March 17, 2023
Launched in June, Rif Care offers disposable period care made of hemp fiber. The brand focuses on making safe period care that won't disrupt women's hormones.
Peak State, a whole-bean, adaptogen coffee, supports focus, energy and immunity in a smooth sipping brew. Danny Walsh invented the infusion technology and is awaiting a patent, and has applied for regenerative certification.
Pitch Slam judge Vincent Love, the managing partner of Sunrise Strategic Partners, asks a question of Danny Walsh, founder of Peak State Coffee.
A Syrian refugee, Farrah Moussallait Sibai says Afia is the only brand of falalfel available nationwide—already available in 3,000 retail doors. This fills a need in the frozen category.
Brittany Masters and her partner, Jim Sepp, are first-generation bison ranchers who follow regenerative agriculture practices. They also produce ready-to-eat food products such as jerky and chili, and sell cuts of meat.
Alli Ball, founder/ CEO of Food Biz Wiz, and Kathleen Casanova, the founding executive director of Project Potluck, listen to a competitior's pitch.
Albert Liu created food-based, compostable flatware for foodservice and retail sales by adapting plastic infusion processing. The technonology also can be adapted to make golf tees and bottles, he says.
Yasameen Sajady and her sisters convinced their mother, Fatima, to bottle her cilantro and ginger chutney—a secret recipe, of course—and share it with consumers.
Pitch Slam judges, from left, Mitch Orland, vice president of Earth Fare Markets, and Tyler Coppola, a consultant with Base Culture, make notes following a pitch.
Super Natural crisps are a healthy alternative to potato and other vegetable chips, as they aren't aren't fried and maintain the nutrients of their ingredients. Several flavors are available or coming soon.
Good Love Foods produces ready-to-bake, gluten-free baked goods such as biscuits, cimmamon rolls and even puff pastry.
Niramaya Foods creates dips with classic Indian flavors with added nutrients from supergreens, vegetables and adaptogens. These products are high in protein, plant based, gluten free and dairy free.
Leisa Hirtz, who also founded Women's Global Health Innovations, is working to solve period poverty around the world through education and an antibacterial menstrual cup.
Jake Deleon, founder of Fila Manila, speaks with Bread SRSLY CEO Sadie Scheffer and Thereasa Black, CEO of Bon AppéSweet, after the five finalists answer judges' questions in a lightning round. Black won the Rising Star Award (second place) in the 2022 Expo West Pitch Slam.
Valerie Emanuel of Rif Care
Brittany Masters of Roam Free Ranch
Emcee Julie Zagars of Naturally Boulder shows off the Grand Prize trophy before announcing the winner.
Emcee Kuvy Ax, founder of ROOT PR, presents Maazah CEO Yasameen Sajady with the grand prize check.
Expo West Pitch Slam might be the most nerve-wracking competition in the natural products industry. After all, these 10 entrepreneurs are within arms' reach of a free booth at Expo West 2024 and valuable services—and a table of judges and a live audience.
From the first presentation to the last, these well-prepared competitors made it clear that the judges' decisions would not be easy ones. After the first round, the judges chose five brands to proceed to the lightning round: Afia Foods, B Free Cup, Maazah, Roam Free and SuperNatural.
Of those, Maazah won the grand prize: a free booth at Natural Products Expo West 2024, entrance to Expo East in September, a free NEXTY nomination and other services from New Hope Network. In total, the prize is valued at $35,000. Roam Free Ranch took second place, which includes entrance to Expo East 2023 and being interviewed on stage during Expo West 2024. Rif Care received the Audience Choice Award; the prize is the same as that for second place.
Getting to Pitch Slam isn't as difficult as launching a new product, but it's not an easy path. Applicants must submit a video pitch, a completed survey, labels and samples, all of which are reviewed by a selection committee. This year, 192 brands fufilled the application requirements. After the committee chose the 10 semifinalists, each founder was paired with a mentor who helped them prepare their pitches.
This year's mentors have a variety of backgrounds:
Kuvy Ax, founder and owner of ROOT, The Good Food Agency.
Brad Charron, CEO and “re-founder” of ALOHA.
Rachel Calomeni, senior vice president, HowGood.
Doug Helbig, chief operating officer, Green Spoon Sales.
Sam Kressler, owner, Stir Innovation.
Betsy McGinn, founder, McGinn eComm.
Andy Nathan, founder/CEO, Fortnight Collective.
Michael Movitz, co-founder, Brandjectory.
Randy Ornstein, senior director of alcohol, Gopuff.
Sindy Wise, vice president, WishGarden Herbs.
Julie Zagars, managing director of Naturally Boulder.
Within a three-minute time limit, each founder shared their brand's story, sales figures, market data and more. But that wasn't all: The judges were allotted a total of four minutes to ask questions. This year's esteemed judges were Alli Ball, founder/ CEO, Food Biz Wiz; Kathleen Casanova, founding executive director, Project Potluck; Vincent Love, managing partner, Sunrise Strategic Partners; Mitch Orland, vice president, Earth Fare Markets; and Tyler Coppola, consultant, Base Culture.
This year's semifinalists represented broad categories of the natural products industry: food, flatware, coffee and period care. Click through the gallery to see highlights of Pitch Slam, which occurred on International Women's Day, March 8, in Anaheim, California.
All Expo West attendees, exhibitors and virtual passholders can watch a replay of Natural Products Expo West Pitch Slam on the Expo West Virtual page.
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