The draft is over and 15 top emerging brands have been chosen to compete in the 2024 Natural Products Expo West Pitch Slam. The event takes place on March 12 at 5 pm, during the Expo West event in Anaheim, CA.
A representative from each of the 15 companies will get a chance to explain their items to the panel of industry expert judges, with a time limit of just three minutes. The judges must sit and listen, with no opportunity to interrupt the pitches with questions or comments just yet.
Next, the judges will deliberate and narrow the field down to five finalists. Then comes the ‘lightning round’—judges ask the finalists questions, then return to deliberation. While the judges are deciding upon the winner, audience members get a chance to vote for their favorites. The winning company will receive a free booth at Natural Products Expo West and more than $30,000 worth of services from the show company, New Hope Network.
The field of 15 competitors includes several snack and bakery producers:
- Alice’s Sweet Tooth, cookies
- Brune Kitchen, cookies
- Chuza, spicy fruit snacks
- Fair and Square, gut-friendly kids snacks
- The Cracker King, gluten-free crackers
- MasPanadas, frozen empanadas
- Philosopher Foods, gut-healthy nuts and almond butters
