Highlights From Expo West 2024

Last month, I attended Natural Products Expo West for the first time. Expo West is a trade show that features the largest collection of natural, organic, and healthy products. The variety is endless, from food to drinks, supplements, packaged snacks, and health & beauty items, like hair care products packaged in eco-friendly bottles.

I started the morning off with a complimentary latte to kick-start my morning from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf! While I was there, I learned about their brand-new line of K-Cup Pods containing single origin coffee. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf had a booth at the convention as well!

With my latte in hand, I was off to discover and learn about the following products!

Original Sprout

Thanks to Original Sprout General Manager, Michael Ambacher, I learned that the company was founded in 2003 by a top hairstylist in Santa Barbara. All of the products are formulated without any irritants such as parabens and phthalates.

Original Sprout’s Coastal Collection bottles are made from 100% recycled trash that floats in our oceans and sits on our beaches. The ingredients in the shampoo, conditioner and body wash are also paraben-free & free from sulfates. This is a win-win for me!

Want to feel like you’re on a tropical vacation? The scent from Original Sprout’s Tahitian Collection smells lovely and their shampoo & conditioner set is ultra-nourishing.

SweetLeaf

The sweeteners from SweetLeaf are popular with their customers and the company is known for the best-tasting Stevia since 1982!

One fan favorite is the Vanilla Crème Sweet Drops! You can sweeten your coffee without the guilt and for those who observe a keto diet, Sweet Drops are keto-friendly.

SweetLeaf makes all-purpose sweetener that tastes, bakes, browns and caramelizes just like sugar. When baking, you can measure cup-for-cup like sugar and take comfort in knowing that this product contains no artificial ingredients.

Fungies

I enjoyed meeting Stacy and Rob Kauffman, who are father and son business partners from Fungies. I’ve had mushroom coffee drinks, but with Fungies, you can get the benefits from Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps or Reishi mushrooms in a gummy form.

When I spoke to Rob at Expo West, he explained that he saw a need in the market for functional mushrooms in an easy to digest form, especially for his son. Obviously, children can’t consume mushroom coffee and the mushroom supplements on the market were either messy powders, capsules or tinctures. Fungies was born out of love and his son enjoys taking the Lion’s Mane Mushroom daily.

Koko & Karma

Koko & Karma is the world’s first premium coconut water enhanced with functional benefits like Vitamin C, collagen, magnesium and/or Omega-3, to name a few.

Koko & Karma’s coconut water comes in a variety of flavors from pineapple, lychee, acai and pure coconut water. While the company is based in Australia, you can buy the product from H-E-B stores, on Amazon and directly from the company’s website.

Nomad Blends

A plain pot roast with salt & pepper to taste just doesn’t cut it for me. I like to eat flavorful and spicy food! Fortunately Nomad Blends has tons of seasonings with global influences. I was introduced to them at Expo West and sampled some beef flavored with their Citrus Asada seasoning.

With samples of spice bottles in my goodie bag, I decided to use one of their seasonings for dinner one night. I flavored my beef and potatoes with Citrus Asada and my family loved it!

I can’t wait to try Nomad Blends seasoning with other recipes!

Mesa Mia

I loved meeting social media sensation Jenny Martinez, who created Mesa Mia Seasonings. She’s a ball of energy and I got to sample food cooked with her ‘It’s So Good’ seasoning. After taking a bite of the food, I instantly knew how they came up with the name because it’s super tasty and is SO good!

Crisp Power

Crisp Power has a line of Protein Pretzel snacks. Their patent-pending recipe features a blend of proteins sourced directly from grains and legumes. It’s packed with flavor and has ingredients that are low in carbs and high in protein.

As someone who tries to workout at least 3-4 times a week, I like snacking on something with protein after I exercise. I’ve tossed these in my gym bag, brought them to sporting events (my daughter’s track meets) and noshed on them in the afternoon when I need a boost of energy!

Tonnino

I enjoy eating tuna and I was excited to be introduced to Tonnino, a high quality tuna product. The company offers yellowfin tuna fillets and albacore tuna fillets. Tonnino’s fish is caught using only sustainable methods and is packaged in a glass jar with olive oil or spring water.

Tonnino’s website has a plethora of recipes, many of which are quick and easy to prepare!

Magic Mind

Magic Mind is an energy drink shot that contains Ashwagandha, Functional Mushrooms, Matcha Green Tea, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C.

Magic Mind can be found at Erewhon Markets and Sprouts!

(Re)zip Reusable Bags

When saving food, it’s so easy to store them in plastic baggies. However, after being introduced to (Re)zip, now I’ll think twice before using disposable plastic bags. These reusable food-safe, leakproof zip-top bags can be used for snacks, sandwiches, marinating chicken and more!

The item that is especially worth mentioning is (Re)zip’s Adventure/Travel Roll Top Bag. Going to the beach, hitting the gym or just living life on-the-go, this bag is a must-have! The roll-top closure keeps your belongings safe and dry and doubles as storage for wet clothes.

Thanks to the Expo West organizers for inviting me to attend this event. I learned so much and discovered so many cool and interesting brands. Did you know that April is Earth Month? Perhaps give one of the eco-friendly and/or sustainable brands a try!

So tell me, which of these products would you most like to buy?

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I attended Expo West as a member of the media and received complimentary samples which helped facilitate this review. All images are my own unless otherwise noted. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.