As the natural and organics sector continues to grow and become more mainstream, so too does the Natural Products Expo East, which was held late last month at the Baltimore Convention Center. Now in its 31st year, the show was the largest one to date with more than 28,000 attendees (a growth of 10 percent over last year) and 1,450 brands represented. The show floor itself had to be enlarged to accommodate all of the exhibitors (including 450 first-timers) with the exhibit space expanded to both the third and fourth levels of the convention center. “As this industry continues its explosive growth, Natural Products Expo East has become the event on the East Coast for natural and organics brands to showcase new products and tell their unique stories. Every year there are more products unveiled in these halls that can address challenges such as making healthy food more accessible to everyone and supporting sustainable sourcing, “stated Adam Andersen, managing director of the New Hope Network (the organization that puts on the show).
Although I saw quite a few new items as I walked the aisles of the show, the three out of my four favorite items just happened to be in the dairy category. The vanilla skyr by Icelandic Provisions was a delightful treat to me. The creaminess coupled with the three different types of vanilla made me think I was eating a sumptuous dessert. Similarly, the Maple Hill Creamery maple flavored whole milk kefir was simple but satisfying in taste with just enough maple syrup to give it a touch of sweetness. This balanced out the acidity of the kefir but did not overwhelm the product. Plus, with 10 active probiotic cultures (i.e. “good” bacteria), this product contributes to positive gut and digestive health, which is a bonus in my book. The third dairy item I found to be outstanding at the show was the Kourellas Just Grill & Eat cheese. It is similar to haloumi, the semi-hard goat cheese that is you find grilled on its own at many Greek restaurants. However, this cheese, while still firm, is a blend of cow, sheep and goat milk and I found it to be well-balanced in flavor and not overly salty as haloumi tends to be.
One thing that oversaturated the show was the jerky and cured meat category. Fueled by the paleo movement, there were just too many jerky items and not enough that stood out among the crowd. The one exception in this category for me was the pork mini salamis with truffles by Skinny Salamis. The pack consists of four mini sticks of slow cured Duroc pork. In addition to having a great taste and bite, the salamis were the perfect size for snacking and for travel. Plus, the product is made locally in Maryland and is the only facility in the state to have a USDA license to make salamis due to the degree of difficulty there is in making them, including the fact that they are not cooked. I found myself going back to the booth to snack on this – definitely worth a try if your taste or diet leans towards animal proteins.
Definitely a worthwhile show that is not only keeping up with but also setting trends in the food retail industry – if you missed it this year, be sure to mark September 13-16, 2017 (next year’s Expo East show dates) on your calendar!
In keeping in line with the topic of Expo East, Kara Nielson, a culinary trendologist (yes, I guess that is a job title now), recently discussed growth drivers of the growing beverage category in the natural and organic channel. Nielson noted that added nutrients and fortification – particularly proteins, probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants, and omegas – have become popular in the segment. Drinks with digestive health offerings in particular are on trend, with several types of not only kombuchas but drinking vinegars flooding the market. Plant-based ingredients have also become big drivers in the natural/organic beverage category, with turmeric as a main component in many beverages as well as adaptogenic herbs such as ashwaganda, ginseng and maca root popping up on several drink labels as well. Even traditional drinks such as coffee are being diversified, whether it is through the addition of butter or coconut oil or as Nielson has stated, “…looking at different ways we can use the coffee plant and get a new kind of beverage and beverage experience.”
Also in beverage news, Pepsico has been testing out a gamified angle in mobile couponing. The soft drink heavy hitter teamed up with digital marketing platform FunMobility to roll out a mobile-optimized prize wheel microsite to boost customer acquisition and mobile coupon activation. “PepsiCo had a long-tail vision of understanding that the value in advertising comes from long-term brand engagement that you’re driving,” said Jin Kim, director of business development at FunMobility. “The value that digital offers is connecting that brand and owning a CRM database with which you can continually drive engagement.” The most recent display ads advertised a chance for participants to win a number of coupons that would give them the ability to throw a Super Bowl pizza party. This brought a level of interaction with the customer by asking them to spin a digital wheel to win a mobile discount at retail partner within a close radius. In order to save the coupon, participants were asked to enter their email addresses. “It’s not just the short term redemptions that increase with a gamification element, it’s also the user’s willingness to engage with future marketing content,” said Kevin Almeida, mobile marketing strategist at FunMobility. “With a gamified promotion, we see newsletter opt-in rates increase to an average of 10 to 20 percent of traffic, and click-to-engagement rates for email average 91 percent when the email is serving fun, creative and personalized experiences – not just blasting out static offers.” The Pepsico coupon campaign resulted in eight times the ROI with a click through rate of 1.01 percent and a 94 percent post-click engagement rate.
In local produce news, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy has teamed up with Robinson Fresh to offer Misfits produce, a unique line of tasty but misshapen fruits and vegetables that are sold at a reduced price. The program was started to help curb produce waste due to shape and size restrictions of industry standards. “We understand there is produce left in the field because farmers don’t think there is a market for it,” said Hunter Wilson, general manager of the west for Robinson Fresh. “With the Misfits program, farmers have an outlet to sell more produce and customers have an opportunity to save money and help reduce waste.” In selling the line of cosmetically less pleasing produce, Shoppers is aligning with the USDA’s goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by the year 2030. “It’s important to our company and it’s important to our customers that we find sustainable business solutions at a lower cost,” stated Mike Patterson, director of produce for Shoppers. “We’re still providing consistent quality and taste, but these vegetables might look a little different than what’s normally on our shelves.” Misfits produce is sold on average at a 30 percent discount and is based on what is seasonally available, with four to six commodities delivered each week.
And finally, I want to congratulate Lancaster Foods on 30 years of growth and success. The company has come a long way since John and Dave Gates first started in the industry as ambitious high schoolers with a produce truck in 1986. Be sure to read all about the story that tells of humble roots and how they have grown into the flourishing company they are today in the special pull-out section in this month’s paper. Happy Anniversary, Lancaster!
Till next month…
