As you may have seen on my Instagram stories, I had the opportunity to go to Expo East again this year. Expo East is the fall natural products show from New Hope Network (and the “kid sister” to Expo West.) It’s about half the size of Expo West, but it’s still an awesome opportunity for healthy finds. Plus, they have a conference for “influencers” so I always meet great people and learn new things. Check out some of the trends I noticed here and on my Instagram stories highlights “Expo East ’18.” And here’s Part 1 of this post – Days 1 + 2.
Day 3 – Friday
Friday, I had the whole day to walk the show. I made a few appointments so I tried to hit areas of the show based on those. My goal was to walk the whole main show floor.
Hot Products opens first so I headed there at 9:30 sharp. I went up to finish up the third floor “Hot Products” rooms that Marissa and I missed on Thursday. On the way, I tried some coffee from Four Stigmatic. It’s made from mushrooms – a big trend this year and it’s really terrific. Then I tried Goodio Choc Oat – a vegan chocolate from Finland. It’s made with oats and is remarkably smooth. I also tried Swapples savory waffles. They’re gluten free and are made with yuca root. The “everything” swapple is to die for! I can’t wait to find these near me.
I headed over and saw Hu Chocolates new “hunks” and asked what the hunks were (almonds and cashews with spiced and fruits). I stopped by to say hi to Jessica from Jessica’s Natural Foods – a Find’s fave gluten free granola. I said hi to my friends from 88 Acres (and heard about their branding update – keep and eye out for that) and SAP!. SAP! has a new sparkling water with a birch base and fruit flavors. It’s amazing!
I went to my first appointment on the main hall with Temple Turmeric. Ian told me about and let me sample their new tonics. Temple made the first ready to drink turmeric shots and have added the tonic to their line. Ian and Adam (their sales chief) are both running the NYC Marathon so I shared my top tips with them. Be on the look out for their tonics at Whole Foods. They’re awesome.
Then, I met Marissa and we went to meet Elmhurst 1925. They make delicious nut milks and debuted a new clean, ready to drink protein drink. It’s made with peanuts and has 20 g of protein. I was excited to try it and their new unsweetened almond and cashew milks. What an awesome company! Next, we went to meet with Christine from Amazing Grass. You may know Amazing Grass from their greens. They’ve expanded with plant based proteins with functional ingredients, effervescent vitamins and more. Stay tuned for more from Amazing Grass. I got plenty to try and to share.
We had some free time so we hit a bunch of my faves in a row. We started with a Power Waffle and chat from Kodiak Cakes. Then, we had some Fire Cider (a big trend from last year’s Expo East.) I chatted with Diana from Finds’ fave Undercover Quinoa. Then, we checked out the new flavors of Bobo’s Oat Bites – Peanut Butter and Jelly, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Apple Pie. We visited Hail Merry right after they received their Nexty for the Sweet Potato Cup. They gave us a bunch of samples! Finally, we stopped to say hi to Zoe from Grandy Oats and to profess our love to Theo Chocolates
We swung by Rx Bar and got some new Maple Almond Butter. I confessed my FOMO on seeing their blogger kits. Fingers crossed that they’ll add me back on their list! I saw that my friends from Zest Tea (a find from last year’s Expo East and Baltimore company) have a ready to drink iced tea now. I checked out the new branding of Enlightened’s broad beads. We checked out Taali Foods‘ water lily pops. They won a Nexty (and are similar to Super Lotus Snacks – review + giveaway). Puffs were big this year and water lily/lotus seed puffs were best in show.
I then ran up to see my friends from My/Mo Mochi to try their new vegan flavors. The Salted Caramel is to die for! You have to try these. I then went back down to meet with Enjoy Life Foods, but I stopped by and met the folks from Organic Initiative. They gave me some organic cotton tampons to try. Their colorful campaigns are refreshing!
I went to check out Enjoy Life Foods‘ new breakfast ovals. Jamie caught me up on what was new. I may have even finagled an invitation to their innovation lab. Stay tuned for more on the breakfast ovals. Then, I went out to meet the Seattle Gummy Company. They had messaged me to check them out. When I saw they had Mocca caffeine gummies, I was intrigued. After chatting with Brad, I’m even more interested. They make functional gummies and were formulated by a physician. I’ll be back with a full review soon.
I met back up with Marissa and headed to check out the beauty products and supplements. I got some EO Essential Oils deodorant wipes and checked out their deodorant cream. We chatted with Finds’ fave Noyah’s founder and tried on some new shades. We also checked out some prototypes of new packaging. I went over to meet with Wedderspoon. I got samples of all of their creams and lotions to try and share. I also checked out the new functional nut butters with Manuka honey, too. Keep an eye out for more on these.
I checked out the supplement area and got a cocktail from Vital Proteins. I went to finish up the main floor and stopped for a chat with Live Soda. I don’t drink diet soda, but they convinced me to try their zero calorie soda with probiotics. The root beer is delicious. They sold me! I chatted with Only What You Need (OWYN) and tried their plant based cold brew coffee protein drink (Good!) and grabbed their new energy bar. I saw my friends from Zing Bar and we chatted about refreshing my review with their new look and formulations. I swung by Epic Bar to take my annual silly shot with an Eric and a buffalo.
LMS Party
In the evening, I went to party with LMS. I went alone, but was fortunate to meet three local bloggers when I walked in. I shared my finds and experience from Expo East (they didn’t have the opportunity to go). After that, we just shared stories and experiences and tried all of the delicious food and products. Check out Ivy, Tiffany and YaYa on Instagram. We also chatted with the Wildscape Food brand team. Be on the look out for these in the frozen section! We got an awesome swag bag from The New Primal, One Protein, Chosen Foods, Smashmallow, Hippeas and Core.
Day 4
I had a few hours on Saturday to finish up Hot Products. Before the show I got to meet Kaila for a coffee. I’ve known her online for a few years, so it was really great to meet her in person. We had a great chat and then headed over to the show together.
I headed back up to Hot Products. I professed my love to the guys from Alpine Start. They have awesome instant coffee. We chatted ultrarunning and extreme sports. They made me look like a couch potato. I checked out Munk Pack‘s new cookie packaging. I checked out Honey Mama’s award winning Oregon Peppermint bar (and scored some coupons!) I checked out Nolita’s new Cauli Bites (cauliflower tots!) and Savory Wild mushroom jerky (which I recently found in a subscription box.) So many great products!
I went to my last meeting with Om Organic Mushroom Nutrition. Mushrooms were all the rage this year, but Om was in it way ahead of the trend. They also have a mycologist with 30 years experience and a wellness expert with a PhD in Preventative Medicine. Sandra showed me their new energy line and shared samples of all of the organic functional mushroom powders for me to try. I’m especially interested in Fit and Restore for my NYC Marathon training. I’ll be back with a full report.
After that, I had time to finish the Hot Products and to see a bunch of my faves. I said hi to Matt from Limitless Coffee, a Chicago fave. I tried their new caffeinated seltzer, too. I said hi to the Brami guys and grabbed some lupini beans for the road. I tried Sustain and Indulge’s new Snickerdoodle – it’s amazing! I stopped by Honey Stinger to see if they had any more award winning Cashew Butter Snack Bars. They did! Plus they hooked me up with chews and a pair of awesome socks, too.
Finally, I checked out Health Warrior new chocolate chip bar and protein muffins. I said hi to my friends from Sprout Living and tried their “Fruit not Candy” fruit gummies – amazing. I stopped by to say hi to Karma Nuts to see what was new. I checked out the new flavors of Skratch Bars that are in testing. I said “hi” to my friends from GORP Bar and grabbed some for the road. On the way out, I chatted with Julie from Julie’s Real Nut Butter. They’re coming to Jewel in Chicago, so I’ll be checking them out!
And just like that… it was time to go home!
Day 3 Haul:
LMS Party Haul:
Day 4 Haul:
Which products or trends do you want to see in more detail on the blog?
Stay tuned for my new finds and Finds’ faves giveaways!