Tag Archives: Expo East

Second Half of My Top 10 at Expo East (kinda)

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Well, friends, it’s clear I’m not going to be able to only do a “top 10” from Expo East. I loved too many things there! So, I’ll finish out this second half of the Top 10 list, and the others will be written about in their own posts. So, here is the second half of my (still not finished) Top 10 List of products from Expo East 2012:

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REED’S ORGANIC KOMBUCHA: this is only the second store-bought kombucha that I really loved the taste of. They are organic (bonus!) and low sugar. Fantastic. I need not say more. Love me some ‘bucha! www.reedsinc.com for a store locator. IF you have a ginger allergy like my sister, you are out of luck here, since every kombucha flavor has ginger in it.

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INBAR: I hope to do a full product review on this new bar, so I’ll keep it brief for now. Great taste and low sugar. Made especially for people with diabetes, and everyone else too. Brand new product just launched, so you may not be able to find it in stores yet, but I’m sure it won’t take long since it fills a great niche! www.inbalancehealthcorp.com

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THE ORANGE OWL: all natural body products made in Vermont. The owner of The Orange Owl, Akshata,  gave me a cinnamon & spice lip balm that I have loved. It smells like autumn every time I wear it! This is also a new company, and you will probably need to order from www.theorangeowlshop.com for now. Besides being an “all natural 100% chemical free” line, they use green packaging, and the owl is too cute!

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VERMONT Soap ORGANICS: this family owned organic company has many different wonderful organic products and I hope to do a full post on them. They were mentioned in LivingMaxwell’s blog for his Top 5 non-food products from Expo East, so you know they’re the real deal! We have tried their body soap and toothbrush sanitizer and have enjoyed them both. You can see a full list of products and where to buy them at www.vermontsoap.com

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THREE TWINS ICECREAM: Wow! Was this a yummy treat! And organic, even better! I think they gave me a coupon (I really need to go look through that pile of paperwork!), so when I use it, I can write a post with more specifics. All I remember is that is tasted amazing and they had very unusual flavors! From the response I got from you guys on InstaGram, you love this product too!  www.threetwinsicecream.com

So, there it is! The second (and last) half of my “Top 10 at Expo East 2012”, but I will post SEVERAL other great products (which are also in my “top 10”) later. They will receive their own individual product review and maybe even a few give-aways! So, I guess I really will end up with more like a Top 20 list, but that’s OK! There were thousands of great products at Expo East! If there is something you are specifically looking for, let me know!

Lastly, I want to include some trends I noticed at the Expo, and I will just bullet point these quickly:

– gluten free is huge, and will probably only increase in the years to come. I have met so many people who have recently been diagnosed celiac, so I am sure there will be a large enough demand for these companies  to increase their product lines.

–coconut oil is hot hot hot! The world is opening its eyes to the nutrition and safe cooking aspects of coconut oil (stable at high heat), and it’s only going to get bigger. I saw flavored coconut oils, and flavored liquid options, and some refined products that will not have the coconut flavor that some just can’t tolerate. Also, it’s used in beauty products and other foods as well. I am so happy to see it expand in many ways!

–nuts and seeds were huge too! Quinoa, hemp, and chia seeds were sprouting up everywhere (hehe), and nuts covered in everything from chocolate to spicy seasonings.

–labeling is important and consumers are educating themselves on reading labels & ingredients, and looking for “organic”, “kosher”, “GMO free”, and others. If nothing else, consumers want ingredients they can read and know what’s in there. We (in America anyway) are starting to wake up to reading ingredients and paying attention to what we’re eating and giving our children to eat. I applaud every minute of it! I believe this trend is here to stay, and will only improve the quality of foods offered by manufacturers and farmers.

–organic is expanding in EVERYthing and I couldn’t be happier!!:) Of course! Not only at the end-product, but even at the manufacturing plant itself. There are companies going to extremes to be cleaner and greener and organically certified in their buildings. Organic cleaning products, foods, clothing, body products, tea, energy drinks, protein powders, supplements, and the list goes on and on. I hope to introduce you to many of the organic product lines coming out soon. This was the highlight of my Expo trends! (not that something HAS to be certified organic for me to like it, but it’s always a nice bonus!)

If you try any of these amazing products, be sure to let me know. Many of you already have, and I appreciate it so much! Even more importantly, let these companies know how you heard about them and what you like about their product line. Let’s cast our vote at the cash registers and let farmers and manufacturers know we want more truly natural and organic and GMO-free products! They keep making/selling what we keep buying. It’s simple economics: Supply and Demand.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

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Organic Eater’s Top 10 at Expo East (in two Top 5s!)

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I had so wanted to get this post out earlier, but a friend called with an unexpected trip to a gorgeous beach house, for FREE, so I had to get all my beach preparations taken care of before I could blog. (Blogging is not a paying gig for me, so I had to prioritize. I love y’all, but you don’t pay me to do this. hehe) So you are getting the first installment of 5 of my favorites, with another 5 coming soon.

Here are a few of my awesome finds from my Expo East 2012 experience! And my Top 10 is NOT in any order because it’s too hard for me to do that!! I loved them all!!

OUTTA THE PARK BBQ SAUCE:  

This little gem of a sauce comes in original/mild, which is spicy enough for me, and a hot (and vegan) version too! They use clean ingredients, nothing fake. There is organic sugar in it, so I have to watch my portions, but the flavor is so amazing I don’t need much anyway! My 8-year-old was persuaded to try some new vegetables because he was allowed to have this sauce with them! He loves this stuff! Heck, we ALL do! It’s delicious and although it isn’t USDA Organic, they use mostly organic ingredients, and I have spent enough time with the owners to know they care about clean ingredients in their sauce! You can find them in Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Healthy Home Market, and many other stores. You can also find them on the web to order at www.outtatheparksauce.com, and their website has a “where to buy” link of each state and store they’re in, so it’s easy to get! Go now!


NOURISH skin care:  I fell in love with their “look” as soon as I saw them, and then they told me they were USDA certified organic and I knew it was true love. Then they BLEW ME AWAY when they told me their price point of less than $10. I literally said, “What??!!! Get OUT!!” when the CEO of the company told me that. You can find them at www.nourishusda.com, they’re in lots of stores too. Can’t rave enough about them because when I find organic and affordable, I’m all about it! And they smell really good too!:)

HARVEST BAY COCONUT WATER:

I’m gonna be straight with you and admit that I’m not crazy about the taste of coconut water. I mean I WASN’T crazy about the taste of coconut water, until I found this one! If ever an Oh my! was appropriate, it’s here. Oh my! I can’t explain it, except that possibly where they’re sourced makes a difference. I can’t remember where she told me they come from. And if their coconut water is this good, I’m praying I can find their coconut oil asap! (where is that business card I got from them anyway???!!!) They are at www.harvest-bay.com and in many stores, easy to find. No idea what the price point is, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Yes, that good. Sersly.
FLAX SEASONING:
If you follow me on Instagram, you already know my love for this organic seasoned salt since finding it at Expo East. I add it on everything that I can’t use the BBQ sauce for, haha! Just kidding, but it really is “clean” and oh so tasty!! Again, I used it to coerce the boy to eat some more roasted veggies. It worked. This stuff has just stayed on the kitchen table (for easy access) since I brought it home from the Expo. It is now a staple of the OE kitchen. I’m even including a back-view picture of it, so you can see the list of organic ingredients in it. The also have a salt free seasoning, and a sweet maple that I have yet to try, but maybe Darren (the owner) will see this post and send me some! It’s just recently in Whole Foods (congrats Darren!), but other stores carry it too, so go to their website to find it. www.flaxseasoning.com
and last (only for this post, but not least by any means)……
IF YOU CARE kitchen products:
Green products galore! Love what the company’s about, and don’t know of another company quite like them. They have unique products to help your kitchen be more environmentally responsible, as well as healthier for YOU! Their parchment paper is the ONLY one I ever use because it’s not covered with chemicals or waxes that could easily be getting in your food when you bake. Ew. You can find them at many natural food stores and on-line at www.ifyoucare.com  If you care, go to their site to read more about their unbleached paper and other unique qualities (oh, you know I had to do that!). I heart them for caring.
OK, that HAS to be it for now! It’s so late and I’ve got so much to do! I can see now, there’s no way I’ll be able to do only 10 of these. I love too much!:) If you buy any of these products, please let me know, and more importantly, let the owners and/or marketing departments of these companies know where you heard about their great produts!! More next week my friends, so make sure you’re following the blog so you don’t miss it!
Encouraging Health,
Organic Eater
(I have no idea why the “enter” key is not making those lines “go down” where they’re supposed to be above. I like spaces, and this is not giving me spaces. Grrr)

Natural Products Expo East 2012 Recap

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Christmas. Kid in a candy shop. Heaven.

That’s what it felt like for me at the Natural Products Expo East Trade Show last week in Baltimore, Maryland! In the words of Stephanie Quilao, I found “my people”, and it was my happy place just being with so many like-minded peeps. Personally, I loved every minute of it, and from a business/blogger standpoint, it was hugely successful. I connected with many bloggers, food brokers, exhibitors, and people who love the Natural Products Industry. Like my friend and industry broker, Donna,  stated in an InstaGram pic, it really is “an industry that’s changing lives”, and for that I am extremely grateful to have been a part. So here’s how it went down…

The hubs and I loaded the minivan and headed to Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon, and 8+ hours later we arrived. Now, you may be thinking what a long and terrible drive, but NO! As parents of two wonderful but chatty children, we cherished the 8 hours of adult conversation and quiet!! That alone made the trip worth it!:) We enjoyed every minute of the long drive (except for the construction on 85 near Charlotte. Yuck. Nobody likes that mess).  Baltimore is a beautiful city, the weather was perfect, and our hotel was across the street from Camden Yard! Score! My husband was thrilled, even though there were no games being played in it. He was happy to just be in its presence. The hotel had a baseball theme which also made him happy he took off work to come with me to this! Thanks Cramzee! You are the best manager, promoter, social media expert, sample holder, and card passer-outer I’ve ever had!!

So the next 3 days were spent strolling the Expo floors, perusing booths of natural foods and products, along with meeting bloggers and connecting with those in the industry. Free samples everywhere we turned! We basically ate all day, every day. Nice. (also ensured cramzee will be interested in going again next year).  The face-to-face meet ups were the best! I met Nutrition Diva, the Healthy Apple,  AllergicGirl, The Gonzolution and several on staff at New Hope 360. (Village Green Network was there too, along with FoodBabe and   Living Maxwell, but I didn’t get to meet them!) Meeting the entrepreneurs and creators of new products (i.e. moms and dads who wanted better for their kids) was so inspiring! It was all the things I love to do under one roof: eat, talk, and take pictures of healthy stuff! It was literally 3 days of heaven for me. I know I’m where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’ve been called to do because it was a natural fit (pun intended) in every way. I was a little tired by the end of day 3, but extremely fulfilled!

I found several stand-out products that I will share with you in the next post. I’m inclined to show you every picture (like a proud mama), but I will try hard to narrow it down to a Top 10 List. I also noticed some industry trends I want to share with you, but again, I’ll save that for another post. I need to get to the pictures now….

Where it all began. On the first aisle. Day One. Can you see the anticipation on my face??!! I did make it to every aisle, but could not stop at every booth, sadly.

Baseball themed hotel = happy hubby! (and I loved the Kandinsky, who is one of my favorites!)

OMG, I met the Nutrition Diva. She was lovely. I was a little star struck.

The beautiful Donna, natural products broker and friend, who is just as lovely on the inside as she is in this picture!

I met one of the creators and founders of Sea Snax. I was so thrilled to tell her how MUCH my kids love her creation! Sea Snax was an Innovative Product Award Winner this year!

Happy to meet The Gonzolution, and put a face with those beautiful pictures he posts! Meeting at the Navitas Naturals booth is always a good thing!

Ran into The Healthy Apple unexpectedly and it was so fun!

If you want to see pictures of most of the Expo, you can go to the #Expoeast hashtag on Twitter or Instagram to see every picture that was taken there with that hashtag. You can also visit Natural Products Expo on Facebook. Here is the link to Expo East if you want more details from their press release. Also, Living Maxwell already has a Top 5 Organics list from Expo East, and they’re five that  I didn’t even see at the show (to give you some idea how massive this thing is!)

Thanks for letting me share my trip with you! Have you ever been to Expo East or Expo West in California? I hear that one is WAY bigger! If you know of any other trade shows, etc. I should attend, please let me know. Hope some of you can join me next year in Baltimore!

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater