Maazah's 'Magic Green Sauce' wins Expo West 2023 Pitch Slam

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.

Related:10 entrepreneurs give it their all at Natural Products Pitch Slam 2023

This year's mentors have a variety of backgrounds: 

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. 

Related:Maazah: Afghan American family shares chutney sauces with the world

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.