The $230 billion U.S. natural and organic products industry is facing significant challenges and opportunities as the result of the COVID-19 crisis. The state of the industry today is different than it was a month ago, and New Hope Network and Whipstitch Capital have joined forces to pull together the data and insights that can help you navigate a changing landscape. We will look at how the industry performed in 2019, how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted industry sales and growth, and what we might expect throughout 2020 and beyond based on short- and mid-term consumer behaviors and macro forces and trends. While staying grounded in reality, we also will explore the long-term opportunities that could await natural and organic products as people increasingly value and invest more in human and planetary health.

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Speakers:

Carlotta Mast

SVP and Market Leader, New Hope Network

Carlotta leads the New Hope Network Content Team, producing all content and conference programming for Natural Products Expos, NBJ Summit, Esca Bona, Nutrition Capital Network, Natural Foods Merchandiser, newhope.com, Nutrition Business Journal and the NEXT portfolio.

With 20 years of experience, Carlotta has her finger on the pulse of new health, wellness and natural product trends and the forces shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors.

Carlotta is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences and has been interviewed about the natural products industry, regulatory issues and market performance by media outlets including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, NPR, ABC News, BusinessWeek and many others.

In 2013, Carlotta co-founded a paleo snack company called Wholly Bites, which hit the market well before Whole Foods Market and other retailers began adding paleo sections to their stores.

A Colorado native, Carlotta was former president and board member of Naturally Boulder. Naturally Boulder is a trade group with the mission of nurturing community, leadership and innovation in the Colorado natural products industry.

Carlotta graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism.

Nick McCoy

Managing Director and Co-Founder, Whipstitch Capital

Nick McCoy is a founding partner at Whipstitch Capital where he executes M and A, private equity investments and acts in an advisory capacity to growing companies in the consumer products sector. His primary focus is innovative food, beverage, nutritional supplements, retail and premium consumer products businesses centered around healthy, active and sustainable living.

Nick has nearly 20 years of experience working with consumer products, healthcare and technology companies. Prior to founding Whipstitch Capital in October 2015, Nick was a founding partner at a previous investment back where he and his partner began to focus solely upon consumer products clients. To date, Whipstitch Capital’s reputation for straight talk and transparency is well known in the industry. They have been quoted in industry news outlets such as BevNET, Food Navigator, Project NOSH and New Hope Network and have completed nearly sixty transactions for emerging brands such as Blake’s All Natural, KeVita, Essentia, Cherrybrook Kitchen, Spindrift and Otter Creek Brewing Company.

Nick holds an MBA in Finance from the Wake Forest University Graduate School of Management where he was awarded a Charles H. Babcock scholarship. He also holds a BS in Hospitality Management from the University of New Hampshire. Nick is a Member of the Association of Investment Management and Research and the Boston Security Analysts Society.

Kathryn Peters

EVP of Business Development, SPINS

Kathryn Peters has served SPINS for over 13 years across numerous key areas of the growing business. Her commitment to and passion for retail inspires her work developing and sustaining valuable retail relationships at the foundation of the SPINS ecosystem. Kathryn’s insight into helping retailers succeed with SPINS is informed by her previous vice president roles in merchandising and marketing at Ahold and BI-LO, LLC. as well as years of category management and sales experience with retailers during her time with Ralston Purina.