If you’ve been following along on Instagram stories, you know I attended Expo West in Anaheim again. I was planning to attend from Wednesday to Saturday this year but the “cold” I had the previous week/end turned out to be COVID [womp womp.] Instead of cancelling, I realized I could safely go for Friday and Saturday and masked up to be cautious except for a few photo ops. One other change this year was that it rained most of the time I was there. Even with all of that, I’m so glad I went.[Check out my reel and Instagram story highlights “Expo West ’23.”]
Overall, Expo West had great energy this year despite the rain. I noticed a continued focus on diversity and inclusion. There were many awesome women and minority owned brands. There was also a focus on transparency around environmental impact and companies promoting carbon neutrality and sustainability efforts. Other trends I saw were fun global flavors, functional foods and drinks and mission driven companies.
Day 1 – Hot Products
I arrived on Friday and hit the Press Room and “Hot Products.” Hot Products opens Wednesday and closes Friday so I had to hit both huge halls between 9:00 and 6:00.
I arrived right at 9:00 and hit the Press Room. Some sponsors offer samples in the Press Room so it’s easy to try a bunch of products you may not have a chance to stop by. Some of the brands in the Press Room were familiar to me like ZenB, Unbound Snacks, Verb Bar, Jackson’s Honest and Brownie Brittle. Some new finds were Scott’s Protein Balls, Vino Probiotic Soda, You Need This Churro Puffs and TruEarth Laundry Detergent Sheets.
I went to the Hot Products Hall and it was not too crazy. I heard the first day was so packed like last year. I was kind of glad to miss it! I started on the first floor with the low numbers and worked my way up.
Right away, I saw Clara from Unite Foods. I’m a big fan of their bars in global flavors and am super excited to try their new Baklava and Bubble Tea bars. I stopped by some “faves” including Noka, Waterdrop, NuGo and Spudsy.
I caught up with the folks at Octonuts and grabbed some of their new Virgin Macadamia Oil to try. I saw my friends from Olyra and got some of their new cream filled breakfast biscuits. Then, I grabbed some of Core Foods new “stress relief” line with adaptogens. I stopped to admire Diaspora Co.’s beautiful spice line and grabbed some samples to check out. They just moved from glass to these beautiful tins!
I was excited to see Lexie from SOW Good for our trade show photo. One of my fave new finds may not be their healthiest product. TikTocker’s convinced them to make some dehydrated candies. They are off the hook and definitely a lower calorie way to enjoy some favorites. (Review and giveaway coming soon!) I visited with Ganesh and Tony from Karma Nuts. They shared some of my faves and then let me try their new product. I’m sworn to secrecy but it’s also AMAZING!
I checked out some fun new products from Crafty Counter, Taza Chocolate and Scott’s Protein Balls. The Wunder Eggs from Crafty Counter are vegan hard boiled eggs. The look, taste and texture are pretty spot on! Taza rebranded and has a new plant based crunch line. Scott’s Protein Balls are plant based and gluten free and come in some awesome flavors.
I stopped my to check in with some brands I love. Thunderbird Bar has four new flavors coming soon. I tried Chili Pepita Pineapple – YUM! I said hi to Hector from Tia Lupita. I’m a big fan of their cactus chips. Savor by Susie has a variety of delicious gluten free pretzels and now they come in chocolate covered, too! Bobo’s has new protein bars and chocolate dipped oat bars.
I stopped in to say hi to my friends from Dewey’s Bakery and Every Body Eat. Dewey’s Bakery has new Key Lime cookie thins and some new flavors of minis. It was fun to meet the Every Body team in real life. I’m obsessed with their gluten free and allergen free crackers. [Get 15% off online with code ERICAFINDS.]
I stopped to see Lisa from Kuli Kuli Foods. This new mama is glowing and she gave me some of their new Mood Magic to try! [Get 15% off online with code ERICAFINDS.] I stopped by to thank (re)zip for sending me some of these awesome food-safe reusable bags. Julie, their CEO, demoed the bags and showed me their awesome pet line.
I saw some more of my faves and a new brand that’s intriguing. My friends from Rind Snacks have some “Remixes” coming soon. This is their version of trail mix and the combos are delish! I checked out WhatIf’s rebrand and grabbed some of my fave apple snacks from Oba Snacks. NuttZo has reformulated their refrigerated energy bars and has a new line for dogs – MuttZo – coming soon. My head was on a swivel when I saw Tea Botanicals’ hot flash and night sweat teas. I’m definitely trying those.
I met up with Megan from Power Digital and did a quick meet up with some of their clients. We visited with Pipcorn and learned about their new upcycled corn twists. If you’re a Taco Bell fan, the cinnamon is like a healthy version of their corn twists. We visited with Chomps and learned about their new Taco Beef and Beef Habanero meat sticks. [Use code ERICAFINDS for 15% off your order online.] We chatted with A Dozen Cousins about their jerk seasonings and then headed over to the main halls.
In the main halls, we checked out Tattooed Chef’s new Oat Butter Bars and (coming soon) Grain Free Tortilla Chips. Then we headed over to meet LesserEvil. They’re doing a 100th anniversary Disney snack pack. Last up, we checked out Ecos’ plant-powered laundry detergent sheets and grabbed some samples to try and share.
I stopped by to meet the team from Unbound Snacks. This brother and sister is taking the family business forward with new roasted seasoned walnuts. Yum! I swung by Endangered Species Chocolates and Hello I’m Ugly to grab some goodies. I met the team from Silver Wings and got some colloidal silver to try. I visited with Kelly from Wedderspoon to say hello and grab some Manuka honey on the go packs and lozenges.
I had a longer meeting with Rosy from Maple Organics. This mom (and chemist) couldn’t find an eczema treatment that didn’t have harmful ingredients so she made her own based on a family recipe. They now have toxin-free, effective pain relief creams, eczema creams, wound care and cold and flu rub. Stay tuned for a review!
I met up with Insta-friend Brittney. It was so much fun to meet her IRL. Her energy is infectious! We took some fun photos and videos. I stopped by to see my friends from Undercover Quinoa to say hi and congratulate them for being offered as a snack on United Airlines. [How cool is that?] I checked out the GoMacro kids line and grabbed some samples, got a La Croix NiCola (my fave and hard to find) and then headed back to the hotel.
What a great day! I’m so glad I came for the last two days of Expo West. This day was totally worth the trip. I dropped everything off at the hotel and went and got some dinner to eat in my room. Since I wore a mask all day (except for photos and outside), I only tried a few things all day and I was ravenous.
Day 1 Haul
Day 2 – Everything Else – Main Halls
I had a few hours to cover the main halls. I got there right at 10 and grabbed some Nuun for hydration and Death Wish Coffee for power [Get 10% off online with code DWCAFF10].
I headed downstairs to Hall E where many of my faves are every year. I stopped by gimme to tell them how much I love the new vegan cheddar and chili lime seaweed snacks. I grabbed some of my faves from Hu Chocolate. [Get 15% off online with code ericafinds.] I stopped by to see Sabrina at Diana’s Bananas and to admire their new branding. This is The Husband’s fave healthy find of all time. I tried Honey Mama’s new seasonal Lemon Blueberry blonde truffle bar. BOLO – it’s delish! Cutest new product mascot and team went to The Froot Relief – a good for you fruit snack from South Africa.
I stopped by Tru Fru admired their “mascot” and grabbed my $2 bill. I stopped by to chat with Quinn and found out their new filled gluten free pretzel is pizza! Good for me “Combos,” yes, please! I met the team behind Malu Coffee and grabbed some pocket pour overs to try. I stopped by Like Air Puffcorn. They’ve been all over Instagram so I was curious. I tried the pancake puffcorn and YUM!! Stay tuned for a review and giveaway.
I stopped by Runamok and found this amazing Sparkle Syrup. I need some dazzling syrup in my life – don’t you? I also grabbed some yummy Maple Ginger Mule cocktail mixer to try. I went over to beg Polar Seltzer to bring vanilla seltzer to Chicago and got a preview of their Mariano’s collab. I could tell you what it was but I’d have to kill you – LOL. I’ll share as soon as it’s safe ;). I grabbed all of the Bare Bones bone broths. These are a go-to for a quick cure for the afternoon hungries!
I found two really cool innovative products, too. Canadian Lobster Oil is making an oil from lobster shells and Freshbell is making a no sugar added pomegranate collagen jelly. The pomegranate jelly tastes great and is available on Amazon. I also grabbed some new Seedwise cookies from Ozery Bakery to try.
Finally, I headed up to the main halls to check out supplements and beauty products. I met the founder of Lafe’s and checked out their natural deodorants. They’ve been around for 25 years and focus on making the best AND most affordable natural products. Stay tuned for a review and giveaway. I spun the wheel and won a product from Dr. Botanicals – a fave British brand.
I made the quick rounds of the remaining food products. I grabbed a bunch of samples to try. I was excited to see that ChocXO‘s dark chocolate coconut cups are out. They’re so delish! I was able to grab some Harmony Snacks trail mixes and walnuts from Diamond. On the way out, I grabbed some Jambars to try. These are new from the founder of Powerbar and have some of the old school flavors! I also tried Carrot Bacon’s carrot jerky. It’s more like a chip but they nailed the “bacon” flavor!
And just like that, I was headed back to the airport!
Day 2 Haul
Which products or trends do you want to see in more detail on the blog?
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