Natural insights

Organic, natural, and sustainable bakery and snack items are part of a booming category that is worth watching. According to intelligence from Verified Market Reports, the global natural, organic food market is expected to continue its upward trajectory, hitting an estimated $419.6 billion by 2030. This makes events focused on trends and innovations within the category, like Expo West has centered its content, appealing for snack and bakery professionals looking for conferences on which to invest their limited travel budgets.

Jessica Rubino, vice president of content of New Hope Network, says the 2025 edition of Expo West will help visitors across food, beverage, and other fields discover and harness product and consumer insights.

"This year's programming will help attendees and exhibitors dig into the data and the ‘why' behind meaningful trends—including a rise in non-alcoholic beverages, women's health products, conscious beauty, and regenerative agriculture—and the ‘how' to apply them thoughtfully to your business,” she says.

Another new aspect of Expo West this year: the event runs Tuesday through Friday, leaving Saturday available to attendees to explore, sightsee, or visit attractions in the area around Anaheim, home to Disneyland, championship-level golf courses, and other family-friendly destinations.

On the exhibit floor

The Expo West exhibits are host to a range of CPG companies (including snack and bakery producers) as well as suppliers that make such innovations possible. The displays are spread throughout the Anaheim Convention Center, arranged in topical pavilions to help visitors concentrate their time at the event around companies and content of most use to them. The exhibits are open:

• Wednesday, March 5: 10 am to 6 pm
• Thursday, March 6: 10 am to 6 pm
• Friday, March 7: 10 am to 2 pm

Below is a short list of some of the product and supplier companies likely to pique the interest of stakeholders in baking and snack:

• Ardent Mills: booth 1669
• Bare Snacks: booth 954
• Bauducco: booth 362
• Bell Flavors & Fragrances: booth 2194
• Bluegrass Ingredients: Booth 2689
• Bobo: 391
• Boulder Canyon: booth 1017
• Butter Buds: booth 3491
• California Walnut Board: booth 1598
• Cargill: booth 737
• Caulipower: booth 743
• Conagra Brands: booth 1117
• Confetti Snacks: booth 2896
• Dewey’s Bakery: booth 5631
• Domino Specialty Ingredients: booth 1013
• Food Ingredient Solutions by Oterra: booth 2985
• Givaudan Flavors: booth 977
• Gluten Free Certification Organization: booth 574
• Gold Coast Ingredients: booth 343
• Great River Milling: booth 2078
• Greenridge Naturals: booth 2999E
• Hain Celestial: booth 404
• Icon Foods: booth 1053
• Incredo: booth 2898B
• Jackson’s: booth N1043
• Julian Bakery: booth 1883
• Justin’s: booth 422
• King Arthur Baking: booth 305
• Kodiak Cakes: booth 543
• LesserEvil: booth 317
• Mane: booth 480
• Mary’s Gone Crackers: booth 5431
• Miss Jones Baking: booth 5354
• Nature’s Bakery: booth 565
• Nichols Farms: booth 944
• Ofi: booth 3387
• Palermo’s: booth 933
• Quest Nutrition: booth 491
• Rodelle: booth 323
• Sigdal Bakeri: booth 1476
• Silver Hills Bakery: booth 470
• Simple Mills: booth 5421
• Snak-King: booth 890
• SPINS: booth 616
• St Pierre: booth 4495
• Sweet Loren’s: booth 5580
• Uglies: Booth N901
• Unique Snacks; booth 322
• Van Drunen Farms: booth 1135
• Walker’s Shortbread: booth 971

Making a comeback to the Expo West agenda this year: buyer-only hours. For one hour before the show opens to the rest of the attendee list on March 6 and 7, retail buyers, hosted buyers, and foodservice buyers will have exclusive access to the exhibits. Danica Cullins, executive vice president of health and nutrition for Informa Markets, says the entire Expo West organizing team is always looking for ways to make the event better than the year before.

"We are continuously introducing and testing new ideas to improve the attendee experience at our trade shows and conferences," notes Cullins. "Following Expo West 2024, we sent out surveys to gauge visitor sentiment and identify areas of improvement. Fresh off the success of the inaugural Newtopia Now event in August, we are launching initiatives that further elevate our events and continue to offer tangible benefits for our visitors."

Special programs

On March 4, 9 am‒6 pm, attendees can take part in the show’s Climate Day feature, which offers the chance to connect with thought leaders from across the industry. Session presenters will talk about initiatives in natural products, and how companies can further their climate goals in the near and long-term future. The event is produced in partnership with Climate Collaborative.

Also on March 4, from noon to 5 pm, Expo West is bringing back its open-air Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace. Scheduled March 4 from noon to 5 pm before the main exhibit area opens, this show feature is an outdoor designed to recreate the atmosphere of a typical farmers market with the business-building ability to network and explore relevant solutions. All the products featured in the area are certified organic, giving attendees a chance to focus on trends and innovations in organics.

One intensive program, the Natural Products Business School on March 4, from 9 am‒3 pm, gives show-goers the chance to hear from experts from across the industry on ways to grow funding, expand retail distribution, and more. The six-hour session takes place March 4, before the exhibit floor opens; organizations represented include refrigerated bar brand Honey Mama’s, Whole Foods Market, CPG consultancy FoodOps, Natural Products Consulting, market insights company SPINS, venture capital outfit TIG Brands, and more.

Insights and education

Once again, Expo West offers a number of educational programs addressing concerns and opportunities from across the CPG field. Attendees can sit in on these sessions to hear business insights, industry trends, sustainability advances, and more.

Session highlights include:

• Turning Potential into Profit, March 4, 1 pm‒5 pm: with Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada
• AI and its Effect on the Food Industry, March 4, 1 pm‒4 pm: with University of California at Davis
• POV: Insights, Innovations, and Disruptions Shaping the Future of Snacking, March 5, 11:30 am‒12:30 pm: with Mondelez International, Whole Foods Market, and more
• Fueling the Future: the Rise of Protein in the $126B Snacking Industry, March 5, 1:30 pm‒3 pm: with Chomps, Target, Kodiak Cakes, and more
• Emerging Brands: How Sweet Loren’s Used Innovation to Inspire, March 6, 10:30 am‒11:30 am
• Certified for Success: the Gluten-Free Market and Consumer Trust, March 6, 3‒4:30 pm: with the Gluten Free Certification Organization

New for 2025, attendees can subscribe to the State of Natural Market Insights for additional ongoing access to key insights and data.

Make time for fun

In addition to all the lively business-building information on tap at Expo West, the schedule also offers chances to relax, and to have fun. On March 4 from 1‒5 pm, attendees are invited to the annual Herb Walk—sponsored by the American Herbal Products Association, the event guides visitors on a tour of the 26-acre Fullerton Arboretum botanical gardens. In addition to learning about the more than 4,000 plant species hosted at the gardens, visitors also will learn about how these plants are used in foods, medicines, and other applications.

One new event for 2025 is the Expo West Block Party, March 4 from 3‒6pm. Show organizers will be treating partygoers to live music, tempting foods, and the chance to network and get down with familiar colleagues as well as new contacts. Also on March 4, 5‒7:30 pm is the Naturally Network Power Up Experience and Happy Hour. The informal event provides a relaxed atmosphere in which to make connections with key industry leaders, experienced professionals, and other potential natural products partners. Separate registration is required; ticketholders are welcome to munch on light refreshments and enjoy a drink.