September 29, 2022
Sunboy Passion Fruit Spiked Coconut Water “A better for you that is actually better for you,” and Sunboy isn’t lying. Each four-pack of these easy drinkers contains one and a half coconuts, three passion fruits and three and a half limes with 0 grams of added sugar. Add the fact that they’re gluten-free and have 80% less calories than a traditional cocktail and you have a Friday night winner. While sourcing the cleanest and most ethical coconut water, the brand is also committed to important social initiatives such as Second Chance Studios’ efforts to economically empower people who were formerly incarcerated. Sunboy also supports redevelopment efforts at a war widow-staffed coconut farm in Northern Sri Lanka, which was decimated by the country’s decades-long civil war.
Fila Manila Filipino American Kitchen Banana Ketchup This smooth and flavorful condiment is a take on a traditional Filipino, tomato-less condiment that sprang from a wartime shortage of tomatoes—and an abundance of bananas. The rich scarlet color comes from plant-based sources such as beetroot and annatto. This innovative condiment is gluten-free, vegan and has no added sugar. Fila Manila partners with AAPI nonprofits to provide thousands of meals to front-line medical workers, medically neglected populations and BIPOC families in underserved communities that were heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Better Being Company Solaray SharpMind Mood Mood is the health concern of the year for supplements. Some of that marketing is rebranding old ingredients under the new “mood” rubric. St. John’s wort comes to mind—20 years ago it was validated to work for mild to moderate depression. But who wants to describe today’s pandemic-era ennui as depression? Mood sounds more approachable, a conversation-starter in polite company. There’s no hypericum here, but there is sceletium—a South African plant found in studies to make happy people … happier. Think of holy basil as walking meditation in a bottle. Fermented mushrooms also provide balance.
Kvarøy Arctic Original Salmon Hot Dogs The world has a food waste problem, but Kvarøy is here to help. Made of the unused salmon trimmings and cut-offs in Strada, Norway, Kvarøy offers a unique approach to reducing food waste with these quick and easy Salmon Hot Dogs. Like regular hot dogs, they can be heated in a pan or on the grill, and they offer a smooth, buttery taste—all while delivering the recommended daily allowance of omega-3s in just one serving.
Numi Organic Tea Stay Healthy De-Stress Tea This tea—part of Numi’s line of USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified functional teas—is designed to help consumers deal with the challenges of modern life. This herbal supplement contains a blend of herbs, roots, spices and flowers, including kanna, passionflower and lemon balm. This Climate Neutral, Certified B-Corp has recently added to all its tea boxes a new Carbon Footprint Label that provides a breakdown of the product's emissions in four categories (ingredients, packaging, transport and preparation), giving consumers an insight into the carbon impact of their beverage.
Spero Foods Smoked ‘Salmon’ Sunflower Cream Cheese It’s mind-boggling how closely Spero’s Cream Cheese resembles real smoked salmon cream cheese, given that it’s made from seeds. The company uses cutting-edge patented technology focused on low-cost, sustainable and scalable ingredients such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds, which require much less water than almonds—meaning consumers can eat this plant-based cheese spread knowing it is more sustainable than other options.
Pasturebird Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Innovation isn’t always found in the final product. It can often and very importantly be found in the supply chain. Pasturebird has done just that by applying modern-day technology to its farm. Its Automated Range Coop (ARC), a solar-powered, floorless structure, moves 6,000 chickens to fresh pasture each day, offering evenly distributed feeding and encouraging revitalization of the land.
Nantucket Spider Nantucket Footprint Window Cleaning Set It’s 2022 and no one is shy to the fact that single-use plastics are a serious environmental problem. Home cleaning products are a huge culprit, and Nantucket Spider is here to change that. Its comprehensive glass-bottle cleaning set uses dissolvable strips, which means the product is fresh—eliminating the need for toxic chemicals or preservatives. Going above and beyond the necessary ingredient safety guidelines, the product’s packaging is compostable and child-safe, too.
Simpli Regenerative Organic Certified Tri-Color Quinoa Simpli keeps things far from simple, as the brand goes above and beyond to produce the most sustainably grown and ethical quinoa possible. As a vertically integrated company, it sources its Regenerative Organic Certified quinoa from Peru’s Andes region, supporting local farmers with tools, resources and financial security as part of the brand’s vision to transform the flawed food system into one that’s good for you, for the planet and for producers.
Otto's Naturals Grain-Free Baking Powder A pantry staple that can easily be overlooked, baking powder is typically made with conventional cornstarch. Enter Otto’s Naturals with a solution for those in search of a cleaner, grain-free and allergy-friendly alternative as it is free from the top nine allergens.
Clean Cause Orange Ginger Sparkling Yerba Mate Getting caffeinated and staying healthy just got a lot easier with Clean Cause’s new Orange Ginger flavor of its Sparkling Yerba Mate beverage. USDA Certified Organic and with zero sugar, people now have a delicious, flavorful way to spike their day. Clean Cause goes one step further though, donating a whopping 50% of the brand’s net profits toward recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Nimbus Nimby Expanding Towels There is more than meets the eye with these compressed towels that can be used up to five times before consumers can compost them in the backyard. Made from plants and free from chemicals, the Nimby substrate is plastic-free; a proprietary folding process compresses the towels. Just drop them in water and watch them expand. The plant-based rayon of the towels makes them great for removing makeup and freshening up on the go. Made of FSC-certified eucalyptus, the towels are biodegradable and hypoallergenic, making them a more sustainable alternative to disposable wipes wrapped in plastic. Nimbus packaged this hygiene product in an environmentally responsible way (a small cardboard tube) and shortened its supply chain to reduce scope 3 emissions. The Nimby is FSC Certified, BPI certified compostable, OEKO-Standard 100 certified, Testex certified, and ASTM certified.
Neutral Foods Carbon Neutral Organic Whole Milk Neutral Milk is on a mission to drastically reduce carbon emissions from our agricultural system. How do they do this? By offering USDA Certified Organic whole milk from family-owned, pasture-raised farms and investing $1 million in their partner farms and ranches across the United States to reduce their impact. Plus, through its Carbon Neutral Certification, the brand ensures that its carbon offset purchases truly make them Neutral.
Atlantic Sea Farms Basil Pesto Sea-Veggie Burgers Made with kelp, green chickpeas and brown rice—and flavored with ever-popular basil pesto—these Sea-Veggie Burgers launched in July. The women-owned company is pioneering kelp products through its vertically integrated supply chain to support its mission of mitigating climate change. Farmed in the Gulf of Maine, the kelp used by Atlantic Sea Farms is the first clean, sustainable and domestic kelp taken to scale in the United States. They even go a step further with the packaging by sourcing the inner pouch from compostable materials which is something hard to find in the freezer aisle!
Fillo's Bean Salsa Verde Walking Tamales Fillo’s Walking Tamales feature a take on a classic Latin American staple in the form of a shelf-stable, ready-to-eat corn bar, perfect for consuming on the go. While combining tradition and convenience, this innovative snack boasts 6 grams of protein per bar and can be heated up and ready to eat in just 25 seconds. These clean-label tamales are also easy to store, with a two-year shelf life, and are Non-GMO Project Verified. In addition, the Walking Tamales have a lower carbon footprint and volume shipping weights than canned bean products, so consumers can feel good about supporting a product seeking to reduce environmental impacts.
Fody Food Co. Salsa Verde This Certified B Corporation is kicking digestive issues to the curb with this delicious salsa verde (featuring new branding!) that is free of onion and garlic. A common yet underrepresented allergy in the CPG space, alliums can trigger issues for a wide range of people, including those with IBS. Certified Gluten-Free, Certified Vegan, Non GMO Project Verified, keto-friendly and low-FODMAP, Fody Food’s clean ingredient list offers a salsa for the masses.
Xyngular Complete Probiotic With 20 billion CFUs and 11 unique strains of gut-healthy bacteria, this vegan-friendly supplement supports digestion, mood and weight management while helping to reduce bloating and cravings. Prebiotic fibers are included to feed the probiotic bacteria. Every lot is tested at four different third-party facilities for purity, potency, strength, heavy metals, microorganisms and more.
Revolution Gelato Plant-Based Pumpkin Gelato Pie This fantastically delicious, plant-based pumpkin gelato pie is pioneering innovation with a vegan, graham-cracker crust paired with a delightfully creamy, plant-based gelato. YUM. This dessert is the quintessential full-size pumpkin pie for gracing the holiday dinner table. What’s more, consumers will remain untroubled by dairy sensitivities and can enjoy this pie with its simple, clean non-GMO ingredients.
Joolies Jooliettes Blood Orange Dark Chocolate Date Nibbles This family-owned California Medjool-date company has launched a new line of chocolate-covered, diced dates made from upcycled “imperfect” looking dates. This treat serves as a modern take on the classic chocolate-covered raisins. This blood-orange-flavored variety mingles dark chocolate with the brand’s own USDA Organic dates—grown on more than 1,000 acres of sustainable farmland—and packages its products in fully recyclable paperboard made from recycled paper products that use less than 2 grams of plastic per package.
Clover Sonoma Golden Moon Milk As the first dairy in the U.S. to become American Humane Certified, Clover Sonoma is no stranger to doing things right. As a Certified B Corporation and member of the OSC2 J.E.D.I Collaborative, Clover Sonoma uses business as a force for good while delivering exceptional dairy products. A smooth, nourishing Golden Milk with soothing botanicals, this delightful USDA Certified Organic beverage can be enjoyed both hot and cold. It represents a big step in innovation in the real dairy milk aisle.
Growee Foods Curry Zucchini Spread Instead of considering dips and spreads as indulgent snack foods with no nutritious value, Growee Foods wants consumers to see spreads as an opportunity to enjoy natural, whole ingredients. This south Asian-inspired curry zucchini spread is made from fresh vegetables, seeds and spices, perfect for dipping or with a salad. Growee Foods, which sources ingredients local to the manufacturing facility’s location, works directly with local suppliers to maintain sustainable and transparent supply chains—and it’s on track to use only organic ingredients within the coming year.
Chicas Original Corn Tortilla Chips Chicas makes small-batch, family recipe tortilla chips out of Los Angeles, California. Chicas starts out with homemade tortillas that are then fried and flavored perfectly. As distribution grew, the brand even created machines to mimic its handmade method and ensure that the homemade authenticity stayed intact.
Olika Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Olika’s Mindfulness Hydrating Hand Sanitizer is formulated with hyaluronic acid derived from sugarcane to naturally draw moisture into the skin while effectively eliminating 99.9% of germs. Unlike other single-use hand sanitizers, OLIKA’s packaging is refillable and recyclable to ensure its products are conscious of not only hands, but the environment too. Dedicated to producing safe and effective products, OLIKA denounces over 2,000 unsafe substances like phthalates and parabens. Always cruelty-free, vegan and non-GMO, Olika’s ingredients are consciously sourced from farm to skin. Reishi mushroom consciously sourced from Asia helps to boost immunity, fight fatigue and relieve stress. Additionally, formatting the hand sanitizer as a spray provides 15 times more uses than traditional gels of a similar size.
Twice a year, in concurrence with Natural Products Expos West and East, New Hope Network recognizes the best new products with coveted NEXTY Awards. CPG brands nominated hundreds of products across 19 categories, and every one was sampled and reviewed by New Hope's experienced editors. At the same time, the team scrutinizes which products best exemplify "the threes I's"—innovation, inspiration and integrity—by which a product is judged. New Hope Network today announced the 2022 Expo East winners on the Natural Products Expo Virtual platform.
Nearly 600 nominated products narrowed down to 73 finalists
Brands may submit multiple products to multiple categories, which adds an extra, albeit challenging, layer to the judging process as the team determines which new product shines brightest. The New Hope team chooses finalists for each category—73 for this competition—then invites industry experts to join the second round of judging and help select the winners. The two-tiered judging process ensures that each nomination is thoroughly reviewed and upholds the NEXTY Awards' importance to the natural products industry at large.
This year's panel of guest judges ranged from retailers at Thrive and Misfits Market to sustainability experts, B Corporation experts and industry veterans. Their knowledge and expertise cover much of the natural products industry, which helps determine a secret fourth I: impact. In addition to the criteria of innovation, inspiration and integrity, judges selected today's 19 winners with an eye on each product's potential impact in its selected category.
Missed the awards announcement? Watch it on demand here.
The winners
In addition to these 19 category winners, New Hope's editors recognized two brands to receive this year's Editors' Choice Awards. In a change from previous in-person Natural Products Expo events, this year's winners were announced with the others so they all have the same opportunity to make the most of their recognition before Natural Products Expo East begins on Wednesday, Sept. 28. In addition, two products were awarded Consumer Choice Awards.
As New Hope Network has since the fall of 2020, it welcomed nominations from all CPG brands in the natural products industry, not just exhibitors at the concurrent Expo trade show. This policy change gives the NEXTY Awards competition a greater reach and allows more early brands to nominate products. While all 23 award-winning products are featured in this gallery, many of these brands also are exhibiting at Expo East later this month.
Congratulations to this year's NEXTY Awards winners, and thank you to all nominees that made this the most thrilling Expo East NEXTYs competition yet!
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