In a milestone in its membership growth, the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), an international association of forward-looking companies dedicated to providing consumers with natural health products of superior quality, benefit and reliability, is pleased to welcome New Hope Natural Media, a leading producer of the natural products industry’s trade shows, publications and market intelligence, as an Executive Member and the first media company to join the organization.

Located in Boulder, Colo., recognized as the leading natural and organic foods industry hub, New Hope, a division of Penton, has helped foster and has been central to the unparalleled growth of the industry over the last 35+ years. In its roles as a primary communications voice and facilitator of industry events, it was a critical player in the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, and it has established trade show standards supporting product quality initiatives. As part of UNPA’s state chapter initiative, New Hope is well poised to partner with UNPA to create productive working relationships between industry and policy makers to help them recognize the growing economic impact of the natural products industry in the United States.

In addition to its trade and consumer products, including the upcoming Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., New Hope now offers insights across the entire industry value chain through its online solution, NEXT Trend, which provides insights from the Expo trade show environment.

“We have been a strong supporter of and partner to UNPA for many years and have now taken our partnership to a higher level,” said Len Monheit, New Hope’s executive director of strategic development. “A part of our increased value proposition for both UNPA and the industry is through our NEXT Trend solution. We can now follow the evolution of an ingredient across product categories at Expo West and determine if its use is a fad or a real trend. We can also watch the emergence of different health and marketing claims as well as certifications across product categories with an eye toward future product development.”

More recently, the company has moved toward helping industry brands and retailers identify and target customers with its Market Innovation Consumer Segmentation study. The segmentation helps companies understand early adopters of dietary supplements or natural, organic and healthy products and the different value propositions that resonate with them.

“New Hope has been a leader through an extended period of tremendous growth and challenges, supporting major industry initiatives and speaking to and organizing the industry as an agent of change,” said UNPA President Loren Israelsen. “Joining UNPA is a reflection of a very old and strong level of cooperation by New Hope to support UNPA’s ongoing interest in the establishment of our Colorado chapter, quality standards, the labeling of products containing genetically modified organisms, creating a workable definition of natural and many other issues of great importance to the industry.”