11-11-2021
Missed Expo East? Here’s A Tiny Taste Of The Trends
If you’ve ever gone, it’s likely you’ve really missed attending Natural Product Expos East and West over the past (almost!) 2 years.
But 21,000 people and 1500 exhibitors did make it to the September 2021 show in Philadelphia, including our own VP, Innovation Manager, Katie Hagan, who scoured the booths at this year’s show, one of the first industry events to go live again.
Here are Katie’s top 6 picks for innovative products that combine intrigue, functionality, and deliciousness: a difficult balancing act.
Superfrau Sparkling Whey Drink
Superfrau is a bubbly fruity beverage made from upcycled whey from the yogurt making process. It is bursting with vibrant, not-too-sweet fruit flavor with an underlying dairy note reminiscent of fruit yogurt. It’s naturally loaded with probiotics and electrolytes, and is surprisingly delicious! Upcycled, gut-healthy, and bubbly in a can: could it be any more on-trend?
Gatsby & Own Your Hunger
Both Gatsby chocolate and Own Your Hunger hazelnut spread were featured at the Epogee booth. Made with the remarkable lower-calorie fat replacer, Epogee (a modified plant-based oil) and alternative sweeteners, both of these new products delivered velvety, indulgent texture and rich chocolate flavor with less than ½ the calories of conventional options. I’m personally not a fan of many alternative sweeteners and even I was impressed!
gatsbychocolate.com
ownyourhunger.com
Evive frozen smoothie starters
Evive has launched a line of wildly colorful smoothie starters that emerge from the package in a flower-like disk of frozen wedges that pop out like ice cubes from a tray. The wedges are packed with fruit, veggies and superfoods like spirulina, baobab and sea buckthorn, and are sweetened with stevia. Blend with your favorite milk and voila! – a delicious and nutritious, technicolor smoothie.
Sweetpea chickpea ice cream
Sweetpea, a non-dairy ice cream made from chickpeas, was truly indulgent and so creamy it was hard to believe it was not dairy. Plus it has half the calories and half the fat of conventional ice cream, so what’s not to love?
Patch Organics Pumpkin Seed Milk
Just when you thought you’d seen plant milks made from every ingredient possible, there comes a new one made from pumpkin seeds with a delicious clean flavor so good I polished off the entire container without realizing it. Pumpkin seed milk is allergen-free and nutrient-dense with 6 grams of protein as well as iron, magnesium and potassium. In the very crowded plant-based milk category – this one is a stand-out.
TRUFF hot sauce
In a word, YUM. I am a sucker for all things truffle and love to kick things up a notch spice-wise, so this truffle-infused hot sauce was calling my name. It’s absolutely delicious and comes in a heavy perfume-like bottle that would make a wonderful gift – if I don’t eat it all myself first!