Standout Products & Mindful Marketing at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California

 

Standout Products & Mindful Marketing at

 

I went to my first Expo West, it was AWESOME! Every green girl and marketers dream! I JUST LOVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH PURPOSE! First of all, IT’S HUGE!!! If I ever make it back I am going for the entire length of the convention. This was a last minute thing I did not even get two full days in, and I was exhausted.  I am so glad I did not put on heels! You will get a workout, so all the food tasting is guilt free. The samples, oh the samples!!!  The awesome and generous Zevia crew are to thank for my biceps looking extra toned this week.  I will do more than one blog about the Expo because it is just so much stuff to talk about, I haven’t even had a chance to try HALF of the products.

I am going to start with an East Coast based (represent!) company, because I liked the sample enough to buy some. TMI here, but I am very active & eat a lot of curry. I can get a little, hmmmm, aromatic.

Finding a natural deodorant that: actually works, doesn’t clump up, and prevents sweat is near impossible. Stinkbug Naturals hit all three! I was given a sample of the Tangerine Spice and loved it after a 2 day test. I had it in my cart on Amazon, but found it at the Laguna Hill’s Marshalls. Score! I purchased the Patchouli. I have worn several materials too, including silk and have had no staining. All in all Stinkbug definitely doesn’t stink, at all.

I purchase Wanu water & nutrients often, but they had new delicious flavors worthy of a mention. I am an avid hiker, who needs more than just plain water to get up mountains. I am picky and sadly, if a product is not too sweet, it’s made up of a toxin I am allergic to called Acesulfame potassium. My go-to before discovering Wanu was coconut water which can sometimes be too heavy in my stomach and tastes awful if it gets warm. Wanu to the rescue! It is full of vitamins and nutrients and even though it does not have electrolytes, for me, it is one of the best drinks to get me through a long hike.  The Strawberry Serrano Lime is my favorite, the Kiwi Cucumber is very crisp and refreshing. Be on the look out for bottles on the shelves with a $1.00 off 2 coupon.

My favorite booth at the Expo was Alaffia, by far! It was beautiful, my hands were always full so I did not get many pics at the Expo. Check out their facebook  for all the pictures and video, they had live African music and dancing their entire team was super knowledgeable about their sustainable practices and helping women thrive!

I have been using Every Day Coconut Face Lotion every day since moving to Southern California it absorbs well, moisturizes, and its SPF 15.  This Alaffia is just one of those WIN/WIN/WIN can’t stop winning companies. Learn more about their mission and success stories here.  I love that they are re-branding so recognizing their expansive product lines will be easier.

 

 

Uglies was there if you have not seen our blog on them yet. We love ’em! As you can see my Expo crew and I have a lot of products to test out for our businesses.

 

 

  

SO. MUCH. STUFF! 

 

Author Unknown

 

Peace, Love & Dandelions, 

Dandelion Approved Examples of Mindful Branding

Have you ever had a brand that just makes you proud to purchase their products? We have a bunch! Here we have highlighted three relatively new companies: that have made an impression on us,  fit our criteria of what mindful marketing is, and also taste delicious!

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 We are not affiliated with, nor compensated by any of these companies. 

 

The first company whose branding and practices we consider to qualify as mindful marketing is Siggi’s Icelandic Skyr (yogurt), recently acquired by Lactalis. When you spot a container of Siggi’s on a super market shelf the impact of the container is notably unpretentious with very forthright communication. The label goes much further than most, creatively providing an eco friendly easy-to-tear recyclable paper label on a #5 plastic container.  Sustainable packaging is a must for the conscious consumer. You can tell a lot of thought went into their packaging.

The best part is that once you peel back the label you are provided with a story. The consumer is given a thorough explanation of what differentiates Icelandic-style skyr from standard yogurt products. Its educational, cultural, and personal. This company took the time to share their story and culture with you. You have a belly full of delicious Skyr and feel like Siggi is a friend.

 

 

The next company we have chosen had the genius idea to make “garbage” delicious .  Did you know each year 6 billion pounds of produce goes unharvested or unsold for aesthetic reasons? We didn’t until we purchased a bag of Uglie’s What is better than a zero calories potato chip (if there were one)? How about a potato chip that combats food waste and fights hunger? We just adore this win/win brand. Every bag of chips makes you aware of a very serious issue, but provides the satisfaction of knowing each purchase makes a difference.

“They’re not really ugly…just not perfect! The USDA has strict guidelines regulating the cosmetic appearance of produce. We follow their guidelines in the production of our regular kettle chips, but UGLIES are made from potatoes that do not meet those specifications. This includes potatoes that are too large or too small; those with the wrong color or have the wrong sugar content. Some of these potatoes are slightly blemished and, of course, some are just farmer surplus. Until now, these orphaned potatoes were destined to become food waste.”

We have purchased several bags now (and as you can tell by the picture we can’t wait to tear into them) and we really don’t see much difference compared to most potato chips, most look the same a few are a little darker, but they are just as good, probably better, than “pretty” potato using competitors.

 

Our last brand is MALK  Organic Nut Milks. Their adorable bottles caught our eye with their “less is more” branding. It does not just define their packaging, but their ingredients. Their list of ingredients they DON’T use is longer than the ingredients they do use.  Most of their products are only 3 organic ingredients.

While Plant Based milks are a booming market, most are made with gums and processed ingredients.  MALK went with “Simple is Delicious”. A blunt, yet precise description of their products. Their bottles are BPA free and reusable.

They also chose to share an inspiring personal story.  MALK came about by a Mother with a mission, who was determined to give her son a better dairy alternative for his severe dairy allergy. Founder August Vega, suffers from the same allergy and spent most of her lifetime struggling to find foods that wouldn’t make her sick, she nailed it. MALK is one of the best tasting and most nutritious plant based milks out there.

 

We will be featuring more mindful brands and their missions, stay tuned. If you are a conscious consumer and have a brand that you adore for it’s mindfulness please let us know about it in the comments.

 

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

~ Steve Jobs

 

 

Peace, Love & Dandelions,