Farmwise LLC, based in Boston, MA, won the Natural Products Expo West Pitch-Slam with its Veggie Fries.
TheAmerican Herbal Products Association (AHPA)of Silver Spring, MD, held its annual members’ meeting and breakfast with a keynote address delivered by supplement industry advocateSen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). Harkin also received the AHPA Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of his contributions to the industry. Three other awards were given.Steven Dentali, Ph.D., a research fellow for botanical development at Herbalife, took home the AHPA Herbal Hero Award for his “outstanding contributions to AHPA committees and initiatives.” Meanwhile, Aveda received the AHPA Herbal Industry Leadership Award for helping advance the herbal products industry.Paula Brown, Ph.D., director of the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG), received the AHPA Herbal Insight Award for her botanical research. And, the lateRobert (Bob) Ullmanreceived the AHPA Visionary Award for his “unprecedented contributions to the herbal products industry that have helped ensure future success.”
TheAmerican Botanical Council (ABC), based in Austin, TX, gave out several awards at Expo West. The James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award was presented toClinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare, 3rd Edition, written by Jane Buckle, Ph.D., RN. ABC namedMediHerbof Warwick, Australia the recipient of the 2015 ABC Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedical Research Award. Meanwhile,John Thor Arnason, Ph.D., took home the 2015 ABC Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award, andMichael Tierra, LAc, OMD, AHG, was the recipient of the 2015 ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award. Last, the Champion Award went toEd Smith, medical herbalist and co-founder of Herb Pharm.
KeHEof Naperville, IL, celebrated its new status as a Certified B Corporation at Expo West.Happy Family of New York, NY, marked its 10-year anniversary at Expo West with the launch of clear “Clearly Crafted” squeeze pouches on its Happy Baby line.
Santa Barbara, CA-basedVitamin Angelskicked off Expo West with its League of Angels fundraising event at the Diamond Club in Anaheim Angel Stadium. Attendees were treated to hors d’oeurves, drinks and networking. Inspiring videos were also presented to the crowd demonstrating the impact that group has communities in need throughout the world. Speakers that evening including Vitamin Angels board member Sara Snow and founder Howard Schiffer.
Wakunaga of America, based in Mission Viejo, held its annual celebration at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, featuring a Japanese dinner for retail partners and music by the Safari Jazz Band.
Lily of the Desert, based in Denton, TX, held an Aloe H2O cocktail party at its booth in honor of its newest product launches.
At Expo West,Cheribundiof Geneva, NY, launched the “Who Knew?” campaign to highlight the many scientifically supported benefits of tart cherry juice. These benefits include pain, sleep and athletic recovery support.
Cargillof Wayzata, MN, hosted a press conference withDr. Pete’s Recovery Drink, which included commentary from NFL Hall-of-Famer Franco Harris; Pete Bordi, director of Penn State University’s Center for Food Innovation; and Kristine Sanschagrin, Cargill marketing manager. Dr. Pete’s Recovery Drink was launched with Cargill’s IngreVita omega-3 ingredient. Said Harris of the drink, “Performance for tomorrow is at stake. We’re hoping to take recovery to the next level…At the end of the day, its all about performance for today and tomorrow.”
Genesis Today of Austin, TX, announced that it is rolling out a new “less is more” look in May. The clean-looking line will still keep its signature glass bottles. The firm is also pairing up with soccer star Christen Press as a primary brand ambassador.
The Ohio State’s Human Performance Laboratory entered into an agreement withILHWA Corporationof Middletown, NY, to study the stress physiology, performance adaptations, biochemical modulation, and neurological aspects of ginseng. The news broke during Expo West.
The annual Women in Naturals event, sponsored byReserveage Nutrition, based in Boca Raton, FL, drew a large crowd of Expo West attendees for cocktails and networking. Naomi Whittel, founder of Reserveage and president and CEO ofTwinlab, based in American Fork, UT, delivered the opening remarks for the event.
Host Defense, Olympia, WA, is now 474 Free. That means that all its products are Certified Organic, non-detect on all 474 harmful pesticides that are tested for in a comprehensive quality analyses used by the company. This is an extension of the company’s initiative to fight the Colony Collapse Disorder that threatens the survival of honeybees, of which pesticides are a major contributing factor. Host Defense is freely sharing the results of its analyses at hostdefense.com.
North American Herb and Spice Co., based in Lake Forest, IL, renamed its line of raw, wild, remote-sourced natural herbs and spices. It is now sold as NAHS Therapy.
New Hope Network inducted 12 leaders of the natural product industry into itsHall of Legends. Inductees includedDebra Stark, founder and owner of Debra’s Natural Gourmet,Muhammed Majeed, Ph.D., founder of Sabinsa Corporation,Greg Leonard, senior VP of natural sales at Tree of Life and executive VP of independent retail sales at KeHE Distributors Inc., as well asMark Retzloff, co-founder of Eden Foods, founder and CEO of Alfalfa’s Market, and co-founder of Aurora Organic Dairy, to name a few.
Published in WholeFoods Magazine May 2016
