Bee Harmony is dedicated to sourcing honey from consciously raised bees. The “beesponsible” brand offers a variety of honeys from different regions in the United States, and impressively, from different varietals of nectar the little buzzers eat and collect to eventually be transformed into honey. This raw berry varietal occurs when bees are unleashed in berry fields in the Pacific Northwest, Michigan and Maine, resulting in a subtly complex, fruity honey. SRP: $11.99; Booth N612
Unlike some facial washes that strip moisture from the skin as they cleanse, this cleanser removes impurities while restoring moisture with organic rose oil, making it the ultimate balancing product for day or night. Not to mention the sourcing story is just as sweet as the rose-scented products: the Bulgarian company grows and distills its own roses, creating a vertically integrated approach that ensures it focuses on purity and quality every step of the way. SRP: $29.00; Booth 2868
Protein is of course hot AF. Layered over that is the plant protein movement, and NOW is right on it. One serving gives 18 grams of a vegan, organic, non-GMO protein blend of pea, brown rice and quinoa. And because it’s NOW, you know it’s high quality at a fair price. SRP: $34.99; Booth 3804
Does your boring salad need a quick protein boost? Place one of these nourishing, paleo-friendly organic chicken patties atop your plate and you’ll receive 22 grams of protein and a surprising pop of flavor, thanks to the chipotle-poblano-Anaheim-chile pepper blend. Tribali sources chicken from Global Animal Partnership Step 3 farms, which ensure that animals have access to outdoor space. The brand’s beef patties always use 100 percent organic grass-fed (and grass finished!) pasture-raised beef. SRP: $11.99-$12.99; Booth N112
Overnight oats have permeated visual social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest for their meal-prep ease and opportunity to include healthful add-ins such as seeds, nuts, nondairy milks, spices and fruit. Brekki adds even more convenience with this ready-to-eat, refrigerated cup that contains a vegan, gluten-free blend of almond milk, oats, buckwheat groats, puffed amaranth, coconut milk, chia, flax and more. The cardamom adds an appealing, sweet-spicy flavor. SRP: $2.99; Booth 7101
Like a clean-label energy shot, the beverage in this handy 2 oz. container is rich, ethically sourced cold-brew black coffee that contains around 130 mg of caffeine—about the same amount in two cups of coffee. Bizzy prioritizes sustainable practices by partnering with local farmers to compost used coffee grounds and manufactures its product in a solar-powered facility. Also available in Vanilla. SRP: $2.49; Booth 8816
It’s no small feat to source the best, most high-quality ingredients for supplements. The biggest problem remains the first three things most ingredient buyers consider: price, price and price. So-called branded ingredients offer high quality that’s usually backed by intellectual property protection and scientific research studies to validate its efficacy. And that’s what REDD does here, with its selection of Magtein brand magnesium L-threonate. It’s no commodity magnesium—and has been shown to enhance learning abilities and improve various types of memory. SRP: $58.99; Booth 4541
Dr. Bronner’s is a longtime bastion of superior business, and this mentality has made the brand beloved by natural foodies, sustainability nerds and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The soap company has always used its label to tell a relevant story about something company leaders are passionate about. Right now it’s regenerative agriculture. In addition to establishing inspiring regenerative supply chains in Ghana, India, Samoa and Sri Lanka, Dr. Bronner’s now educates shoppers about this important environmental practice on the label, too. SRP: $17.99; Booth 2737
These crispy, razor-thin cookies are part dessert, part healthful snack. Made with a wholesome blend of coconut, cassava flour, cashews, coconut sugar and sea salt, the cookies can check off a list of important special diets, including paleo friendly, grain free, nut free, Certified Gluten Free and plant based. Plus, eight cookies set consumers back only 150 calories, making them a regret-free option as well. SRP: $4.49-$4.99; Booth 5359
The clean condiment company Red Duck recently earned its Certified B Corp certification, which holds the company accountable to give social and environmental standards the same importance as profit. That shouldn’t be too difficult, as Red Duck has long focused on partnering with small- and medium-sized USDA Organic farmers to elevate the stale condiment aisle and laud sustainability. This not-too-spicy taco sauce contains a harmonious medley of tomato paste, bell pepper, onion, cumin, garlic and more. SRP: $5.49; Booth N1938
Sourced from a network of regional family farms, these brown- and sage-tinted eggs are from traditional hen breeds that are pasture raised, meaning that each bird has a minimum of 108 square feet to roam, flap its wings, search for tasty insects and grasses to eat or simply bask in the sun. Unstressed hens and a varied diet lends to truly delicious eggs. SRP: $3.98; Booth 486
Boody’s name is a nod to bamboo, the abundant, fast-growing and ultra-sustainable plant from which its fabric is made. The company sources yarn made from bamboo that grows in regenerative forests in China and blends it with a little nylon and elastane to create super-soft and stretchy basics—think underwear, socks and T-shirts—that feel luxurious against your skin. SRP: $39.99; Booth 2673
When you take a vitamin D3 supplement, its source is sheep. The wool is sheared (we’re thinking that in midsummer, the sheep appreciate that), and within the wool is a grease called lanolin, which contains vitamin D3. When you can’t get enough sunshine, which the body uses to produce vitamin D, supplements are the answer. And if you don’t like the idea of vitamins from animals, Ora’s Sol Food is sourced from lichen—a natural symbiosis of algae and fungi. Let the sun shine in! SRP: $29.99; Booth N1442
This refreshing fruit-infused lemonade features, per the product name, just four organic ingredients: purified water, maple syrup, lemon juice and raspberry purée. It’s slightly high in sugar (25 grams per 12-ounce bottle), but your customers will love the ultra-clean ingredient list and the robust flavor from the maple syrup. Also available in blueberry and straight lemon flavors. 4Pure donates 5 percent of profits to local animal shelters, too. SRP: $2.39-$2.59; Booth 7402
Charcoal is hot in beauty right now, and for good reason. The versatile ingredient can do everything from clean and whiten teeth to draw impurities from the skin. This no-frills product (it literally contains just one ingredient—you guessed it, activated charcoal) can be mixed with water to make a facemask or used to brush teeth. Plus, the company is focused on maintaining a sustainable supply chain, sourcing from trees without harming forests. SRP: $12.84; Booth 4666
A pureed paleo option for growing babies or toddlers, Serenity Kids makes squeeze packs filled with organic sweet potatoes, organic kale, Himalayan sea salt and grass-fed and grass-finished beef. Not only does Serenity Kids buy from regenerative farmers, but also they give a portion of profits to the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, an organization that protects and supports small farmers. SRP: $3.99; Booth N1245
SmartyPits’ three-level approach fights body odor without the use of aluminum, phthalates, parabens or propylene glycol. Its deodorant formula includes vegetable-based powders and oils to create a moisture barrier on the skin; mineral ingredients like magnesium and baking soda to neutralize the environment where odor-causing bacteria thrive; and prebiotics to strengthen the skin microbiome. Created by the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, SmartyPits donates 10 percent of its profits to breast cancer research and is on a mission to help the world go aluminum free, one stick at a time. SRP: $12; Booth N1200
At 9 grams of protein per half-cookie serving, Munk Pack’s Certified Vegan chocolatey cookie is a solid way to have your dessert and get energized by it, too. Inside this large cookie you’ll find peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, brown rice protein, gluten-free oat flour and turbinado sugar. The addition of zero-calorie monk fruit extract allows the sugar content to be lower than normal—9 grams for half the cookie, 18 grams for the whole shebang. SRP: $2.79; Booth 5753
Using renewable, reclaimed and organic material, Bambu handmakes elegant products for the home and outdoors, like these bowls made from the discarded shells of coconuts harvested in southern Vietnam for milk. Bambu set up a reclaim program to collect the best shells, clean them and polish them to create eco-friendly bowls that are perfect for ice cream, snacks or cereal. SRP: $12; Booth N218
A seemingly simple snack brand dedicated to sourcing Demeter USA (yes, biodynamic!) ingredients. White Leaf Provisions is redefining what it means to source responsibly. Sometimes, that means buying produce from farmers who treat the entire farm like an ecosystem, and regard building soil fertility as paramount to the farm’s health. Just two wildly delicious ingredients (biodynamic apples and organic Ceylon cinnamon) comprise this SKU, which we hope represents the future of food. SRP: $7.99-$8.49; Booth N739
Banana is rapidly gaining popularity in the natural food world, likely for its abundance of naturally occurring sugars, universally appealing flavor profile and ease of incorporating into products such as Hakuna Banana’s nondairy frozen dessert. Free from refined sugars, this pint contains bananas, coconut milk, dates, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, coffee, vanilla extract and more. It’s a creamy ice cream-ish treat with a banana-forward flavor. SRP: $6.79; Booth N346
Sure, this Certified B Corporation brand makes top-notch goat and cow’s milk cheese in Websterville, Vermont. But we love Vermont Creamery because it’s dedicated to improving the lives of its employees, its farmer suppliers and land in its rural communities. Notably, every person employed by Vermont Creamery participates in profit sharing, the management team is comprised of 50 percent women and employees are incentivized to bike or take public transportation to work. This 100 percent cow’s milk cheese is a reflection of Vermont Creamery’s sterling operations. SRP: $8.99; Booth 7311
Farmed fish can have a bad reputation. From overcrowded pens to feed comprised of overfished species, in many areas of the world farmed salmon is vastly less environmentally friendly than wild salmon. Verlasso, an open-ocean operation based on the coast of Chile, makes a valiant effort to change the idea that farmed salmon is bad salmon. The company follows a protein equation of “fish in, fish out” ratio of 1:1 by transitioning its feed to an algae-based pellet. The Monterey Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program awarded Verlasso a “Good Alternative” rating. Booth N1300
When a clean-label chocolate bar has a unicorn on the package, chances are it will be magical inside. This ultra-tasty “bah” from Supah Stah features a verified medley of healthful ingredients—organic unroasted cacao paste, coconut palm sugar, hemp seeds, cacao butter, coconut flakes, chia seeds, goji berries, maca root, Tahitian vanilla, sea salt and cinnamon. Supah Stah uses wild-crafted cacao from Ecuador that thrives in an ecologically diverse environment. SRP: $6.99; Booth 9200
This chewy, good-sized bar is something to look forward to whether hiking or powering through expense reports at the office. It’s packed with sweet, filling ingredients including brown rice syrup, gluten-free oats, chocolate chunks, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, coconut, sesame, flax and more. In addition to being a member of 1% For The Planet, this company partners with Tahoe-based outdoor organizations such as Tahoe Rim Trail Association and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association. SRP: $2.49; Booth N1110
This chewy, good-sized bar is something to look forward to whether hiking or powering through expense reports at the office. It’s packed with sweet, filling ingredients including brown rice syrup, gluten-free oats, chocolate chunks, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, coconut, sesame, flax and more. In addition to being a member of 1% For The Planet, this company partners with Tahoe-based outdoor organizations such as Tahoe Rim Trail Association and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association. SRP: $2.49; Booth N1110
In the following slides, Natural Foods Merchandiser showcases exciting products within four industry trends and opportunities identified by New Hope Network’s 2018 Next Forecast report: regenerative agriculture, collaboration, shortened supply chains, and less meat and dairy.
It’s important, though, to remember that products don’t drive change. People do. Strategize Expo West by learning more about what’s trending and prioritizing deeper conversations. Instead of asking if a brand is sustainable, ask why. And ask how.
Here's to your best Expo West ever.
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