Top 10 Natural Products Expo West Finds (2024)
That’s a wrap on Expo West 2024, the world's biggest exhibition of natural and organic products. This was my 8th expo west (and 11th total with 3 trips to Expo East which is no longer around… RIP). Four full days of walking, talking, eating, carrying heavy bags of samples, hugs, learning and over stimulation. I’m exhausted but truly grateful for the last few days at the Anaheim Convention Center with my expo family. I found some incredible brands and products to share with you. And if you missed any of my recap on Instagram, I created a highlight with all my stories with all the cool finds. There are so many great products on my highlights that didn’t make this list but still should be recognized so that you know about them! Follow me on instagram for more!
Of course I had my taste testers with me. My hubby, aka the Official Taste Tester was there to pretty much just take care of my Junior Taste Tester as he only could handle a few hours of the show each day but big thanks to Once Upon A Farm, Amara Baby Food, Crofter’s Organics, Happy Wolf, Banza, Mooala and a few others for letting my kiddo come hang at your booth, eat all your samples and for giving him sunglasses, stickers and snacks for the road. He gives you all 10 gold stars. (For Once Upon A Farm use code Krysten25 at checkout. For Amara Baby Food use code KrystensKitchen at checkout and for Happy Wolf bars use code KrystensKitchen at checkout).
I also had my mama with me, too! She came to the show looking for beauty products and had fun checking out the food with me while I was on the hunt for all the hot new products. I think it was fun for her to see me in my element since she had never been to this show before. It was fun to introduce her to so many brands and people that I love.
I attended a few parties this year. The first one was with Justin’s (the company that makes the delish peanut butter and now little peanut butter candies yum!) they rented out a local wine bar for a yummy dinner and drinks and mocktails and desserts — which used their new candy in it. It was a really cool event… small and intimate and perfect. Then immediately after, my mom and I drove to a gorgeous mini mansion (complete with it’s own vineyard) because “house” doesn’t do it justice and castle seems like a stretch for a small gathering with Redmond Real Salt… (you can order their amazing salt and products with code krystenskitchen) the best salt in all the land. They had their very own private chef, Shawn here cooking up a delicious meal for us. We made it late but we were still able to enjoy a few bites and it was so flavorful. I’m still drooling over it. Thank you to my Justin’s and Real Salt family! (Picture with Gretchen)
As for my top 10 list that I put out every year after the show, I have to say that these 10 hit it out of the park this year. Wow - I’m blown away by these companies and what they are doing. A few of the brands are new to me and some I have already loved for a long time. Some I am even grateful I get to work with or be part of their ambassador family — but full transparency and just so you know… just because I already work with a brand doesn’t mean they automatically make it on this list.
Here are my top 10 favorite products from Expo West 2024 and the following products and brands are in no particular order.
Sunnie
Gluten free, grain free, (some dairy free), refined sugar free, vegetarian
I must have stopped buy their booth 5 times in 3 days to say hi and eat a few samples of their dippers. They are all about nostalgia but without the junk with their snack line. They have a hummus dipper, pizza dipper (not dairy free) and a jam dipper which all come with their delicious crackers. The pizza has mozzarella and a pizza sauce, the hummus has crackers and hummus and the jam has crackers, sun butter and chia jam. Made with mostly organic ingredients, they only use the best of the best for their products. No seed oils or cane sugar here, Sunnie uses avocado oil and sweetens with dates, coconut sugar or maple sugar. They clearly care about ingredients! They are gluten free and nut free but at the moment they are not made in a gluten free or nut free facility so please keep that in mind for allergens. I am blown away by this company, founded by two incredible mamas who are changing the snack game!
Four Sigmatic Instant Teas
Organic, plant-based, gluten free, tested for toxins, no sugar, made with real mushrooms
I’ve been a long time, OG fan of Four Sigmatic… the number 1 mushroom coffee brand by the way and I drink their coffee every single day. I’m drinking one now. They just now launched a brand new product line of teas! There are 5 teas: Think, Happy Gut, Calm, Protect and Mood. All are powdered by functional mushrooms and adaptogens that can be enjoyed hot or cold. They contain ingredients like lion’s mane, chaga, turkey tail & reishi plus L-theanine, lemon balm, elderberry and probiotics. They test all their products and ingredients for toxins so you know you’re getting only the highest quality with Four Sigmatic (or Four Sig as I call them at home). I tried the Think (reminds me of an Arnold Palmer) and Happy Gut teas and loved them both. They will launch in a few months so stay tuned.
Roots Farm Fresh
Organic, vegan, top 9 free, kosher, no seed oils, gluten free
I love this company! I know you’re thinking that it’s just French fries but listen up! This is a company that cares about their consumers. They have made the switch to avocado and olive oil and have removed all seed oils — this is incredible! They have an Organic Sweet Potato Line and Organic White Potato Line of goods which include potato tots and sweet potato toast! We stopped by their booth a few times to sample some of their delicious fries and boy were they good and they taste even better knowing that they use good quality oils. I’ve seen some brands go the opposite way to use seed oils instead of olive or avocado oil and it really sucks so huge bravo, three thumbs way way up there for Roots Farm Fresh for listening to consumers and ditching seed oils.
Michele’s Oat & Nut Butter (granola butter)
Organic, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, peanut free
I have been on the hunt for a high quality granola butter that doesn’t use seed oils ever since I had to break up with my old brand of granola butter due to their switch TO seed oils. RIP. I’m excited to say that I did find a great company at the show called Michele’s Granola. I found them just a few hours before they were packing up their booth for the show and boy am I so glad! Their oat butter is made with organic oats, nuts and coconut oil, maple sugar, some almond oil, vanilla extract and sea salt. It’s divine. It definitely hits the spot. They only have two flavors at the moment: Original and Maple Pecan.
Nixie Soda: Classic Cola, Root Beer and Ginger Ale
Organic, nonGMO, no sugar, made with purified reverse osmosis water
I’m a bubble water fanatic and we always have our outdoor mini patio fridge filled with sparkling waters. I’m not a soda person really but I do love some bubbles and when I tasted Nixie’s brand new line I didn’t think I’d like it because as I said, I’m not into soda but this trio of flavors blew my mind away for a few reasons. 1) I think if you gave someone the Classic Cola and a blind fold they would think think they are drinking OG Coke but 2) it doesn’t contain ungodly amount of sugar or aspartame and 3) it’s refreshing and has the perfect flavor and bubbles. I love that it’s also organic - very cool, Nixie… very cool! I’m a fan and love this launch. They will be available in a few months so stay tuned for more info on their sodas!
Once Upon A Farm Melts & Puffs
Organic, gluten free ingredients (not certified gluten free), dairy free
We’re already big fans of OUAF and their pouches, bars and freezer meals for our toddler. I love using the pouches to make pancakes or muffins and even make muffins from one of their freezer meals, too. I knew we’d love their new puffs and melts and after trying them I can confirm they are a big hit with great ingredients, taste, texture and my little one loves them. You can’t go wrong with this amazing company. I love that they test for lead and heaving metals in general, pesticides and other contaminates and they requite their suppliers to do the same. They also 3rd party test and are Clean Label Project verified!
Amylu Foods
Gluten free, nitrite & nitrate free, some organic
I was invited to their booth by their PR team and I’m so thankful they reached out to me. I tasted a few of their sausages and meatballs at the show and they were all delicious. They did launch Breakfast Bites and I never got a chance to try them because I couldn’t get to the show that early in the day, however if they are anything like the rest of their line then I’m sure they are fantastic. My favorite was probably the Organic Apple Chicken Sausages and Spinach and Feta. Great new (to me) company to check out!
Rebbl’s PB & J
gluten-free, vegan, organic
This new flavor from Rebbl’s ready-to-drink, plant-based protein drinks line which also contains with super herbs and adaptogens, is soooo good. If you like PB&J then you’ll find this flavor so nostalgic. My mom didn’t think she’d go for that flavor but it ended up being her favorite, too. It’s not available yet (can’t find it on their site) but follow them on instagram to see when the new flavor drops. It’s seriously lunchtime nostalgia in a bottle and with amazing ingredients and plant-protein. Great new flavor, Rebbl family! We’re already big fans of this brand, their message and the good they do to fight human trafficking. Watch their documentary here.
Simple Mills Lemon Sweet Thins
Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free
Wowza! That is what comes to mind. I was thrilled to finally try this new flavor of sweet thins after seeing it teased on social media and I can tell you that without a doubt it is a home run… make that a grand slam. Their other sweet thins are delicious for sure but this is by far my favorite flavor of them all. It screams summertime and spring and refreshing and now I want to get a case of Lemon Sweet Thins so I can make some yummy desserts with them. I really love the ingredients in them as they are sweetened with honey and coconut sugar. They use a Seed & Nut Flour Blend of watermelon seeds, cashews, sunflower and flax. They use an organic coconut oil which is awesome and the lemon oil is just the perfect amount. I promise you will LOVE these so much. Wow… okay now I want to eat some more asap!
Malk Organic Coffee Creamers - Caramel & Vanilla
Organic, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, simple ingredients
I found them at the show on day 1 and immediately knew this would be a top 10 contender. Then they told me I couldn’t tell anyone about it just yet and so I drank another sample and was bummed. I asked if I could tease it and they said yes so I teased you with it and later that day I began to see many influencers spilling the tea … or the coffee on all the details of this new product. I went back and asked again and they said I could share the news and took to social media right away to tell you the news! They have creamers!!! Creamers! Malk is launching creamers, y’all! If you know about Malk then you know they used to have creamers for a literal hot minute and while this is a totally different recipe, formula, ingredient list I can tell you that they are OUT OF THIS PLANET and they will blow your socks right off. There are 2 almond milk based flavors and 1 oat milk flavor and they are sweetened with coconut sugar and they definitely are sweet (I only tried them plain and not in coffee) but the caramel flavor is my favorite and I can’t wait to try them in a hot or iced coffee. The caramel flavor tastes like you just put a handful of your favorite caramel candy in your mouth. They nailed this so hard and I’m so excited for them to launch early this summer so you will need to stay glued to my social and Malk’s social media for exact details on their official arrival. The vanilla one was great, too! I’d buy them both. They do have a lightly sweetened oat milk based one but I’m not an oat milk girly so while it was delicious I personally will be consuming the almond milk based flavors.
As far as new baby food/ toddler food companies that we found there were two new ones that I'm pretty pumped about!
Happy Wolf makes a line of organic, fridge-fresh bars that are made with the cleanest, simplest ingredients. They don't use anything that you wouldn't have in your own kitchen which is another reason to LOVE them. I think their bars are so delicious. When I took my son to their booth he ate 3 - half bars (equaling 1.5 bars) and still gave the sign (baby sign language) for more. They don't use any refined sugars or artificial anything. They are allergen-free which is great for school or day care and everyone in the family will love them. I'm very grateful they offered me a code to share with you. Use code KRYSTENSKITCHEN on their website for a discount on your order. Learn more here.
Holle makes organic fruit and veggie pouches for toddlers over 6 months. They are made with really clean ingredients from regenerative farms that prioritize soil health. They are great for on the go and my kiddo really likes them. We don't do a lot of straight pouches but we still have them on hand for a quick snack or I will often use them as a base for pancakes or muffins for him. I'm so glad I got to meet them in person at the show and they send us home with a few pouches for my little one to try. Make sure you read ingredients on each pouch as they all vary -- just double check for allergens. Learn more here
Well that’s a wrap! Until next year, Expo West… thanks for a great show! And - thanks to everyone for following along. I will keep you posted on the launch of some of these products so stay tuned to my instagram for the most up to date info on many of these brands and more of course.
