Expo West: Five First-Time Exhibitors To Check Out

No matter how many times you’ve attended, Natural Products Expo West is always full of firsts. Do you remember the first time you chomped down on an adaptogenic snack? How about the first time you saw a new sauce in a squeeze bottle? Maybe it was the time you first tasted an ingredient you hadn’t heard of – like fonio, lupin, buckwheat or kelp – before landing in Anaheim that week.

To help you prepare for a full week of firsts and to best tackle the show fueled by new food and beverage discoveries, we’ve gathered up some insight on five first-time exhibitors to check out.

Oolie’s Hard-boiled Approach to Alt-Dairy

Alt-dairy yogurt innovation has focused on plant-based inputs like soy, coconut and cashews. But first-time exhibitor Oolie Foods (Booth #8708) – a new brand by parent company HBD Development LLC – is betting on something else entirely: eggs. More specifically, hard-boiled free-range eggs.

HBD Development LLC’s manufacturing arm, HBF Foods (a sister company of pasture-raised egg producer Handsome Brook Farms), sells a retail line of hard-boiled eggs. Oolie was created to “close gaps in the egg loop” by repurposing eggs that are aesthetically imperfect after the peeling process as the base for yogurts and dips.

“The problem existed for a long time before the solution was created. Oolie was born of the need to do something with the perfectly good, protein-rich eggs that weren’t pretty,” said Faith Ferguson, VP of sales at Oolie, adding the brand has been nearly a decade in the making.

Oolie’s portfolio includes yogurts in Vanilla, Key Lime and Berry Blend flavors and dips in Red Beet Bliss, Garlic & Herb Spicy Pepper, Yellow Curry and Mediterranean Tomato varieties. Each serving includes one whole egg (11 grams of protein). The latter three dips are set to launch in select H-E-B locations in April. Ferguson said the brand also has “some partners within [the] natural [channel] that are looking seriously at the brand in their review.”

She said the products appeal to retailers “that attract people looking for premium products.” Oolie’s dips and yogurts carry a premium price tag, but the brand did not disclose the suggested retail price for its products.

This isn’t the first attempt at an egg-based yogurt alternative. In 2020, Handsome Brook Farms announced plans to debut a line called Chikaraka with Lemon, Lime, Mixed Berry, Raspberry and Strawberry flavors. However, the products never came to fruition, in part due to the pandemic and the company’s production plans.

“Oolie is an evolution of what was going to be in 2020. We will be making this ourselves and the equipment is all there, so we’re taking what’s not [visually] perfect and making it a continuation of the process. It’s a much smoother process than what Handsome Brook Farms would have had,” explained Ferguson.

Oolie has big aims for its first year on the market with hopes to secure nationwide distribution. By the end of year two, Ferguson said she would “love to have the product sold out” due to demand, as it’s an upcycled product with a limited supply.

Launching an egg-based product amidst an avian flu outbreak and surging prices may sound daunting, but Oolie is confident in its sourcing practices and availability. The company uses USDA-grade “medium” pasture-raised eggs sourced from small family farms, and, according to Ferguson, the brand doesn’t envision the virus “being an issue for us to roll out our products.”

“Avian influenza typically doesn’t affect free-range and pasture-raised birds. There have been a couple [impacted] flocks, but by and large, they have better immune systems,” said Ferguson. “We’re using small farms for the very reason it does all of the good things for the animals, which leads to a better and more sustainable source for our products.”

Chunk Foods Fuels Retail Strategy With Sauced Alt-Meat

After cutting its teeth in foodservice over the past two years, plant-based, whole-cut alt-meat maker Chunk Foods (Booth #4399) is readying its portfolio for retail, showcasing a new 4-SKU line of sauced products during its Expo West debut.

The products – available in Teriyaki, Texas BBQ, Korean BBQ and Barbacoa flavors – are paired with the brand’s pulled, plant-based meat and offer 25 grams of protein per serving as well as essential vitamins and minerals like iron and B12. The heat-and-eat, clean label products are made from a cultured soy protein isolate, coconut oil and natural flavors.

Chunk first debuted at retail in October and is now available in over 55 independent retailers across Southern California and New York City. The brand’s portfolio also includes Steak, Steakhouse Cut, Slab and Original-flavored Pulled products.

“These new Chunk Pulled products with simmer sauces deliver convenience without

compromise,” said Amos Golan, founder and CEO of Chunk Foods, in a release. “We’re bringing bold flavors made with high-quality ingredients to home kitchens—no prep required, just saute, add sauce, simmer, and enjoy.”

My Better Batch Brings In New Simple Mixes

Another first-timer prioritizing clean label convenience suggests that the trend of easy-meets-premium products is here to stay. Baking mix maker My Better Batch (Booth #7816) will mark its Expo West debut, less than six months after first hitting the market.

The 4-SKU cookie mix line was created by Lindsay Hancock, the former SVP of sales at KIND, and includes Double Chocolate Chip, Celebration, Classic Sugar and Chocolate Chunk varieties. The products do not contain artificial colors or preservatives and instead utilize simple ingredients consumers would find in their own pantries, such as Dutch-processed cocoa powder and premium semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Currently, its distribution footprint is entrenched in the online realm, with its direct-to-consumer site, TikTok Shop and Instagram Shop serving as its primary channels, where a box of mix sells for $7.99 a piece. However, My Better Batch is working on ramping up its retail presence, debuting in Sprouts’ Forager Program for emerging brands as well as gaining space at a handful of independents nationwide.

House of Kajaana Brings Indian Flavors To Frozen

Frozen food newcomer House of Kajaana (Booth #7802) will make its Expo West debut this week with a 3-SKU lineup of premium meals including Cauliflower Tikka Masala with pea and basmati rice, Roasted Butternut Saag with bright tomato basmati rice, and Coconut Malabar Curry with pumpkin seed basmati rice.

The vegan-friendly products are packed in paper-based recyclable trays and free from seed oils, dairy, artificial flavors, added sugar, gluten, soy and gums. Since its launch in 2021, the Boston-based brand has secured placement at over 130 Whole Foods stores as well as Pop Up Grocer, Happier Grocery and other independent accounts across New York and Florida; the items are also available via grocery delivery service Fresh Direct.

Despite still being an early-stage, two-person company, House of Kajaana has attracted experienced advisors from across the industry, including Baldor Specialty Foods VP Scott Crawford and fund investor and Made By Nacho co-founder Elly Truesdell.

As for the products themselves, House of Kajaana differentiates on its premium ingredients and larger portion sizes; its products are 11 oz., larger than the average of 9 to 9.5 oz. typical of the frozen meal set. Each meal contains between 310 to 350 calories, 9 to 10 grams of protein and 5 to 7 grams of fiber.

Whims Targeting Big Chocolate With Low-Sugar Treats

Another first-timer, Whims Delights, Inc. (Booth #7800) offers plant-based, low-sugar sweets inspired by popular brands like Reese’s, Twix and Snickers. Married co-founders Leanne Viola and Jesse Barruch launched the Austin, Texas-based startup two years ago after adopting lifestyle changes and deeming many better-for-you options on the market as “chalky, grainy and bland.”

“We found that as consumers we were always forced to choose between something that was healthy and something that was delicious,” Barruch said.

The pair drew inspiration from the success of SmartSweets to create a healthier confection, seeking to replicate the gummy brand’s approach in the chocolate candy segment. After concocting several “really gross” formulations, Viola and Barruch partnered with a classically trained pastry chef to develop the recipes.

“We didn’t even know how to make chocolate. We ended up working with a Swiss chocolatier who helped us formulate a chocolate. I don’t even think we had cocoa butter in our first chocolate. It was just cocoa mass, so it was bitter and gross. We had no experience,” Baruch recalled.

Today, Whims’ lineup includes Oat Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Oat Milk Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar and Oat Milk Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bar, each featuring 1 gram of sugar per piece, with no sugar alcohols or palm oil. The products are sold at hundreds of specialty grocers, coffee shops and juice bars across the country.