Natural Products Expo West delivered on the promise of scale and creativity. Attendance was strong across the show floor, with buyers, founders, and media filling aisles from early morning through closing. The atmosphere felt electric — large experiential booths sat beside compact startup islands, sampling stations drew steady crowds, and activation design leaned into immersive, social-media-ready moments. Sustainability and transparency were recurring themes: compostable packaging, refill systems, and ingredient-sourcing storytelling were everywhere, and retailers came ready to take notes.
Creativity was on full display in product design and marketing. Brands leaned into bold sensory experiences (texture-forward snacks, functional beverages with layered flavors), playful collaborations, and purposeful branding that made it easy to spot mission-driven companies even in a sea of booths. Pop-up talks and on-floor demos showed founders turning product education into performance, short-form video tactics and influencer-style engagement felt baked into many launches and the week of events and great booths as well as clever products never disappoints.
Headlining the incredible list of speakers was the energy and tactical urgency that only Gary Vaynerchuk could bring. Guests were lined up outside the door and the capacity crowd was treated to a keynote speech that brought the house down with the high-energy mix of motivational fire and practical tactics he’s known for. His speech emphasized speed, attention economics, and the necessity of embracing short-form content and direct-to-consumer relationships. He challenged established brands to act like startups when it comes to experimentation and to prioritize cultural relevance over cautious planning. The talk resonated with a room full of entrepreneurs and marketers eager for actionable next steps on visibility and audience building.
Other speakers and programming Beyond Vaynerchuk, the Expo’s stages featured a broad roster of founders, scientists, investors, and retail buyers offering diverse perspectives — from supply-chain transparency and regenerative agriculture to retail trends and functional ingredient science. Panel discussions and fireside chats included category veterans and emerging leaders who addressed pricing pressures, private-label strategies, and how to translate mission into scalable operations. The programming balanced inspiration with practical takeaways for brands at every growth stage.
One product line that is no stranger to Expo West is Bulletproof and this year they were expanding its portfolio of Bulletproof High Protein Iced Coffee lineup, which gained popularity by combining creamy cold-brew profiles with higher protein counts aimed at on-the-go consumers seeking meal-replacement or post-workout options. Bulletproof always emphasizes its clean, toxin-tested blends and with that same quality, this year they unveiled its latest innovation, Coffee + Creatine: a functional hybrid targeting athletes and gymgoers who want cognitive lift plus muscle-recovery support in a single beverage format. The Coffee + Creatine along with electrolytes and MCT Oil is as simple as scoop and stire and you have the perfect beverage to start your day and has the great Bulletproof flavor.
While the natural products world chased the latest superfood trends at Expo West, Carbone Fine Food strolled in and stole the show by doing what it does best: bringing style and the unmistakable flavor of a packed New York Italian-American restaurant straight to the Anaheim Convention Center floor. The brand transformed its booth into a high-energy, restaurant-style activation complete with generous tastings and lively vibes that had attendees lining up like it was Friday night at Carbone. Guests enjoyed the premium Carbone jarred sauce lineup that lets anyone recreate that iconic red-sauce-joint magic at home, featuring the fiery Spicy Vodka, Cacio e Pepe Alfredo, Marinara, and the new Bolognese simmer sauce, showcasing Carbone’s signature restaurant-quality sauces.
Sunshine Buns offers an incredible line of all-natural, frozen cinnamon rolls and sweet buns made from a cherished 40+ year-old family recipe originally perfected by “Mema,” the grandmother of co-founder Chrisi Hammer. The brand made its debut at Expo West, showcasing its ready-to-heat, preservative-free buns. Attendees discovered how the buns go straight from frozen to plate in just 45 seconds in the microwave, delivering a taste and texture so fresh that no one would guess they weren’t baked from scratch. Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, the acclaimed St. Louis restaurant from chef Katie Lee, brings authentic Italian “food for the soul” with real ingredients and artisanal, hand-stretched, wood-fired techniques. Katie’s was sampling their fast-growing line of premium frozen pizzas, which taste like anything but frozen. Not only do they come out of the oven tasting like a pizzeria, but they also have amazing flavors including; Burrata Margherita (creamy burrata, fresh tomatoes, basil), Black Garlic + Burrata, Meatball, and Pepperoni with honey, all praised for honest craftsmanship and gourmet toppings.
A few other highlights included: Fabbri 1905, an iconic Italian family-owned company founded in 1905, renowned for its premium, high-quality products and recipes for gelato, pastry, and beverages, including its signature Mixybar Plus line of all-natural fruit syrups and mixers crafted in Italy. Their fruit mixers proved to be a versatile, premium syrup that is a perfect additions for beverages, cocktails, aperitifs, gelato, and desserts. Protein continues to be found in more products Expo West had a list that is too long to mention a small portion of those products, but a few of the ones that provided added protein as well as great flavor included: Protein Pop, was showcasing their clear protein drinks, Kindling had a flavorful lineup of protein pretzels and Bulletproof Coffee had their high-protein iced coffee. Hummus is always a popular item at Expo West, but Cedar’s Foods took this product to a new level with their Reserve Hommus that was unveiled at Expo West last year. The reserve version is created with premium olive and avocado oils, extra tahini, and generous toppings for a velvety, ultra-authentic Mediterranean experience. Catalina Crunch unveiled two exciting new products: the bold and savory Parmesan Garlic Snack Mix and the high-protein, fiber-packed Peanut Butter Protein Cereal, both delivering craveable flavor with the brand’s signature better-for-you nutrition.
Expo West remains the natural products industry’s premier proving ground. While core themes like clean labeling, sustainability, and functional benefits continue to dominate, the execution is clearly evolving, as we head toward more immersive brand experiences and hybrid formulations that seamlessly blend performance with everyday wellness. For retailers and investors, the show delivered a clear message: today’s consumers crave products that are both purposeful and genuinely pleasurable. For founders, it reinforced a critical truth, that you need; credible science, traceability, and transparent sourcing must now be paired with compelling storytelling to stand out in a crowded market.
For more information, visit: Natural Products Expo West