Fullfilled Favorites: Natural Products Expo West
Fullfilled Favorites: Natural Products Expo West 2022 Edition!
With over 2,700 exhibitors and 480,000 square feet of convention center packed with food, products and people buzzing with excitement, it took some time and plenty of caffeinated beverages to get though all the halls. I was up for the job and made sure to have the right shoes as I got in more steps than at any other point in the past two years at Expo West.
If you missed my trends report that I posted right after the show, feel free to check that out. It pairs nicely with a good coffee or this article.
But if you want to read about our FULLFILLED FAVORITE products, you are in the right spot!
In this article I will be sharing the products that delighted the Fullfilled team the most and I’ll briefly share a couple reasons why. We encourage you to look further into the ones that spark your interest and even order some to try for yourself.
The Pocket Latte was one of my favorite products of the show. This convenient snack made with natural and simple ingredients was absolutely delicious and looks a bit like a chocolate bar where you can break off a 1/4 of a cup of coffee or more based on the markings pressed into the bar. For any chocolate or coffee lovers this is a MUST TRY! www.pocketlatte.com
Ozo Plant Based Bacon delivered! For the first time ever I felt the experience of real bacon from a plant based option. The taste, the look, the crispy crunch. If you were to make this at home, I believe even the pickiest meat loving, bacon grubbing person would have trouble tasting a difference. We are now seeing products emerging into the market that are as good and in some cases, tastier than the meats and animal biproducts they are imitating.
The Proteinella booth was fun and the products were delicious. My favorite flavor is the salted caramel which is smooth and decadent. The Proteinella line consists of clean ingredients, with just 2 grams of sugar and 5 grams of protein per serving. This is a guilt-free treat that is tasty on crackers, toast and anywhere else one might use Nutella. Which, I don't know about you but we have been seeing just about everywhere!
Another high protein play we enjoyed was the Magic Spoon cereal line. With its take on several cereals we grew up with. This product is a healthier option for cereal lovers. The flavors tasted very close to the originals but with zero sugar, 4 net carbs and around 13-14 grams of protein per serving. I'll raise my spoon to that.
I'll be honest, when I first saw CForce water I thought it might just be another celebrity endorsement of water. I almost passed it up but something told me to stop, I listened to my gut and I am grateful I did.
The friendly staff at the booth told me the story about how this 23,000 year old water was accidentally found after drilling at Chuck Norris's Ranch. The water is rich with electrolytes which raise the alkalinity and is filtered through volcanic rock before being deposited into a sustainable aquifer.
CForce is also committed to making the world a better place through donating to a charity called Kickstart Kids.
Kickstart Kids: is a program that was founded by Chuck and his wife Gena. It's a non-profit that supports at-risk middle and high schoolers by providing an in-school character development program that uses karate to teach life-changing values and self-confidence to youth.
Freakin' Wholesome Protein Balls were very delicious and the packaging was so eye catching we couldn't help but try 1 or 2 or 7. This plant-based snack packs 3 grams of protein per ball.
Full disclosure, my friend was in the Spudsy suit. This made for a fun photo opp for those eating their way through the convention. Those who stopped to try these fries were in for a tasty surprise because this product was spicy and delicious with a great crunch.
The beautiful display and story of founder Carly Stein of Beekeeper's Naturals was very compelling. Carly struggled for years with on-and-off again bouts of tonsillitis, only finding relief after discovering propolis.
Propolis comes from a mixture of tree and plant resin created by bees to protect bee hives from bacterial infection. It does this by creating an antimicrobial layer around the colony. Beekeeper's Naturals has a well crafted line of products that use propolis to naturally help us experience relief and greater immunity as well.
Future Farm was the most impressive line of plant-based meat alternative products we tried. Each product was absolutely delicious, full of flavor and even gluten free.
We love sustainable and healthy options but after using many paper straws that broke down and even got chalky in texture in the mouth, these were a treat! Raws Reed Straws never go soft, they can handle hot or cold beverages well, they are one hundred percent compostable and will make you feel like you are on a tropical vacation whenever you use them. Get some for yourself!
The Belgian Boys booth was impressive with a conveyer belt of samples flowing. The French Toast was not only tasty but not messy at all without syrup it was quite appetizing.
Two products we loved and shared in my Trends Report I have to share again.
"In lieu of an expensive booth design, we made a $40,000 donation to a mental health and addiction recovery non-profit, She Recovers Foundation."
This was our favorite of all booth designs because it was for a powerful purpose. Our favorite tasty treat of the show was the Beast Mode Brownie from Doughp which uses Upcycled ingredient Supergrain+. Do yourself a favor and order this for yourself or those you love.
Verve's Oat Milk Flash Brew Lattes we're our favorite drinks of the convention. Each flavor was delicious and smooth. It left us wanting more, so much so that we came back to the booth at the end of the convention for another pick-me-up before traveling home.
Now for the aftermath!!!
So many amazing products were offered at the Natural Products Expo West convention. I felt it was my duty and privilege to taste more before writing this list of Fullfilled Favorites.
I am still amazed by the warmth and hospitality of the food industry and all the vendors and passionate workers that insisted we go home with their products. Bringing joy to others and having delicious products that make people feel good is what separates the decent from the great! We met a lot of great people and enjoyed many great products at Expo West and unfortunately couldn't feature or try them all.
I am extending a BIG thank you from myself and on behalf of everyone I have been sharing these products with at a four day event I hosted in San Diego this week. I am so grateful to Donovan Wong of The BizLink Group for bringing me into this industry and for the happiness and connection food brings!
If you attended the show and would like to share some of your favorite items please leave a comment.
Thank you,
-Kaden
Founder and CEO of Fullfilled
#1 Best-selling author and Consultant