Foods, beverages, pet treats and plant care brands compete at Pitch SlamFoods, beverages, pet treats and plant care brands compete at Pitch Slam

Competition at this year's Pitch Slam is sure to be fierce, as an organic pet treats brand mixes it up with nine other companies. Meet the brands.

Victoria A.F. Camron, Digital content specialist

February 3, 2025

11 Slides
The logos of the 10 brands competing in 2025 Pitch Slam are featured in this collage.

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These 10 natural products brands, which include a past NEXTY Award winner, will compete at Pitch Slam on March 4. New Hope Network

At a Glance

  • A Better Treat offers quality organic, single-ingredient pet treats, made in the United States.
  • Five of this year's food and beverage brands are Certified Organic; two are also Regenerative Organic Certified.
  • One of this year's brands won an Editor's Choice NEXTY Award at Natural Products Expo East 2022.

After the NEXTY Awards, the most heated competition at Natural Products Expo West is Pitch Slam, where 10 entrepreneurs face a panel of judges to win a free Expo West booth and thousands of dollars in services to grow their natural brands.

Again this year, Pitch Slam is a one-night event, starting at 6 p.m. in the Marquis Ballroom Center in the Marriott at the Anaheim Convention Center. Be sure to arrive early to get your seats. Pitch Slam is sponsored by 301 Inc. and Greenspoon Sales.

Natural Products Pitch Slam will also be livestreamed on the Pitch Slam agenda page and YouTube, and available on demand there, as well.

Photos of the five Pitch Slam judges, who are named in story.

After some introductory remarks, each brand has 3 minutes to make their pitch, then 4 minutes to answer questions from the judges. When they've all finished, the judges will deliberate, and audience members will vote for their favorites. Judges then announce five finalists who will, as a group, answer more of the judges' questions.

Judges for this year's Pitch Slam have broad experience in and out of the natural food space:

  • Kathleen Casanova—Founding executive director, Project Potluck.

  • Tahaji Felder—Senior accelerator program manager, Target.

  • Michael Jones—VP, lending business development, RSF Finance.

  • Jason Murrell—Buyer, Jimbo’s … Naturally!, a San Diego, California, natural and organic retailer.

  • Carley Nelson—Vice president of investments, Manna Tree, a global private equity firm.

Related:Painterland Sisters’ yogurt wins 2024 Expo West’s Pitch Slam grand prize

Three winners will receive prizes. The audience choice and the judges' runner-up each receive two badges for Newtopia Now, held Aug. 20-22 in Denver, Colorado; two badges for the 2026 Natural Products Expo West; one registration for Business School at 2026 Expo West; and coverage on NewHope.com.

For first place, the winning brand will receive a package valued at $30,000 that includes a free booth at 2026 Natural Products Expo West and a $500 travel stipend; New Hope Network digital and print services; two badges for Newtopia Now; a MarketReady consultation; one registration for Business School at 2026 Expo West; two education badges for SupplySide Global, which starts Oct. 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada; and more.

Click through this gallery to meet the competitors. If a brand is exhibiting at Expo West, its booth number is listed. Booths that start with F can be found in the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace, a tent near the Marriott, from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 4.

Natural Products Expo West, the leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry, is open March 4-7 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Click through for the agenda, registration, travel information and more. Subscribe here to receive updates.

Related:Farmer-focused Jasberry jousts for Expo East Pitch Slam title

About the Author

Victoria A.F. Camron

Digital content specialist, New Hope Network

Victoria A.F. Camron was a freelance writer and editor contracted with New Hope Network from 2015 until April 2022, when she was hired as New Hope Network's digital content specialist—otherwise known as the web editor.

As she continues the work she has done for years—covering the natural products industry for NewHope.com and Natural Foods Merchandiser; writing up earnings calls and other corporate news; and curating roundups of trends and information for the website—she is thrilled to be an official part of the New Hope team. (She doesn't mind having paid holidays and vacations again, though!) Victoria also compiled and edited newsletters, and served as interim content director for Delicious Living in 2016.

Before working as a freelancer, she spent 17 years in community newspapers in Longmont, Colorado, and St. Charles and Wheaton, Illinois. Victoria is a Colorado native and a graduate of Metropolitan State College of Denver.

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