[IKYMI – Read Part 1 of this post.]
If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know I attended Expo West in Anaheim again. If you missed my stories, check out the Expo West 22 highlights on my Instagram page. You may remember that Expo West was one of the first major events to be cancelled in 2020 and it was cancelled in 2021, too. It was great to be back live and to see over 2,700 vendors attending.
[Check out my Instagram post and Instagram story highlights “Expo West ’22.”]
Day 3
Day 3 started with a fun run and workout with Nuun Hydration and November Project Los Angeles. We met at the convention center and ran to a local park. The workout was 5 stations of body weight exercises done in a group with laps run in between. It was tough but really fun. Afterwards we had Nuun and Mush. I did a three mile run with my friends Kirby and David and went to get ready for the day.
I started the day in the press room. I checked out some of the product samples including Dr. Bronner’s Magic All in One Chocolate, Nature’s Heart Trail Mix, Barnana Plantain Snacks and Jade Leaf Matcha. I got a coffee and some water and was ready to get started. Friday was the last day for Hot Products and I had some appointments over there in the afternoon. I started in the main show hall before heading over to Hot Products.
I grabbed a Nixie and headed in. I chatted with the folks from Alter Eco and grabbed some chocolate and some samples of their new dark chocolate granola. I stopped by at Veggies Made Great and had a stuffed cauliflower bite. Be on the look out for these in the frozen appetizer section. They’re delish and are better for you! I stopped by at Airly and told them how much I love their chocolate oat crackers. I grabbed some Red Vines Made Simple and Mocati from my friends at American Licorice Company and tried some delicious Avocado Honey from The Casa Market.
I tried some delicious espresso chocolate from Big Island Coffee Roasters. Then I met the team from Nature’s Heart. They’re a top selling company in South America. The trail mix flavors look AMAZING. They have some sweet and some savory – including Everything Bagel. I met Bonnie from Blissfully Better and she told me all about their better for you chocolates sweetened with coconut nectar. I’m a huge fan. I swung by Ocean Spray and tried their new cranberry seeds. They’re used like chia and have a very strong nutrition profile. They also are a by-product of their usual processing so they’re upcycled.
I stopped by Wild Planet and grabbed some of their new canned, ready-to-eat tuna salads. I then chatted with the guys from Queen St. Bakery. They make breads and bagels with chia flour. They’re really good and are gluten free and packed with nutrients. I can’t wait to get these in Chicago. I met the team at Melt Organic and tried their plant based butter and cream cheese. It’s delish!
Next, I tried one of my favorite new finds of the show from OBA Snacks. OBA (Organic Based Apple) Snacks are flour free apple snacks that crunch like cookies. They’re made with four organic ingredients: apples, egg whites, cane sugar and lemon juice. They also come in chocolate covered. Stay tuned for more on these yummy snacks!
After this, I headed back over to Hot Products to meet with Planting Hope. Planting Hope is the umbrella of brands including faves Hope & Sesame, Mozaics and now RightRice. Mara showed me the awesome new look on Hope & Sesame and I tried their outstanding Barista Blend. I can’t wait to have this in my coffee! She also showed me RightRice’s new risotto line and new flavors. I’m a big fan of these veggie based quick rices. The Husband likes them, too.
I continued on and found some new products and chatted with some of my fave brands. I grabbed some Medbars with sweet and savory Mediterranean flavors and checked out Happy Grub’s squeezable pancake mixes (and their awesome artist). I tried some of Four Sigmatic’s new Ground Coffee with Lion’s Mane and Chage mushrooms and grabbed some Olyra breakfast biscuits. I met the team behind Daily Crunch and grabbed some of their sprouted almonds. We love them around here!
I headed over to meet with Lisa from Kuli Kuli Foods. I tried their amazing new Super Gummies (review and giveaway coming soon), grabbed some Super Bark and she set me up with a run “date” for Saturday. [Get 15% off at Kuli Kuli Foods with code ERICAFINDS.] I grabbed a plant based ganache from Bon Devil. I ate it for dessert later on and it was AMAZING.
I headed back over to the main halls to start on my Hall E . It’s the natural products and specialty brands area. It has some of my favorite brands. I caught up with Mark from Nuun. He shared a bunch of new products with me including their new Daily line which is coming soon. He hooked me up with lots of swag and Nuun to share, too. So stay tuned! I tried Nate’s Naturals delicious cinnamon whipped honey (coming soon). I stopped by and grabbed some Skinnydipped nuts and nut butter cups. I chatted with my friends from Honey Mama’s and grabbed a new Birthday Cake Truffle Bar. I grabbed a botanical seltzer from Aura Bora – another fave.
On my way out, I got to meet Andrew and Brad from Salivation Snack Foods. They make amazing keto friendly brownies. They’re launching a new blondie and I’m a fan. I helped them with their launch so it was great fun to meet in person.
Day 3 Haul
Day 4 – Last Lap
The large halls are open on Saturday. I planned to stay just a few hours to finish up Hall E. On the way in, I grabbed some wellness shots from RW Knudsen and to chat with MALK to profess my love for their almond and oat drinks. I grabbed some snack sized Perfect Bars and tried Country Archer’s plant based jerky made with mushrooms. It’s amazing! I chatted with the gals from Verve Coffee Roasters and got some of their instant coffee packs. I’m a big fan after trying them at the Flex & Flow retreat. I tried Blue Stripes Urban Cacao’s yummy Cacao Water and chatted with the team from Quinn Snacks.
It wouldn’t be an Expo without catching up with Omur from Lebby Snacks. He gave me a hint about new things to come. Stay tuned. I chatted with the folks from Bragg about some apple cider vinegar supplements and grabbed some True Energy to try.
I met up with my friends from Undercover Snacks and grabbed some of their new flavors. I met the team from Chubby Snacks and answered some big time runner questions while waiting for my superfood PB&J to toast. I visited with the team from Runamok and checked out their infused maple syrups and delicious looking maple cocktail syrups. I grabbed some Cookie and Candy Pop for my niece and nephew and tried some delicious gluten free cookies from Meli’s.
I chatted with the team from Michel et Augustin and admired their new colorful branding. I met the team from Waterdrop. I told them how much I love them since I tried them at Expo East. I grabbed some Luna Blend cinnamon coffee from Humboldt Coffee Co. Finally, I stopped by to see Dang. They were cleaned out but luckily they sent me a shipment of goodies for a post. Keep and eye out!
And just like that, it was time to go!
Day 4 Haul
I’ll be back with more features and giveaways soon!
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