The Natural List — A behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 NEXTY Awards

In this episode of The Natural List, co-host Adrienne Smith is joined by New Hope Network’s Douglas Brown and Nancy Coulter-Parker for a behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 Natural Products Expo West NEXTY Awards preliminary judging. 

During the preliminary round, the New Hope Network team samples and deliberates over several days and hundreds of products to select finalists in each category based on the three Is: innovation, inspiration and integrity. With more than 1,000 products spanning 35 categories in the running, the judges share highlights from the first days of judging, noteworthy trends and a few early favorites. 

This year’s submissions reveal exciting shifts, including cleaner frozen desserts, low-sugar snacks and sustainable packaging. Dietary supplements are leaning into the GLP-1 revolution, while protein-packed foods dominate. During this episode, judges share what made certain nominations standout, from stellar storytelling and consumer education to research-backed details about health benefits and clear narratives around a product’s purpose and impact. Tune in for insights on the trends shaping the natural and organic products industry and what it takes to stand out in the NEXTY Awards competition. 

In this episode:

Related:The Natural List - Hot topics for Natural Products Expo West 2025 with Jenna Fitch

Our guests

Nancy Coulter-Parker, Director of Content Marketing
New Hope Network

Nancy Coulter-Parker is the director of content marketing for New Hope Network (Informa Markets), a role which draws on her 20-plus years as a content and research specialist in the natural products industry. At New Hope, Nancy works with and creates content assets for clients across the natural products space, including dietary supplement, personal care and food and beverage companies. She also oversees the Inside Organic program, which aims to bring USDA certified organic brands, ingredient suppliers and companies together to create clear communication and educational materials about organic. For more than a decade, Nancy also has authored the Organic Trade Association’s annual industry survey report. 

Douglas Brown, Senior Retail Reporter
New Hope Network 

Douglas Brown worked as a full-time journalist for daily newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years, including six years covering the White House and Capitol Hill and a decade writing about food and agriculture for The Denver Post. He now serves as New Hope Network's senior retail reporter, covering a broad range of industry sectors. 

Related:The Natural List - Top trends shaping CPG and retail in 2025

Your hosts 

About Jessica Rubino  

Jessica Rubino is a natural products industry expert and content strategist with more than 15 years experience in media, events and natural products. As New Hope Network’s vice president of content, Jessica oversees digital and print content, conference programming and branded content for CPGs, retailers, investors and service providers. Jessica is passionate about using innovation as a force for good and leveraging content to spark the changes we want to see in the world.  

About Adrienne Smith  

Adrienne Smith is the director of content for newhope.com and the editor-in-chief of Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine where she helps ideate and produce content for natural products retailers, brands and entrepreneurs. She also runs the NEXTY Awards, an annual program held in conjunction with Natural Products Expo West that recognizes emerging and established natural CPG brands for their innovation, inspiration and integrity. 

Before coming to New Hope Network, Adrienne spent two decades writing about food and beverage products and trends for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Trade in Madrid, Spain, as well as for publications including the International Herald Tribune/New York Times and El País. A former restaurant owner, chef and sommelier, Adrienne is passionate about food in all its forms.