Hey guys, this past weekend I was out attending #ExpoWest, the largest natural foods and product Expo out there. To me, it is absolute heaven.
Having the background in grocery retail for 13 years I was always excited to see the new products that would hit the stores shelves, and at ExpoWest, it is truly a look behind the scenes at all of the new products coming out that people are working so hard on.
So, enjoy these fun pics of my travels. The next several weeks and months I will be doing a series on some of my favorite products from beverages to yogurt to healthy snacks, and more. Also, hoping some fun giveaways will be happening so you can try out some of these fun new products.
Thursday afternoon I headed over to the Anaheim Convention Center to check in, and vote for Best of the West. There were well over 30 products to choose from and we were only able to vote for our top 3. The Best of the West winners this year were Justin’s Nut Butter, Zing Anything, INC with their citrus zinger, and NCulief. Congrats WINNERS!
Thursday evening was the Vitamin Angels 3rd Annual Event where they brought awareness to their cause, and raised funds for the organization. Delicious meals were being served, people could try out the batting cages, and have fun in the photo booth.
Friday AM:
Friday AM started with a wonderful breakfast with some of the people working behind the scenes at Chobani. I remember when Chobani first hit the store shelves. I was a grocery manager at the time, and I’d ask, “what is greek yogurt, what does it taste like to others.” Well, one day I finally tried it, and I’ve been hooked every since. The creamier texture gets me every time.
So, meeting some of the social media team face to face made for a fun morning along with receiving their awesome Burlap bag:
And then the hall floor opened where I began my journey is discovering new products and making my lists as to some of my favorites. And of course, had a bit of fun along the way:
The Frosting Queens are an all natural, shelf stable Frosting!!! And it is very good. The baker in me came out as I passed this booth, and must say the pink colors, the princess crowns instantly grabbed my attention!
The Zola booth was having fun out front of the Expo Halls by bringing in two Olympian Ping Pong players to the show. They were showcasing their skills throughout the show, and taking on others attending the show making for some really fun interaction.
Susty Party had fun little crowns and ware to play around with making it an instant party. Susty Party has “sustainable” party ware for all of your party occasions. Cups, Plates, Bowls, Straws, and more.
Tubular’s launched their new “Vitamin” Milk Straws this past weekend, and their milking station was a hit amongst many at the Expo.
Alvita had a tea party that I was lucky enough to be invited to. Their Chamomile tea was quite excellent. This is where we learned about the tea and the process that goes into it. Will be talking about this further in a future post.
Saturday morning I arrived to the Expo pretty early so I made sure to check out the booths out front where samples were being handed out, and then went inside to check out all the display cases. These display cases were super handy because this was a quick way to see the new products and write down ones that REALLY grabbed your eye.
Even got a Greek God to go all Stoic for me
This is the owner and founder of Ola Granola! And this Granola is GREAT to snack on, add into your morning breakfasts or desserts. Will be hearing more about this great product in the future.
I even made friends with a pickle while at the Expo!
On Saturday afternoon a group of us where shuttled away to the Happy Cooking Co. in Fullerton to learn about Alpina Yogurt, and how easy it is to cook with. Chef Laurie walked us through a few short recipes from Apple Muffins to Green Smoothies to Granola Coated Chicken Fingers to Strawberry Creamed Biscuits. We also learned about Alpina Yogurt throughout the process. I personally can’t wait to begin cooking and baking with it. More on this excursion will be shared later.
The founder of Woats. This is a SOFT granola so those with braces can even enjoy. The motivation to create the product.
The Go Go Squeez booth had such a fun booth I had to get a picture.
Hanging out with Mama Chia!
This is FRESH Paper, which is made to keep your produce fresh even longer.
This was one of my favorite new products of #ExpoWest. The Bops chips and the OrganicSaurus Cheddar Puffs. The cheddar puffs are completely organic, and taste so good, you’d be surprised! Look for a future review down the road.
In the end it was ton of fun, and there’s so much to talk about. Hope you enjoyed this recap.
Some of the top trends seen from the show were: Chia Seeds, Quinoa, Squeezable Pouches, and Coconut!