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Natural & Organic Products Europe

Exhibition captures the mood of a natural food, beauty and product industry determined to power ahead
Katie Hill - Editor-in-Chief, My Green Pod
Natural Products Europe 2019

Pioneering trends, thought-provoking debates and ‘better-for-you’ innovations were served up at ExCeL London 07-08 April, as thousands of buyers and retailers gathered at the Natural & Organic Products Europe trade show – checking out what’s new and next in the world of natural health, food, beauty, wellness and sustainable living.

With 700 exhibitors there to meet them – showcasing the best choice of natural, certified organic, vegan, Fairtrade and free-from food, drink, VMS, cosmetics, skincare, and eco living products to hit the market – Natural & Organic Products Europe enjoyed a victorious turnout, with a total attendance of 10,298 (up 3% on 2018’s figures).

‘With each edition, every year, Natural & Organic Products Europe just keeps getting bigger and better’, said event director Carol Dunning.

No sign of trading concerns

Thousands of independent stores, multiples, pharmacies, restaurants, cafés, contract caterers, hotels, salons and spas from 92 countries packed the aisles.

The exhibition attracted senior buyers and decision makers from some of the UK and Europe’s biggest retailers, wholesalers and distributors – including representatives from Amazon, Boots, Holland & Barrett, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Superdrug, TK Maxx, Whole Foods Market, Infinity Foods, Planet Organic and more.

‘No sign of any trading concerns as the natural products industry grows and more new buyers from the UK and Europe came to source the latest product innovations to satisfy the consumer demand for natural, sustainable and eco-friendly products. There was plenty to choose, from flagship brands through to the fledglings that are getting their chance to launch to the market, and for the first time ever Holland & Barrett chose all six of the brands that were pitched to them LIVE at the show – unprecedented.’

CAROL DUNNING
Natural & Organic Products Europe event director

The best show yet

The quality of buyers in attendance certainly didn’t go unnoticed by exhibitors. Many have said the show is the perfect opportunity to meet lots of ‘great buyers’ and contacts from around the world. Exhibitors were so thrilled with the seniority and sheer number of relevant business professionals, that a record 60% of exhibitors have already rebooked for next year.

This year’s show features and pavilions included two New Product Showcases, an expanded Vegan World, The Organic Hub hosted by the Soil Association & Organic Trade Board, plus international pavilions hosted by Italy, Sicily, Greece, Spain (Galicia), Portugal, USA (Maine), Peru, Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.

Captivating Talks

Alongside the show’s bustling exhibition, the three theatres (Food, Beauty & Health) were a hive of activity throughout the two days.

In the Natural Beauty Talks Theatre, industry leaders in ‘conscious beauty’ like Helen Yeardsley, Natrue, Weleda, Mooncup, Organic Monitor, My Green Pod, Tabitha James Kraan and the Soil Association covered thought-provoking sessions about plastics in cosmetics, CBD beauty, genderless beauty, feminine hygiene, beauty from within, skin microbiome, traceability, certification and more.

Over in the Natural Food Talks Theatre, the Soil Association, Organic Trade Board (OTB), The Fairtrade Foundation, Craig Sams, Health Sales Group, Patrick Holford, and many more draw in the crowds with topics covering organic farming and retailing, GMOs, ethical consumption, farmers living income, the continuing rise of conscious consumerism and Brexit.

In the Natural Products Talks Theatre, big names including Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD, HemPoland, Pukka Herbs, Natural Products Global’s editor Jim Manson, and The UMF Quality Trademark presented insights and research on a range of global trends and cutting-edge topics within natural health and wellbeing sector.

Pitching to Sainsbury’s

Other highlights included the networking ceremony for the ‘Thirty under 30’ list – designed to celebrate the rising stars of the sector, hosted by Natural Products News.

The show’s popular LIVE innovation pitches to Holland & Barrett and (new this year) Sainsbury’s also took place and drew in standing room only crowds. For the first time, the innovation was so strong across the pitches, Holland & Barrett’s buying team opted to have further talks with all the shortlisted companies, which included Just Wholefoods: Shobu, Jack & Chill, Organic Sports Nutrition, Pharmavita, and Scence. Upcircle and Everyman Jack were the two companies chosen to have further talks with the Sainsbury’s buying team.

‘Upcircle gave a very concise and engaging pitch, they clearly articulated the USP of their brand. We loved the fact they recycle waste from another industry by reusing coffee grounds, we thought the branding and messaging was very strong and the products smelt divine.’

‘In a world where significantly more natural brands are targeted at women, it was refreshing to find a brand targeted at men, and even more so one that played across all male categories including shave, shower and deodorant. We liked the clear, simple branding and the innovative bottle shapes used in their haircare. We felt, before EveryMan Jack, we hadn’t seen any natural brand operating credibly in this space in the UK.’

REBECCA WICKS
Buying manager of Beauty at Sainsbury’s Supermarkets

Award winners

Show visitors were also among the first to hear the results of the Natural Beauty Retail Awards and the show’s much anticipated Natural & Organic Awards Europe 2019 – a record 26 winners all took home accolades.

Hosted by Natural Products News and now in their 24th year, the awards become renowned for recognising trend-setting new innovations across the food, health, eco-living and beauty categories.

Captain Kombucha, Eaten Alive, Qwrkee Foods, Willy’s ACV, Conscious Chocolate, Wasi Organics, Happy Cheeze, BetterYou, Living Planet Distribution, Opus Innovations, Pukka Herbs, Natural Wound Care (Suma Wholefoods), Motion Nutrition, Antipodes (distributed by Kinetic), Viridian Nutrition, Giovanni (distributed by Kinetic), Holy Llama, Natura Siberica, INIKA Organic, Natracare, Biona and Dr Hauschka were among the ‘Best New’ product winners.

The Natural Products Special Contribution Award went to Soil Association’s Lee Holdstock; The Natural Products Outstanding Achievement Award went to Suma Co-operative, and Better Food Co in Bristol was named Best Independent Retailer. The Natural Beauty Retail Award winners for 2019 included Waitrose, Neal’s Yard, Naturisimo, As Nature Intended and Content Beauty/Wellbeing.

Click here to find out more about the awards.

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