I drove out to the burbs for the GF + AF Expo yesterday. That’s Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly for the uninitiated. The exhibitor list has grown since I went two years ago. The size of the crowds has grown, too. It was VERY crowded and there were lines to visit every vendor. I decided to stay for at least 45 minutes because that was how long it took me to drive there! I’m glad I did because I got to meet some vendors I’ve worked with in person and to talk to some new folks as well. I snagged a bunch of samples to share, too, so read on!
I walked up and down the aisles pretty quickly to see where the vendors I was interested in were. As I mentioned, the lines were VERY long. Once I got the lay of the land, I visited some of the less crowded booths first. Luckily, about 30 minutes after I arrived some of the lines abated.
My friends at Enjoy Life Foods were the main sponsor. They had a really cool interactive booth set up but the line was a mile long. I skipped it but took a photo of their awesome trial deal – 10 snacks for $15 including shipping. It was tough to get near any samples at first, so I just walked around to see who was there. I had the opportunity to profess my love of True Made Foods’ ketchup to them.
I finally got near some booths after 10 – 15 minutes. I checked out BNutty as I’d seen them on Instagram. I chatted with my friends from Phtyer Bar (love their new look and flavor!) I sampled Soozy’s Muffins (yum!) and chatted with my friends from Fuel for Fire. They gave me all of the flavors to take home/share! I chatted with the folks from Vital Proteins during a lull for them. I grabbed some RxBars to share (they were mobbed!)
I swung by Schar, Ona Foods and Yumbutter. I chatted with the folks from Made Good Foods and got lots of samples to share with my kid testers and readers. I sampled some Munk Pack protein cookies and grabbed one of each. I swung by Honey Stinger to replenish my stash. I stopped by to tell BFree how much I love their pitas and wraps. And finally, I visited with my friends from Partake Foods for my cookie fix.
Here’s the haul:
Want to share in some of these goodies? I’ll send one lucky winner a dozen of these items. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. The giveaway runs through April 18. A winner will be selected and notified on April 19.
In the meantime, check out these great companies to learn more. You can follow the GF & AF Expo on Twitter and Facebook for news on when they may be in your next of the woods!
Please note: I was provided with these samples as an attendee of the Gluten Free & Allergy Free Expo. I am sharing them at my own cost. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.