Dogged by key cancellations from retailers and big brands, followed by social media protests before yesterday postponing Natural Products Expo West, its biggest event of the year, 48 hours before it was due to begin, New Hope Network yesterday put the big question front and center: “What’s next?”
Ray Kim is the co-founder and CEO of The Plug, a startup brand crafting hangover remedies from 13 herbs and flowers. The all natural recovery drink is inspired by similar products available in Korea and aims to serve Millennial and Gen Z professionals who want to enjoy drinking alcohol and socializing in the evening, while still being productive at work the next day.
Prior to the postponement of Natural Products Expo West 2020 on Monday, as much as 60% of attendees said they planned to skip this week’s event. But many others -- including early stage entrepreneurs -- were surprised by the late decision. For many, the news came after they had already arrived in Anaheim, and for some mid-flight.
In this gallery, we highlight some of the notable new products, line extensions and rebrands from companies that were scheduled to exhibit at Expo West 2020, including Harmless Harvest's first venture into flavored coconut water, a new look and bottle for KeVita, new shots from More Labs and So Good So You and plant-based milk innovation from Elmhurst and Mamma Chia.
Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder & CEO of super-premium brand Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, spoke about how why running a lean and profitable company is a core element of its business strategy, how the brand has bucked the trend toward healthy eating, promoting brand pillars through packaging and the synergistic relationship between its stores and wholesale business.
Despite the show being postponed, BevNET and NOSH will continue to bring to the industry the brand initiatives -- new products, line extensions, branding changes, and company launches -- that are going to flow through this Expo season.
Launching alongside its Dairy-Free Yogurt Cups, Harmless Harvest’s Dairy-Free Yogurt Drinks are the latest evolution of the company’s cultured probiotic drinks that have been marketed in various forms since 2017. We are happy to report that this latest effort is definitely the best yet.
New Hope Network announced this evening that Natural Products Expo West 2020, scheduled for March 4-8 in Anaheim, California, is officially postponed.
Over the weekend, food and beverage companies are facing the potential of a Coronavirus-reduced Natural Products Expo West show were regretting sunk costs as they wondered whether they could do enough business with the show’s drastically-reduced retailer contingent to justify the money they had already laid out.
Proud Source Water has raised $6 million in a financing round led by AF Ventures, the company announced today. Speaking with BevNET, Proud Source Water president CJ Pennington said the round will go towards increasing sales and marketing efforts for the Idaho-based bottled water brand.
As food companies gear up for next week’s Natural Products Expo West conference, some of their conversation has moved from how many samples to bring to potential health and safety risks from the fast moving virus, COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus.
Consumers looking for a jolt of energy were in luck this month, as several new product launches offered consumers a caffeine fix this February, including new coffee launches from STōK, Nitro Beverage Co., Soul Grind and Silk, plus innovations from Reed’s and C4. Check out the gallery for this month’s notable product releases, including new flavors from Cloud Water and Hydrant and a new Super Coffee format.
Solid growth across multiple categories helped Keurig Dr Pepper grow net sales 4.3% during Q4 2019, as CEO Bob Gamgort noted during an earnings call yesterday that the company has “exceeded” its three-year post-merger financial targets.
This week, we’re joined by Tommy Kelly and Salim Najjar, co-founders of Sound Brands, a fast-growing brand of carbonated teas and tea-infused sparkling waters. In our conversation, they explained why “a failure is really a lesson if looked at properly,” why it was costly to hire consultants without having a clear go-to-market strategy and how corporate sales have been a boon for the brand.
