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Wellness Heads West
Better-for-you products and the latest wellness trends will highlight Natural Products Expo West.
12 Min Read
The Anaheim Convention Center will be transformed into a health maven’s paradise from March 9-12 during Natural Products Expo West. At the show, retailers will have the opportunity to sample the latest and the greatest in the better-for-you category. Here is a sampling of some of the companies that will be making an appearance:
Alvarado Street Bakery
Alvarado Street Bakery will be introducing several items at Expo West. The Petaluma, Calif.-based company has a new line extension called “Black Label Breads” that consists of six bread recipes—all of which are USDA certified organic. The company is also debuting new recipes from its line of Sprouted Wheat breads that are made with “coffee flour.”
“Retailers will get their first peek at these unique and unusual recipes, and have the chance to learn how these new items may fit into their retail environment,” says Michael Girkout, director of marketing. “They will also have the opportunity to make new-product suggestions, as we’re always developing new and different products and rely on our customers to keep us pointed in the right direction.”
Alvarado Street Bakery has been producing certified organic whole grain breads, bagels, buns and rolls for more than 36 years. It specializes in “better-for-you” baked goods and is a solar-powered and worker-owned bakery.
“We’re in the healthy-food business and it’s important to us that our products are viewed as healthy, clean-label, delicious and nutritious,” says Girkout.
Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP
Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP is introducing five flavors of popcorn and kettle corn. The company makes gluten-free popcorn and kettle corn in a variety of flavors. The Mankato, Minn.-based company’s co-founder, Angie Bastian, will be at the booth to discuss the new flavors, industry trends, entrepreneurship and the latest Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP news.
“Our team is constantly innovating new flavors for every person and every occasion,” Bastian says. “Packing a punch with bold combinations and real, simple ingredients is our innovation team’s mission, and we definitely brought the BOOM to this line-up of new flavors.”
Boxed Water is Better
Boxed Water is Better will be featuring the three available sizes of its product and will speak on its brand mission of sustainability. The Holland, Mich.-based company will highlight the ongoing #ReTree campaign, in which it plants two trees for every photo posted to social media. Taking this campaign beyond social media, the company is creating opportunities for distributors and retailers to get involved in its ReTree campaign.
“Boxed Water is a better, more sustainable choice,” says Matt De Witte, vice president of marketing. “By choosing Boxed Water consumers are making a statement that sustainability matters. By packaging our pure water in cartons that ship flat to our regional fillers, we minimize our carbon footprint and increase efficiency compared to bottled water options.”
Califia Farms
Califia Farms will introduce a diverse range of products including Almondmilk formulations. Included are functional and nutrient-dense nut milk and three flavors of its non-dairy creamers in its recently launched 750-milliliter curvy, grippable PET bottle, which is designed with a spout intended to solve the problem of drippage and over/under pouring.
“The creamers give retailers a fresh way to appeal to health-conscious and millennial-minded customers in a category that has seen its growth slow in recent years,” says Vilma Livas, vice president of marketing for the Los Angeles-based company. “The trends underpinning Califia Farms’ success are here to stay. Califia looks forward to partnering with forward thinking, progressive retailers that understand that a fundamental shift in consumers’ food and beverage preferences requires a whole new approach to category management and product assortment. Califia looks forward to meeting with these retailers during Expo West, while sharing what is new and exciting from a product perspective.”
derma e
derma e’s new items to be shown at Expo West include its vitamin C collection that uses 100 percent stable vitamin C, skin-balancing probiotics and antioxidant–rich Rooibos. The Simi Valley, Calif.-based company will also debut its Nourishing Rose Cleansing Oil that contains beautifying argan and jojoba oils, and vitamin E.
“This year, retailers will see a new look and feel that really captures who we are as a brand,” says Jeff Carducci, vice president sales, North America. “Our booth design will reflect a born and bred Southern California company that cares about living a healthy, holistic lifestyle. New packaging and new innovative formulas will also take center stage with a fresh, natural look that appeals to every beauty enthusiast.”
Later in 2017, new items will expand its Essentials line and the company will also be introducing a platform of products in a new category for derma e.
Eden Foods
Eden Foods will feature more than a dozen new and reformulated products, including an expanded snack offering, sauerkraut flavors, Cocoa Edensoy, Instant Miso Soup, and organic tomatoes and refried beans.
“Retailers visiting Eden’s booth can hear about and sample new, nourishing food and discuss merchandising and promotional opportunities,” says Demian Potter, vice president of sales for the Clinton, Mich.-based company.
Begun in southern Michigan in the late 1960s amongst friends on a mission to source natural foods, Eden is known for organic, non-GMO, BPA-free, canned beans, macrobiotic specialty, Edensoy, healthy snacks and other local, nourishing foods.
Enjoy Life Foods
Enjoy Life Foods will be showcasing product lines ranging from protein-packed ProBurst Bites to Baking Chocolate Snack Packs and globally-inspired Plentils flavors.
The newest member to the Enjoy Life family of allergy-friendly foods, ProBurst Bites are bite-sized snacks that pack up to 7-grams of plant-based protein per serving. Its Plentils flavors include Thai Chili Lime and Moroccan Spice.
“Retailers will have an opportunity to explore our incredibly innovative and diverse allergy-friendly products, which are necessary to meet the growing number of people with food allergies,” says Joel Waraday, chief sales and marketing officer at the Chicago-based company.
Enjoy Life Foods is committed to producing snacks and baking products that are free from GMOs and the eight most common food allergens, identified as milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
“‘Eat freely’ is not just a motto or slogan for us. It is our passion, our mission and our promise to consumers,” says Waraday.
Jack Link’s Protein Snacks
Jack Link’s Protein Snacks will be highlighting Jack Link’s Extra Tender, a new line of products designed to meet the needs of consumers who are looking for a softer bite. “Retailers will get the opportunity to better understand how our products meet the needs of healthy snackers, get any questions answered and sample products,” says Steve Althaus, vice-president, sales strategy for the Minong, Wis.-based company.
Jack Link’s Snacks portfolio of brands includes Jack Link’s, Lorissa’s Kitchen, MATADOR, SQUATCH Snack Sticks, World Kitchens Jerky, Grass Run Farms Meat Snacks, BiFi and Peperami.
Mizkan America
Mizkan America will highlight its Nature’s Intent Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Four Monks Natural Cleaning Vinegar, Nakano clean label and organic rice vinegars and Organic 3-leaf Balsamic Vinegar and Organic Balsamic Glaze.
“At Mizkan, we’re always committed to understanding our consumers’ needs in order to create new food offerings and update old favorites to satisfy those evolving needs,” says Sara Delach, brand manager, condiments for the Mount Prospect, Ill.-based company. “In response to consumer demands for products with simple nutritional labels, we’re reformulating our portfolio to drive home this clean-labeling initiative and provide the consumer with organic product offerings as well.”
Mizkan America also sells cooking wines, chile peppers, mustards, jalapenos and balsamic vinegars and is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has existed for more than 200 years.
Natracare
Natracare is launching Natracare Dry & Light Plus pads, a follow-up to its Dry & Light Pad; a natural, plastic- and synthetic-free solution for stress incontinence, which officials for the Greeley, Colo.-based company says is the only organic and natural incontinence pad available in the market today.
“As a result of an aging population, altering lifestyles and increasing obesity leading to the onset of incontinence and a higher risk of diabetes in younger populations, the global market for incontinence pads is growing,” says Theresa White, senior executive officer. “By visiting our booth this retailers can learn more about the fastest growing category in hygiene, and how to meet the product demands of the one in three women between the ages of 20 and 85 suffering with this condition.”
Organic Valley
Organic Valley will be sampling more than 10 products at the show, including its Grassmilk Yogurt cups. One of the company’s newest product lines focused on healthy snacking is its Mighty Organic collection of 100 percent grass-fed beef snacks.
“Retailers stopping by the booth will gain insight into one of the fastest growing segments in the industry while enjoying great food, learn about the advantages a farmer-owned cooperative brings to both retailers and consumers, and finally—be able to take a virtual reality farm tour that will blow their minds,” says Lewis Goldstein, vice president, brand marketing for the La Farge, Wis.-based company.
Organic Valley is best known for its organic, pasture-raised dairy staples such as milk, butter and cheese, but its offerings extend to eggs, meat, yogurt, protein shakes, half & half, soy beverages and more.
Similasan USA
Similasan USA will be highlighting its existing range of eye drops formulated in Switzerland with natural active ingredients, which includes drops for dry eyes, allergies, irritation, redness, and styes. The company will also showcase its ear, arnica and cough/cold products.
“At Similasan, our unending commitment is to help people feel better,” says Yann Pigeaire, director of marketing for the Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based company. “Guided by our Swiss heritage, we offer natural homeopathic remedies that provide symptomatic relief. Similasan products have found a place in the American family’s medicine cabinet by offering safe and effective remedies to relieve ailments of the eyes, ears, nose, nerves and chest. We are dedicated to ethical practices and integrity in all that we do.”
Sue Bee Honey
Sue Bee Honey, the branded product name for the Sioux Honey Association, will be highlighting various honeys, including Aunt Sue’s Raw and Unfiltered Honey, a 100-percent pure, unfiltered honey with pollen.
“Sue Bee Honey is laboratory tested to ensure the high standards set by the Association are met, including the clarity, type, flavor, moisture and color,” says Bruce Nyhammer, western regional marketing director. “The most advanced methods and exacting standards are used to ensure that every honey product packed under the Sue Bee label is the finest available anywhere.”
Additional products will be displayed at the Sue Bee booth in a variety of sizes. Nearly a century has passed since the Sioux Honey Association (SHA) was founded in Sioux City, Iowa. Every day, 300 beekeeper members located across the U.S. help to produce pure, American honey.
TH Foods
TH Foods will be showing off the latest innovations in its Crunchmaster and Harvest Stone lines.
The Crunchmaster brand is getting a makeover, including a new logo, packaging, website and advertising campaign. The brand will also be unveiling three flavors in its Multi-Seed and Multi-Grain lines: Multi-Seed Artisan Cheesy Garlic Bread; Multi-Seed Signature Buttermilk Ranch; and Dill, Multi-Grain Applewood Smoked BBQ. Additionally, it will announce its 2017 seasonal flavor, Pumpkin Harvest. There are also two more must-see introductions that TH Foods will unveil at Expo West, say officials for the Loves Park, Ill.-based company.
“What’s in a Crunchmaster cracker? Whole grains, seeds and that’s about it. What’s not? GMOs, gluten, and artificial colors and flavors,” says Kim Holman, marketing director. “By focusing on wholesome ingredients from trusted sources, Crunchmaster has crafted simply delicious snacks to fit every healthy lifestyle.”
Harvest Stone will highlight the launch of its new website and advertising campaign along with four new flavors available to natural foods retailers: Organic Sprouted Hummus in Roasted Garlic; Organic Sprouted Hummus in Taste of Za’atar; Organic Native Grains in Simply Olive Oil; and Salt and Organic Native Grains Peruvian Aji Amarillo.
Wally’s Natural
Wally’s Natural will be showcasing all of its products at the show, but will be highlighting it new organic skin care line, which includes organic body oil, an organic scar and stretchmark formula and its new roll-on organic aromatherapy line.
“Customers should stop by our booth for an ear candling demonstration, a chance to see our new products and the opportunity to grab some samples,” says Daniel Fox, marketing director for the Auburn, Calif.-based company.
Wally’s Natural specializes in natural and organic ear care and skin care and is known for its ear candles, which are designed to deliver a unique relaxation experience, while being specially engineered for safety and convenience. The candles include features like a no-drip safety filter and even wax distribution to ensure the customer’s safety.
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