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.”]
People are ready to move on from COVID. The energy was palpable and the crowds were massive. It was a but overwhelming on the first day when only one part of the show was open. It looked kind of like Las Vegas! It’s been great seeing friends and brands I love back in action and trying all of the new things!
Overall, Expo West was a ton of fun. I noticed an increased focus on diversity and inclusion. There were many awesome women and minority owned brands. There was also increased transparency around environmental impact and companies promoting carbon neutrality and sustainability efforts.
Pre-pandemic, the biggest trends were Keto (lots of fat), CBD in everything, cauliflower, coconut and collagen were the darlings and plant based meats were everywhere. There are still a ton of plant based foods, but also a focus on healthy comfort foods and better for you treats. There was a strong focus on immunity and a new focus on cardio health, too.
Day 1 – Organic Marketplace and Hot Products Hall
I arrived on Wednesday for the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace pavilion and to get a start at the New Products hall. The Organic Marketplace is outside and showcases new products and line extensions in the organic space. It was a great way to dip my foot into this huge show.
I saw some familiar brands and many new ones. Some highlights from familiar brands were chocolate covered snack sized peanut butter Perfect Bars, new Tosi Super Bites flavors, Nexty winning TCHO Toffee Time chocolate and Rise Oat Milk Latte. New finds of note included Wildwonder functional sparkling drinks, Bon AppeSweet vegan chocolates and Oteas teas in compostable packaging.
I went to the Hot Products Hall and it was packed and buzzing. It was quite a shock after pandemic living but I dipped my toe in for a few hours before checking out the Press Room.
I saw my friends from Karma Nuts and Frooze Balls right away. Always good to start with friends and faves! I tried delicious salamis from Coro and gluten free bagel bites from The Greater Knead. I checked out new products from Simple Mills, The Bearded Brothers and grabbed some pretzels from my friends at Fit Joy and nut mixes from Pizootz. I said hi to my friends at Fronen and learned about their new ice cream sauces coming soon. I tried new oat based dairy free mochi from Bubbies (delish!).
I grabbed some treats for my niece – Chum Fruit Bites and Yum Earth Giggles. I met the folks at Octonuts and grabbed some roasted almond and cashew butter samples. I finally met Emily from Lil Bucks in real life, grabbed another variety of Magsol deodorant (which I love) and stopped by to check in with Clara from Unite Foods.
I headed up to Mayawell and Lil Bucks’ happy hour. I met the teams and the PR folks and enjoyed a lovely cocktail. My friends from Rind Snacks were right next door, so I chatted with them. Finally I went down to Heywell‘s happy hour with Gather Brands. I loved meeting Ashley and Britt in real life and learning all about their brand and the awesome women owned brands represented by Gather Brands.
Day 1 Haul
Day 2 – Hot Products and Main Exhibits
Thursday morning, I met David for a run. He’s a chef with Ocean Spray. We met at a running event at Expo East. It was fun to reconnect and to hear his thoughts about trends in the industry and at the show.
After breakfast, I headed over to some appointments in the Hot Products area. First up was Moonshot Snacks. They make delicious crackers that are also carbon neutral. Their founder also helps other businesses to improve their impact on the environment.
Next, I met with Jason, HumanCo’s CEO to talk about Cosmic Bliss and their other brands. Cosmic Bliss just rebranded from Coconut Bliss. They still make great dairy free desserts but also now offer grass-fed dairy ice cream from a family farm in Oregon. I tried a gluten-free, dairy free ice cream cookie sandwich and it was amazing. We also tasted Against the Grain pizza and Snow Days grain free pizza snacks. Jason, the founder of Hu Chocolate, had to change his diet for health reasons and was dissatisfied with available options. That’s how he and his wife started Hu Chocolate. They sold the company last year and are now focused on making better-for-you comfort foods that you can trust. I’m a big fan!
En route to the meetings, I was excited to meet some new brands and to see friends. I checked out TRUNOLA, a new organic granola line, and Sound Sparkling Water with tea and botanicals. Then I saw my friends from Mezcla Bars and SOW Good. SOW good has a new veggie line that’s just off the hook. Lexie is going to send some for review and giveaway so keep an eye out!
Next I headed over to meet Jamie from Youtheory. Youtheory is a supplement brand that I’ve worked with before. Youtheory is one of the original collagen supplement brands and are now one of the largest manufacturers of collagen and turmeric in the US. Jamie and I chatted about some products for endurance athletes and women of a certain age (like me!) They gave me some samples of ashwaganda and turmeric to share. They’re debuting new liquids and gummies and some cool cardiovascular products with K2 D3 combinations. Keep an eye out for more information and the opportunity to try these products.
After this, I checked out some of the health and beauty products area. One really cool new find was from Dr. Bronner’s. Oddly enough, it wasn’t soap! It was a new line of dark chocolate called Magic All-in-One. I liked the ones I tried but the Coconut Praline is next level delicious. Be on the lookout for this one! I tried Dr. Ginger’s Coconut Mouthwash and Mouthwash Tablets. The ginger caught my eye, but that’s her name – not the flavor. The Coconut Mouthwash was surprisingly tasty and has some great efficacy info. I met the founder of Nole, a Guatemalan business that makes bar shampoo and conditioner and got some samples. Then, I saw my friends from Dr. Plotka’s Mouthwatchers and got some toothbrushes and a sample of their new Fresh Mint and Propolis toothpaste [Get 20% off online with code ERICAFINDS20].
Next, I met with Laurie, the founder of Olita. Olita is a reef safe, clean ingredient sun care line. With an active family of water sport lovers, Laurie was looking for a solution for getting sand off of everyone before they got in the car. She developed and marketed one and then added organic mineral sun screen and lip balms. Olita has tinted versions for a variety of skin tones. I’m loving my tinted sunscreen stick!
After a short break, I went back to Hot Products to meet with Sana. Sana, formerly The Real Coconut, makes grain free products that are “better for you and better for the world.” They work with sustainably sourced ingredients and make tortilla chips, tortillas and a new line of frozen, plant-based grain free burritos. They were very tasty! Then, I checked out some new brands like Good Good who makes no sugar added hazelnut spreads and jams. I met their CEO in my hotel and was impressed with this new line! I also tried Free Rain, a sparking water “with more.” Their Pink Grapefruit & Maca flavor was up for a Nexty award. I grabbed some samples from my friends at Hippie Snacks and Bobby Sue’s Nuts.
I met the team behind The Teabook. They make organic teas with fun names and amazing cartoon art. They’re named for artists, philosophers and politicians. They have a “Make Tea not War” sampler with all proceeds going to support Ukraine. I stopped by to say hi to my friends from Zest Tea, Chomps, Vermont Smoke and Cure, Pocket Latte and Noka. One of my favorite new finds of the show was from Sideaway Foods. They make shelf stable veggie and veggie noodle side dishes that taste so fresh. I can’t wait to try them all.
Next, I met with the team from Dewey’s Bakery. They contacted me before the show to see if I wanted to try their line of cookie thins. They’re all natural with no artificial flavors or colors and no preservatives. The thins come in a variety of favors including Meyer Lemon, Brownie Crisp, Peanut Butter and Triple Ginger. They’re launching a line of mini-snack cookies, too. Be on the look out for a full review and giveaway coming soon.
My final stop of the day was for a happy hour with St. Pierre’s Bakery. They make brioche bread, rolls and bagels. I was very happy to see many European breads and cookies with all natural ingredients at this year’s show. I stopped by to see Nuun to get information for Friday’s run with November Project and got a great photo op!
Day 2 Haul: Food and Snacks
Day 2 Haul: Health and Beauty
I’ll be back with Days 3 & 4 and more features soon!
Which products or trends do you want to see in more detail on the blog?
Please note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links, I’ll receive a small commission. Check out many of these and previous finds on my Amazon list!