If you’ve seen my favorite movie ever – What The Bleep Do We Know? – then you are no doubt familiar with the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto.

Dr. Emoto did studies that showed the crystal formations of water molecules actually change when positive messages are put on the outside of glasses of water. Hence, positive messages have a real impact, on both an emotional and physical level. Read more »

Even though much of the talk at Natural Products Expo West usually centers around the new products being unveiled, I always like to recognize the companies that put extra effort into designing the most interesting and imaginative trade show booths.

To me, it speaks volumes about the companies who go the extra mile to create experiences that are both unique and memorable.

At Natural Products Expo West 2014, two booths really stood out and interestingly enough, it was the same people who took home the prize in 2013 as well.

SUJA

At this time last year, Greg Fleishman was Chief Marketing Officer for Sambazon and the person responsible for creating that company’s award-winning tiki booth.

This year, Greg is Chief Marketing Officer at pressed organic juice powerhouse Suja, and he achieved a similar result. If you combine these two accolades with all of the impressive product launches that he has overseen, Greg Fleishman is cementing his reputation as one of the best marketing executives in the industry. Period.

Suja’s booth resonated with me for two main reasons. Read more »

Even though food is a huge component of Natural Products Expo West, it is not the only category that is exhibited there.

Supplements also have a very big presence, but what really fascinates me are a lot of the non-food items. So, what I like to do after each trade show is present to you some of the most memorable and compelling household items that I come across.

Here are my Top 5 Non-Food Products of Natural Products Expo West 2013.

CLEARLY FILTERED WATER PITCHER

Filtered water is a very hot topic because the quality of our water supply is so abysmal and contains toxic chemicals such as fluoride, chlorine, and atrazine.

Many people ask me about Britta and while it is better than no filter at all, I don’t believe that it is ideal by any means.

At Expo West, I came across a company called Clearly Filtered, a competitor to Britta, yet its results seem to be superior. Read more »

In what is now starting to become a tradition, I am giving awards to the best trade show booths at both Natural Product Expo West and Natural Products Expo West.

Some companies put a tremendous amount of effort into their booths, and I want to make sure that they get recognized for this.

At Expo West 2013, two booths in particular caught my attention.

SAMBAZON

Many of the bigger organic food companies have completely lost their start-up edge and creativity when it comes to trade show booths.

Sambazon showed that it still has it. Read more »

The more I see of Brooklyn-based Little Duck Organics, the more impressed I become.

Everything that this company does – from its marketing, product development, and customer interaction – is truly stellar.

Little Duck Organics won the Best Trade Show Booth at Expo East 2012, and at Expo West 2013 I am giving them my Most Innovative Award. Read more »

When I first saw Holy Crap at Natural Products Expo West 2013, my immediate thought was “It must be dog food.”

And to be honest, I was very turned off and stayed away.

Yet after passing by their booth several times, my curiosity got the best of me and I went to go see what Holy Crap was all about.

In fact, it wasn’t dog food but rather an organic superfood cereal made from chia seeds, hulled hemp hearts, buckwheat, cranberries, raisins, apple bits and cinnamon.

The story goes that an early fan of the cereal was so impressed that the words “Holy Crap” were the first ones to come out of his mouth. In a stroke of genius, founder Brian Mullin, quickly changed the name of the product to Holy Crap and sales increased 1000%. Read more »

I recently got back from Natural Products Expo West 2013 and had an absolutely amazing time.

Even though Whole Foods’ announcement – that it would be labeling GMOs sold in its stores by 2018 – was the big news of the show, there were still plenty of great products that captured my attention.

Here are my Top 5 Organic Products from Expo West 2013.

RED LENTIL ROTINI BY TOLERANT FOODS

Read more »