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I recently went to a completely different kind of conference; usually the ones I attend deal with music, tech, female entrepreneurs or some form of entertainment, but I was invited as a guest to attend this year's Natural Products Expo East, which took place at the convention center in Baltimore, MD from September 14-16. Some people that I knew who were going told me it wasn’t as big as Natural Products Expo West, so I think I was expecting something small. Was I wrong! This was HUGE! And really amazing.
I wanted to attend this conference to get a sense of all the products that fall under the big umbrella of “natural.” It’s a new(ish), growing and well-run industry, and through my work on the Southwest Invasion (link), I am already familiar with a lot of natural products. Califia Farms, Clif Bar, Rishi Tea, Health-Ade Kombucha, Tru Roots and OCHO organic candy bars are just some of the sponsors we have worked with at our Austin-based event. Natural products run the gamut from beauty to health to wellness to snack food and more. There were many, many exhibitors at this event (over 1,500!) coming in to showcase their amazing products.
A few things I learned:
Beef, pork, duck and salmon jerky could taste so good and be so good for you
Waffles could be power packed with the right nutrients to start your day
All natural pet snacks that could be eaten by humans
Tiger Nuts aren’t actually nuts at all, but an ancient gluten-free grain that is a super food
That spraying your face with (good)bacteria was healthy
The bacteria, by the way, belongs to a Section 101 client, Mother Dirt. Check out their website at https://motherdirt.com to learn more about that new piece of health “technology.”
I was really glad I went to NPEE, and while I spent my full two days digesting (literally) all the wares that were available, I found it very exciting to not only be learning about these products but also to be seeing a growing industry that has the best interest of their consumers at the core.
