Relationships power Newtopia Now

For most natural and organic products retail professionals, connections happen every day with team members, customers, brand reps and distributors. But for decades, retailers have savored the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day and connect with the broader industry at Natural Products Expo West, and again in the fall at Natural Products Expo East. This year’s Expo West brought around 65,000 industry stakeholders to Anaheim in March for one of the most successful Expos in New Hope Network’s history. We then had the opportunity to listen to the market and reimagine how we convene as a community for our second large event of the year. The result: The sunsetting of Expo East and launching of Newtopia Now, which will take place in Denver August 25-28.

The emergence of this new even reflects New Hope’s deep commitment to those all-important industry connections. The event revolves around ensuring that key industry professionals, most notably brands and buyers, spend quality time together. We designed the show to foster as many new introductions between stakeholders as possible, while also strengthening existing partnerships.

Marketing regenerative
at retail

As regenerative agriculture takes off, retailers today are figuring out how best to educate consumers about the benefits of regenerative—and to drive sales. Back when the Regenerative Organic Alliance launched its third-party certification seal—Regenerative Organic Certified, or ROC—in 2020, the initial goal was to persuade farmers to get on board. After all, without certified fields and farms, the marketplace would never enjoy products bearing the new seal. ROA’s effort, which is ongoing, succeeded. Farmers signed up, and a supply chain was born. The next big endeavor, says ROA Executive Director Elizabeth Whitlow, was to persuade companies to source ingredients from ROC farms and craft ROC brands. That pursuit has also triumphed. Today, there are 175 brands showcasing ROC beans, beer, pasta, chocolate, ice cream and much more.