The Elite Eight of Natural Foods Expo East Represent the Best of a Rapidly Growing Industry
Among the 1,550 exhibitors at last week’s Natural Foods Expo East in Baltimore were some of the most important brands in the American natural and organic industry. These are brands whose missions represent the best the industry offers and whose products and innovation back it up. They target appropriately large volumes, address unmet consumer needs, and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to product attributes.
Here’s a closer look at the expo’s most impactful brands, as identified by the folks at The New Hope Network (companies, total sales in 2018 followed by 2018 sales growth courtesy of New Hope Network; commentary from Grovara).
$151 million | +28%
Its ingredients are simple, but RXBar and its 200-calorie protein bars are single-handedly reinvigorating one of America’s largest traditional food brands. In the first 12 months since being bought by Kellogg’s, RXBar has surpassed $200 million in sales. Kellogg’s acquired RXBaR for $600 million in Oct., 2017. RXBar is now under the Kellogg standalone umbrella company Insurgent Brands. RXBaR’s clean-label approach and constant innovation — it recently expanded into the breakfast game with RxOats using the same “ingredient on the package” tactic.
$118 million | +89%
Its founders famously turned down $500,000 on Shark Tank in 2014. Five years later, Kodiak is leading the frontier of 100% whole-grain baked goods packed with protein, like flapjack and waffle mixes, toaster waffles and on-the-go cups and snacks. At ExpoEast Kodiak introduced its Bear Bites Frontier Graham Crackers alongside five new SKUs. Not bad for a company that started with founder Joel Clark selling heirloom whole wheat flapjacks out of a little red wagon.
$100 million | +232%
Plant-based foods are driving much of the organic and natural market’s growth, and Caulipower is cashing in on that with consistent innovations, like its gluten-free products made with quinoa flour or xanthin gum that include pizza crusts, tortillas and this month, chicken tenders.
$38 million | +31%
Speaking of plant-based, some companies are catching on and pivoting into new products. Ripple Food is best known for its pea-based milks, but after unsuccessfully trying to get a line of yogurts going last year, it looks like its recent plant-based yogurts available in five flavors are a hit. It has also introduced new “superfood” milks, like a chai flavored beverage with turmeric that packs 8 grams of protein, at Target stores nationally with more domestic retail expansion coming next year.
$31 million | +42%
Only three years old, this company has leaped headlong into the rapidly growing CBD market with five new organic CBD products introduced earlier this month. Ancient Nutrition makes whole food nutritional products like protein powders, herbs and mushrooms, and probiotics and enzymes, to name a few.
$39 million | +119%
Siete’s growth was impressive but there’s a good chance they’ll rank higher on this list in the near future. This February the family-run maker of grain-free tortillas and chips took a $90 million private equity investment after launching 14 new products 2018, including tortillas made from cassava, chickpea and cashew flours.
$33 million | +131%
The first sparkling water concocted with actual squeezed fruit now has 10 flavors has used actress Kristin Bell and a strong social media presence to take the lead among challengers to traditional soda makers as consumers continue to look for ways to ditch added sugar. Twelve-ounce cans of Spindrift only contain up to 17 calories and no more than 3 grams of sugar.
$20 million | +77%
Earlier this year the popular maker of chickpea pasta unveiled its new chickpea rice, further cornering the market on better-for-you comfort foods. Launched in 2014, Banza is the fastest-growing pasta company among the top 50 brands in the U.S. and is available in more than 11,000 stores domestically.