Boulder / CO. (npee) The 30th annual Natural Products Expo East tradeshow and conference drew over 25’000 attendees from independent retailers to big box chains to see 1’363 exhibiting companies representing the natural, organic and healthy living marketplace. This premier business-to-business event, produced by New Hope Natural Media, was held at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland, September 16 to 19 and was co-located with Biofach America – All Things Organic, NPA East, and the Harvest Festival.
«Each year our mission is to build the growth potential for the attendees and exhibitors of Expo East, though we never lose sight of the tandem goal to create a stronger community between our industry and Baltimore itself. This year we launched a unique community concept, the first Farm-to-Market tour which visited nearby farms and the retail stores they serve, all within a drive of the city center; the added experience of this connection far surpassed our expectations», said Adam Andersen, Managing Director for Natural Products Expos.
This year saw a debut of over 400 new brands that utilized Expo East as a launch pad into the marketplace. Healthy food and beverage trends which emerged from the show floor included: floral ingredients; upcycled food and packaging waste; «Pegan» products (a paleo and vegan mashup containing no dairy, grains, or animal ingredients); enhanced waters, such as watermelon, alkaline, aloe, coconut, maple, probiotic-packed; and cashews as the new almonds.
Entrepreneurs had the opportunity to participate in the Natural Products Business School, a full day of learning and networking that provided in-depth solutions to common business challenges and accelerate growth potential. The morning started with a keynote address from Josh Tetrick of Hampton Creek, who spoke about finding the ingredients that we used 100 years ago and how we can use food as the platform to have impact. «Good people will do good; just make it easy for them», said Josh Tetrick.
Natural Products Expo West 2016 will return to the Anaheim Convention Center, March 09 to 13, 2016 in Anaheim, California. Natural Products Expo East 2016 is scheduled to take place at the Baltimore Convention Center, September 21 to 24, in Baltimore, Maryland (Image: Natural Products Expo East).
