10 Takeaways from 2025 Natural Products Expo West

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Last week, the organic industry descended upon Anaheim, California, to attend Natural Products Expo West, which played host to nearly 70,000 attendees and 3,200 booths. Below are my 10 takeaways from the show.

1) REGENERATIVE ORGANIC CERTIFIED® WAS THE TALK OF THE TOWN

(These Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) signs were everywhere at the show, and this one was at The Republic of Tea booth.)

When the Regenerative Organic Certified® label launched in 2017, some people predicted that it would become the new gold standard in organic, supplanting the USDA organic seal. Based on what we saw in Anaheim, it certainly appears this is becoming the case, as the buzz around ROC at Expo West was undeniable. Hundreds of brands have already obtained ROC certification, with dozens more on the way, and ROC certified products were the main feature at many booths.

On the Monday before Expo West, the Regenerative Organic Alliance, the organization that oversees ROC, held its annual event at The Ecology Center, a ROC-certified farm and education center located about 45 minutes south of Anaheim.

This is now a must-attend event for the burgeoning and tight-knit ROC community, and nearly everything served at lunch was grown on The Ecology Center’s organic farm. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time, and all I could think about while eating it was that ‘this is why we do the work we do — so we can eat food that tastes like this.’

Also, at the event, Christopher Gergen was introduced as the new CEO of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, succeeding Elizabeth Whitlow.

(The ROC-certified farm at The Ecology Center)

2) CRACKS ARE APPEARING

While the energy around much of the show was positive and upbeat, as it usually is, some cracks did start to appear in a few specific areas.

First, organic brands that have international supply chains, particularly those working with Canada and Mexico, are feeling very rattled with the back-and-forth threat of tariffs. One prominent CEO told me that they have no visibility about what this month or year will look like, in terms of costs. All of this is causing a level of unprecedented uncertainty, further exacerbated by a softening economy and shoppers who may be cutting back on their organic spending.

Second, several founders of small organic brands lamented that the business model of selling their products via brokers, distributors and retailers is broken; so much so that they are either exiting the organic industry completely or are going to do their own distribution to smaller accounts. I was told stories about brands doing $10-20M in sales who have thrown in the towel because they simply cannot make it work, and additionally, I heard from numerous executives that retailers, both online and offline, are getting much more aggressive about the fees they charge and are making payments to brands in a less timely manner.

Lastly, in terms of government programs and reimbursements that have been halted — something we covered in the last newsletter — one founder told me that even if payments eventually get made, the damage may be irreversible, and they’ll already be out of business.

3) A2 IS TAKING HOLD IN THE DAIRY CATEGORY

Thanks to Alexandre Family Farm, which single-handedly helped create the organic A2 category in the U.S., consumers are beginning to appreciate and gravitate toward A2 dairy — the more easily digestible dairy.

And this growing understanding is leading to a greater presence of organic A2 dairy products.

The newest offering from Alexandre Family Farm is A2 organic chocolate 4% whole milk.

Founded in 1916, Clover Sonoma unveiled its pasture-raised, organic A2 4% whole milk.

Origin presented various Regenerative Organic Certified® A2 cheeses, including Chile Jack, Mozzarella Strong Cheese and Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese Sticks.

The organic A2 whole milk yogurt from Bellwether Farms also comes in single-serve sizes.

4) PURPOSE PLEDGE IS UNVEILED

Without question, the most transformative initiative announced at Expo West was the Purpose Pledge, a newly announced business community — launched by Dr. Bronner’s, LIFT Economy and One Step Closer — that elevates how ethical businesses operate.

Unlike a traditional certification, where a certification body holds companies accountable, participants in the Purpose Pledge hold each other accountable and collaborate to share best practices. It is about lifting each other up to new heights, with collaboration as a foundational tenet.

“The Purpose Pledge is a call for meaningful action, not just intention. I believe that this effort can be a global beacon for change in how business is done,” said Lara Dickinson, co-founder and executive director of One Step Closer, whose organization will lead this project.

Currently only available to CPG companies, organic is the baseline, with the objective of getting each company to ROC or ROC-equivalent. Participation requires a very serious time and financial commitment, and the goal is to have 25 companies in the pilot, 14 of which are already committed.

This initiative represents a game-changing paradigm for ethical businesses, and we will be closely tracking its progress.

5) TEA STOOD OUT

One area where we we saw many new offerings was in the tea category.

Uncle Matt’s Organic unveiled two of its newest offerings — Crancherry Hibiscus Tea and Yerba Mate Energy Tea, which steeps for 10 minutes before getting bottled.

This was Wild Orchard’s first ready-to-drink organic offering — Matcha Latte and Black Matcha Latte — made with regenerative A2 milk from Alexandre Family Farm, regenerative maple tree sap and its own Regenerative Organic Certified® tea.

Miraculous Mushrooms from Teeccino is an organic herbal tea made with chaga, lion’s mane, reishi, turkey tail and cordyceps.

At the show, Nourish Cold Pressed Juice had three of its offerings on tap — Mango Mama (mango, green tea, maple water), Pom Power (pomegranate, green tea and maple water) and Pure Passion (passion fruit, green tea and maple water), all of which were made with the Regenerative Organic Certified^® green tea from Wild Orchard.

Along with its new packaging, Lemon Perfect expanded its lineup of organic lemon water to now include Sunshine Tea.

From Numi, its Damiana line of organic tea supports vitality, relaxation and a positive mood.

Now committed to being an “Ally” of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, the offerings from Steaz will soon be made with Regenerative Organic Certified^® green tea from Wild Orchard, and the company has committed to transitioning to other ROC ingredients.

Organic India now has two Regenerative Organic Certified^® teas — Purely Chamomile and Purely Assam Black Tea.

6) WHERE DOES CLIMATE STAND?

With President Trump reversing the climate policies of the previous administration, one question I had was what impact this would have on our industry and the presence of “climate” at the show.

According to Paul Lightfoot, general manager of Patagonia Provisions, “Everyone feels unsettled by what is going on at the federal government, especially considering that many farmers are getting shortchanged, and the U.S. is reneging on organic funding. However, most people at Expo do not seem discouraged. Consumers still care about biodiversity, and they want great tasting products that are responsibly sourced. Maybe the word ‘climate’ is being used less often, but that is only one part of the equation. This year, for example, people are connecting the dots between the health of soil and the micronutrient density of food more than ever.”

Marci Zaroff, founder/CEO of Ecofashion Corp, an organic textile and clothing company, had a somewhat similar take on the situation.

“As a result of Trump and his policies, much of the language around ESG and climate is getting repositioned as ‘risk mitigation and resilience in an unpredictable world.’”

7) MAKING INROADS WITH ORGANIC AT SCHOOLS

One of the best and most encouraging panel sessions that I attended was the one where Conscious Kitchen, Nature’s Path and Straus Family Creamery all discussed their roles in getting organic into the West Contra Costa Unified School District in California.

According to Sasha Bricel, director of marketing services at Nature’s Path, “Schools serve more meals each day than Starbucks and Chipotle combined. This should be an area of real focus for our industry, especially since successful models in California have been established and organic is of such interest to the next generation of eaters.”

8) RESURGENCE OF SODA 

The reality is that many people still love soda, and as a result, organic soda options are finding a significant niche in the marketplace.

De La Calle, Sati Soda and Nixie expanded their lines with new flavors at Expo West, and the show also saw the emergence of two new organic soda brands.

New York-based Fresh Fizz Soda is using date syrup to sweeten its Cola, something I had never seen before.

From Biotic Ferments, Nira is a craft fermented soda that provides probiotics and postbiotics.

9) NATURALLY NETWORK’S MINORITY-OWNED FELLOWSHIP MADE A BIG IMPRESSION

Naturally Network’s Minority-Owned Fellowship is a true bright spot in the natural products industry, and its showcase at Expo West presented some very promising companies and entrepreneurs.

The fellowship is a 16-week program designed to support and advocate for racially and ethnically underrepresented, early-stage founders in the natural and organic CPG industry, bringing together resources, tools and community.

I saw some excellent products and had great conversations with a handful of brands, including Norbor Beauty, Koshna, Edggies Veggies, Melati Drinks and MILKIsh — the world’s first watermelon seed milk.

10) ORGANIC PRODUCTS THAT CAUGHT MY EYE

I am no longer compiling my Top 5 Organic Products of Expo West on Living Maxwell, something I had been doing since 2010, but the following organic products really captured my attention.

Expanding its offerings of ancient grains, Jovial unveiled its Regenerative Organic Certified® einkorn pancake & waffle mix.

Om Mushroom Superfood now has the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® mushroom powder — reishi and lion’s mane.

Suja Organic’s new line of shots comes in four varieties — Probiotic (watermelon), Detox (blood orange), Immunity (elderberry apple) and Digestion (ginger pineapple).

Rumiano debuted two new organic cheese dips — Three Cheese and Queso, the first organic queso on the market.

Forager Project unveiled its organic, plant-based Greek yogurt — with 10g of protein per serving.

Ocean’s Halo presented two new organic vegan sauces — soy-free Tonkatsu and Typhoon, which is Korean BBQ inspired.

The organic, sourdough and gluten-free tortillas from PACHA are made with just two ingredients — buckwheat and sea salt.

Made with organic coconut aminos, the BBQ sauces from Big Tree Farms come in three flavors — Not So Naughty (mellow), Original Naughty (feisty) and Oh So Naughty (volcanic).

Whole Harmony has a line of organic botanicals steeped in crystal water and fresh pureed fruits that are infused with a Hertz vibration according to each chakra.

Grown in the Sacramento Valley by a fourth-generation rice farmer, Luna Koshihikari is a Regenerative Organic Certified® premium-grade Japanese varietal of white rice.

With gratitude, Max Goldberg, Founder