Awards Recognize Outstanding Products, Retailers at Expo East

Natural products manufacturers and retailers received awards at the 29th annual Natural Products Expo East, the East Coast’s largest natural, organic and healthy products event. 

Adam Andersen, show director, Natural Products Expos, said, “We are very pleased that our event is the platform for brands – from legacy leaders with the industry to entrepreneurs launching their businesses – to showcase their natural, organic and healthy products on an even playing field. We congratulate all of the winners on their awards, as they were truly the standout products of the event, and wish them success.”

The Best of East Awards is the official Natural Products Expo East show award, voted on by more than 300 members of the press and presented to the three most innovative products exhibiting at the event. 

Winners were: Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Little Me Tea for its organic ready-to-drink tea and juice box for kids; San Francisco-based Hampton Creek Foods for Just Mayo, eggless mayonnaise; and Victoria, B.C.-based Deebee’s SpecialTea Foods for its Organic Frozen Tea Pops.

The Retailer of the Year award-winners exemplify excellence in today’s retail world through sustainability, innovation and community, values that define the natural products industry. Natural Foods Merchandiser and Natural Products Expo East presented the following companies with the Retailer of the Year awards:

Most Sustainable: Louisville, Ky.-based Rainbow Blossom;

Community Engagement: Concord, Mass.-based Debra’s Natural Gourmet;

Best New Store: San Diego -based Jimbo’s…Naturally!;

Innovation: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based Pilgrim’s Market

Award nominations were received from across the nation from peers, distributors, manufacturers and even customers and community members. 

The award advisory board, which selected the winners, included Sandy Gooch, retired from Mrs. Gooch’s; Cheryl Hughes of The Whole Wheatery; Brad Magaro of Maximum Marketing; Pat Rector of Independent Natural Food Retailers Association; Christine Tzumas of Presence Marketing; Rickard Werner of KeHE Distributors; and Casey VanRysdam of UNFI.

Each year, Natural Products Expo East awards exhibitors who have showcased the most innovative products created within the past year. The finalists are selected by and voted on by all attendees of Expo East. 

The New Product Showcase award-winners were: 

Gluten Free: Mills River, N.C.-based Ardenne Farm’s Fudge Brownie Mix; 

Grocery: Lutherville, Md.-based Michele’s Granola’s Apple Quinoa; 

Health & Beauty: Tustin, Calif.-based Youtheory’s Collagen; 

Natural Living: Baltimore-based Bambeco Inc.’s recycled glassware; 

Organic: New York-based Bitsy’s Brainfood’s Organic Fruit & Veggie 1,2,3 Cereal; 

Supplements/Herbs & Medicinals: Youtheory’s Turmeric.