Vaughan

Nature’s Emporium 
2535 Major Mackenzie Drive West, Unit #2, Vaughan, ON

Whitby

Healthy Planet 
80 Thickson Rd S #3, Whitby, ON

Natural Health Product and Health Food Stores – British Columbia

Langley

Nature’s Fare
19880 Langley Bypass, Langley, BC

North Vancouver

Victoria’s Health
1637 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver, BC 

Port Coquitlam

Pomme Natural Market
2755 Lougheed Highway, Port Coquitlam, BC

Vancouver

Garden Health Vitamins
1204 Davie St, Vancouver, BC

Body Energy
555 W 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC 

Body Energy Club 
746 Davie St, Vancouver, BC

Body Energy Club 
428 Robson St, Vancouver, BC

Bon Vita
1458 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC 

Victoria’s Health
562 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC 

Victoria’s Health
857 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC