Searching for the holy grail of Natural Products Expo West
It takes a lot for a product to truly represent the best of Natural Products Expo. Here, newhope360 We.Blogger Whitney Lauritsen shares what she's really looking for.
March 4, 2014
![Searching for the holy grail of Natural Products Expo West Searching for the holy grail of Natural Products Expo West](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/bltb6a7ef7c953ef842/64e8a3538c5a950c5b1ab738/whitney-lauritsen-promo.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale)
The number one most exciting part of Expo West is discovering new products - I think everyone who attends can agree upon that. Though for me, it’s not just about trying the unknown, but witnessing innovation.
Expo West is like a treasure hunt - every year I go in with a plan and strategically weave my way up and down the aisles. My eyes are constantly scanning for newfangled goodies that are not only vegan but organic, non-GMO, fair trade, gluten free, unprocessed, nutritionally rich and in eco-friendly packaging. Finding a product that meets all of the above criteria is the Holy Grail of Expo, earning it an immediate photo upload to Instagram and Twitter, maybe even a spot in my video roundup! These products thrill me because they’re evidence of evolution: Expo West is where the cutting edge takes place. Throughout the convention center I can feel gears turning in each attendee’s head; ideas are born and later brought to life there.
I take Expo very seriously - while it’s a lot of fun, it is business. My goal is to make connections: to connect with other attendees in order to learn how we can support one another, and to act as a connecting bridge between companies and the Eco-Vegan Gal community. It’s a curation process, as I want to offer a behind-the-scenes look at beloved products.
Lives are altered at Expo - stop to listen and within minutes you’ll hear someone remark, “this is the product I’ve been waiting for!” I’ve literally seen people cry over dairy-free cheese. These are the moments I live for, not just for my own pleasure but because I’m witnessing change. Expo West is part of a movement to expand the possibilities and showcase how incredible natural products are; it’s a peek into a very healthy, sustainable future.
Editor's Note: Whitney blogs regularly at Eco-Vegan Gal.
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