Natural Products Expo West

**Natural Products Expo** Only business owners and employees may attend.
**There are TWO natural products expo every year, one in the east and one in the west (Anaheim). I believe the other one is in NY.
I was fortunate to get to attend this year and oh I was SO happy!!! If you’re not a business owner or work for a business that sells these products, you’re out of luck and you cannot attend. I, however, got the honor of attending this year because of an extra ticket that someone had. Lucky for me! You get to sample all kinds of products and foods. I was not here to sample foods on the spot. I was only here to TAKE HOME samples. And if it was not a full sample, I was not interested. Okay MAYBE I did take home some tiny samples, I’m Asian. If it is FREE, I take it. So sue me?
So they are making the rules even more STRICT. Only one bag allowed when you leave in addition to your personal bag. Everyone goes back and forth to their car to take bags if you’re lucky to park close, in the structures. Many people had to park far, and catch a shuttle to avoid the ridiculous high fees. I think people were paying as high as $ 50 for parking. CRAZY OR WHAT. I only paid $ 16 because I’m special. So back to the bags, I should have brought some kind of rollie or a luggage. I seen many people with rollies. I noticed Alice L. went last year so I messaged her for tips and she told me to skip the drinks. Unfortunately for me, the drinks was what interested me the most. I’m not much into snacks. But if you’ve been to expos before, it takes days to cover the entire expo and carrying bottles of drinks can get heavy! Lucky for me I got to park close to the door so I had to walk back and forth to drop bags off. I’m not even sure why I would torture myself but getting FREE stuff was kind of fun!
TIP 1: GET A MAP before entering the place! Target the areas that interest you first. It’s a waste of time to walk around in areas where you’re not interested. They do have an area for those who have pets. But if you don’t have pets, you want to skip it. I was not interested in skin products either or vitamins.
TIP 2: BRING a LARGE bag or rollie! I seen people at swap meet rolling this long basket around and putting all their bags in there. I’m not sure if this is allowed here but I did see people with it, and also luggages. If you go early on the first day, you’ll get free tote bags from businesses which people fight for and they run out FAST. Some are horrible quality and not worth it. Others are higher quality and you can throw all your samples in it. No idea why many people don’t bring bags. I seen people desperate for bags on the last day. DUH PEOPLE.
TIP 3: COME EARLY. Whatever time it starts, get here an hour early. Preferably two hours or else you’ll be crying for parking. They structures get filled up very fast and you’ll have to park very far.
TIP 4: BRING YOUR I.D. or you cannot get in. Whatever you do, do NOT leave home without your badge and I.D. Make sure you get your badge EARLY.
TIP 5. Do NOT wear heels! I seen women in their dress shoes, heels, wearing uncomfortable shoes. Plan to walk MILES. I ran into a lot of people that had absolutely no idea how big the place was. They thought a few hours would cover the place. NOT. Wear tennis shoes. Your feet will thank you later.
TIP 6: Skip the HEAVY samples like bottled water. Gladly decline the free bottles of water unless it’s the last hour and everyone is breaking down their booth and leaving.
People were saying that on the last day they would give out more samples but it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Even the last hour, they would limit people to one sample. I think it’s because before, people would take home bags and bags of samples where today, everyone fills their bags with free stuff, drop it off their car, and go back and make more rounds. I’m guilty as charged! I probably took home at least $ 200 worth of free stuff. They did offer free samples of ice cream and gave out popsicles yum yum! Basically they have anything they would sell at Whole Foods Market.
**There’s a lot of restrooms everywhere. I was concerned I’d have to wait in line.
**Securities guard the doors like we’re all criminals. I felt really bad because this security was taking a bag away from this old man because I think he lost his name tag or badge. If you don’t have a badge on, they think you somehow snuck in and will not let you leave with any samples. Seriously? Ridonkulous! Leave the poor old man alone my gawd.
Thanks for reading!
~*kenzie*~

This was my first time attending the Natural Products Expo West trade show and boy, did it exceed my expectations! At first I wasn’t even sure if I could attend because the show is not open to the public and is for people in the industry, such as retailers, suppliers, wholesalers, etc., but I was fortunate enough to sign up as a media influencer/​blogger and get a free press pass. To qualify for the blogger press pass you need at least 1000 followers on your blog, Instagram, or Pinterest showing that you have previously posted about natural products and provide a business card.
The show is amazingly huge! Imagine several halls and floors filled with over 2500 exhibitors with over 70,000 people in attendance. I love natural products so I felt like I was in a Whole Foods Disneyland going trick or treating for goodies! I was in search of the newest vegan products and all my favorite brands where there. It was pretty awesome how much effort was put in by the exhibitors in their construction of booths. Some of the exhibitors went all out to make the most spectacular booths with different floors. It really did feel like a theme park!
Our hotel was about 15 min walk away from the convention center, but next time I want to get a hotel right next to the convention center. I really envied the people staying at the Mariott and Hilton since it was just steps away and they can easily drop off their bags of free stuff to their rooms.
I definitely recommend wearing comfortable shoes because your feet will thank you when its all over. Oh and have a plan of which booths you want to visit because there is just not enough time to see all of them. It was an overwhelming and exhausting weekend but I had a blast and would do it again!

This was my 2^nd year attending. The new rules were ridiculous. You can only leave with one bag of samples…:but they don’t tell you that until you’re exiting the convention center! Nothing like carrying around bags full of samples all day only to be told that you have to leave them to go bad at the front door. HORRIBLE. Also, why can’t you being a small Trolly inside?! Dumb dumb dumb

Great show for wholesalers, retailers, brokers, consumers, importer/​exporters, etc. over 6000 vendors. Huge show. Well executed with a HUGE variety. Everything from supplements to cosmetics to nutritional technology. Plus being in sunny gorgeous California helps! Happy to be here with Team NutraBio booth#682!

I look forward to this all year, its super fun for anyone working in the healing arts or who owns a store.
–Parking: crazy get there much earlier than you think you will need to or don’t bother.
–Forget your ID and you wont be able to get in, I they don’t care who you are or how far you flew to get there.
–People people people everywere so if that bothers you take a Xanax before you come… just kidding, Xanax wont be nearly strong enough.
–prepare to bring home a lot of cool samples so dont grab heavy thing you see, those soda and juice bottles get pretty freakin heavy in your bag.
–Plenty people watching to do so bring your camera, plenty of food there so dont worry about that.
Have fun! And wear comfortable shoes… trust me on this one.

Stay away from these people. I registered for the free retailer registration and my registration «type» was changed by them to «manufacturer». i received an email about this, which also stated that my credit card would be charged $ 495 for each of my 2 registrations. When I called customer service, they were helpful, but I was told that I was «lucky» that the card had not been charged. She also had a pre-​written script about how the registration did state that they reserve the right to change my «type» and charge my card accordingly (which indicates to me that they do this to a lot of people and get called on it). Clearly a scam. No respectable business would operate this way. It’s very creepy. Because I called within a few minutes of receiving this email, it was handled (I hope) without too much trouble. I pity the poor business owner who doesn’t see this email or is too busy to notice the change.

Unless you’re a corporate suit attending this exposition, this is Trick-​or-​Treat for adults.
Here are a couple of tips:
1) Do not bring food or drink, as you’ll encounter more samples of them than you can possibly imagine.
2) Bring bags on the last day, as bags become a rare commodity.
Right from the first steps off the shuttle, various companies will provide you logo’ed bags and you’ll see tons of tents/​trucks with companies giving samples of their wares (mostly food and drink) even before you enter the exposition center. Even past the first doors, there are a bunch of tables with companies and their samples as well.
Inside the exhibition halls, where you do need registration to get in, the area is quite large and the companies diverse. Every size of company, from the start-​up to the mega-​corporation, is represented here. You’ll find all sorts of businesses trying to get your attention, and ultimately, your $. One part of the expo has mostly pharmaceutical companies showcasing machines to sort pills and such. *yawn* Then there are other pharmaceutical companies showing off supplements, pills, etc. They’re kinda useful for your grandma, I suppose.
But the part that’s more lively and interesting is the food and beauty products section. Here, various companies display their natural and organic consumables and are more than happy to give you some, in one form or another. Some have sample cups, which is kinda nice when you’re there. Others have bagged, bottled, wrapped or otherwise transportable samples which you gleefully take. Seriously, you’ll remember the good old days when you praised the neighboring houses that gave you the full bars of chocolate and scorned the ones that gave you pennies (yes, I’m talking to you, Walker’s Shortbread).
The food and drink isn’t all grass smoothie or bark bar crap. There’s actually good food there. I encountered a meat company that provides products from grass-​fed animals. The sausage and hot dogs were quite nice. There was a barbecue sauce company as well, so I got to try some really nice pulled pork. You’ll also see brand names with newer and more experimental products. Nestle was showing their new San Pellegrino citrus soda flavors and I managed to snag a couple of cans.
Some of the biggest displays include Kind and Amy’s Organic. Amy’s has nice bags but you have to get them early. They have a wide-​variety of samples and the people there are generally friendly. I guess that’s what you have to be in order to survive as a marketing person…
If you come on the last day, certain companies don’t really want to carry their samples back, and will start giving them away like candy… or literally candy. I got whole bottles of juice (some of them super-​expensive), whole bars of chocolate, and whole bags of snacks on that day. Yeah, I was hurting carrying that stuff all afternoon, but no pain, no gain.
Parking is at Angels Stadium and there is pretty decent shuttle service to-​and-​from (I didn’t have to wait long for one). Usually there are other events and businesses using the vast stadium parking area too, so make sure you’re at the right lot section. I somehow ended up at cast parking for Disneyland (poor guys aren’t given parking on-​site). Yes, I’m playing one of the other 7 Dwarves… Ornery. :-P

This expo is so huge that a Unilocal review can not do it justice. The expo is getting so large that they have expanded into the arena area and even outside.
It’s like walking through 100 whole foods stores and being able to sample everything. The only problem for me was getting a small sample to try at the event and not even being able to remember what it was later. I was too full to try most of it after the first hour. But I did have a few totes full of the samples, which will make them much easier to try at home. I appreciated the vendors willing to do this.
Amy’s was rocking it as usual with a lot of new products and flavors. Yogurt seemed huge will all of them offering samples until you can’t eat any more yogurt.
There was so many products to choose from that it is hard to keep them straight. I think I am going to start a blog about the products I did bring home to try.

AKA what I call the Health Nut Fair. When my friend told me about the free food, I didn’t think she meant FOOOOD! This place was crazy huge! As a meat and diary lover, I was hesitant I wouldn’t like anything, but the products surprised me. I walked around for a few hours and got tons of samples of crackers, chips, hot foods, energy bars, drinks and ice cream! I was literally eating for 3 hours straight. At the same time, I was trick or treating for healthy foods. The nice thing was that the vendors do not pressure you to buy their products and were really enthusiastic when I said their product tasted good. They even encourage you to take multiple samples!
It was really easy to park at Angels stadium and take the free bus over. Thank you for not making me pay for parking!

goodness gracious this expo is now my favorite of all ! Free samples from vitamins to facial products and lastly the vast amount of food… and majority vegetarian!!!
Oh did I mentioned most of these product are natural and «fresh»!
I literally came out of the place with 4 huge bags and I still wasn’t even done with the WHOLE place– its no wonder its a 3 day event!
I think the only problem is that now my shoes and toes are messed up, but there are massage areas for you, and with all these goodies why would i want to waste time on getting a massage!

I’ve been fortunate to come to this expo for a 2^nd year :)
It’s a HUUUGE expo of natural products with the best part being FOOD.
SAMPLES everywhere and you will get STUFFED. The best part is that you won’t feel guilty at all of the food you stuff in your face.
I usually come home with 4 – 5 decent sized eco bags of samples (chips, crackers, energy bars, fried fruit, yogurt etc) after 5 hours of walking the show floor. This will last for months.
Some standouts this year:
Amy’s Organic Ice Cream in Mint Chocolate Chip
Barramundi Fish
House Tofu & Soy Products
Seneca Apple Chips
KIND Bars
Yamato Eggplant Soup
Yasso Greek Yogurt Ice Bars
Almond Breeze Chocolate Milk
Feta Cheese and Watermelon Skewers
Snapz Fruit Chips
The Chobani Yogurt booth was considerably smaller this year, and not as generous. The Fage Yogurt booth made up for it!
If anything, go on a Sunday as vendors will be more willing to give away samples that they don’t want to take back home!

Best Expo I’ve been too! Was all up on my Natural stuff Saturday. High off Trees and High off free samples! Munchies heaven! If you want free parking park @ Angel Stadium and you’ll get a free shuttle right over to the convention center.

Reusable bags are the hotness…
This place is literally throwing them up at the Expo West. As an exhibitor, we were even a contributing factor to this.
This was my first time attending this food show, in any capacity. However, as an exhibitor they really can’t prep you enough for a «Natural Products» expo.
When you checked in for your badge, the system looked a little daunting, but it actually went a pretty smooth. Until the last part, where they print the badges and yell your name out… in hopes that you come grab it, that section was like a herd of chaotic cows.
I literally got lost on the top floor. After walking around for 15 minutes all the booths look the same, the entrances look the same, everything is just a blur. Hundreds, if not in the thousand range, of booths. I think your calorie consumption to walking ratio has you in favor of possibly losing weight. There is so much square footage to walk, I guarantee you are tired by Day 1, only to find out there are still two more days to conquer.
Upstairs you found a lot of the bigger players in the natural foods sector and an entire supplement section. Down-​stairs seemed to be more the small players in the market… and ton’s of water. Who would have known that so many people could market bottled water so many ways.
The pseudo celebs that were in attendance — Ziggy Marley for his caffeinated beverages, Fabio… I’m not even sure what he was there for, and the brothers from the Real Housewives of New Jersey hocking their water. There could have been more, but those were the few that I saw.
The show is definitely a consumer heavy show. Get ready with your customer-​service-​game-​face, tons of interactions with end users. There are also plenty of buyers, but they do not out weight the consumer crowd.
Good luck trying to find parking in either, yes they have 2 parking garages, after about 9AM each day. Many of the exhibitors take up most of the spots. After about 9:30AM the street parking becomes a feeding frenzy. Staying in one of the very close hotels would be advisable, just book super early!
As many things become more popular and gain recognition, attendees become pro’s. They start as average attendee, then they are sculpted into a professional hoarder of freebies. A prime indication of this is when you see them rolling around luggage’s. Not for traveling, but empty… to use to hoard their loot of free goodies. I’m not joking… it’s a sight to be seen.
Main conclusion, you can make ANYTHING natural :)

Where are all the hippies?!
I was promised tree hugging, smelly dreadlocks sporting hippies knee deep at this show and yet it seems like we need a new wave of hippies to protest the declining numbers of hippies.
Think of all the soon to be extinct hippies, people!
Then again, I can’t complain. Neither could my stomach at all the wonderful samples of «healthy living», though I have to say I’m not sure if the amount of cheese I consumed over the few days will take away from my lifespan. Perhaps the amount of walking done over the long haul of the show balanced it out.
It is pretty shocking at how professional and — well, Corporate this show really is. I’ve known for a long time that Organic and Natural = an extra buck or two tackled onto the price of the product, but I guess I didn’t realize how much big business this is.
You know what they say about big business though — they like to splurge and give you their products. And really that’s what this mad dash through healthy living was all about.
You probably couldn’t make it through seven rows of the show floor without feeling like your stomach was about to explode and have your bag filled with skin care products that will in all likelihood turn your skin blue.
The amount of trips you will make back to your car to drop off your spoils will number in the half dozens before you’re done for the day. It’s also amazing how many different meat-​like items you can turn soy into. One would have never known.
If there is one day to go, it has to be Sunday. My god, the freebies that are tossed out left and right as the companies don’t want to ship that stuff back is amazing. You’ll be carrying bags and bags of natural living products. It was like 1992 happened all over again — Only the mass looting was contained in the convention center floor and not on the streets of Florence and Normandie.
Good advice would be to avoid mushroom coffee at all cost though.
But back to the real issue. The lack of hippies. For only two tenth’s of weed a day you can support a hippie and hopefully increase the numbers of them so they aren’t an extinct species here.

Too much. Too many people, too much…
I never thought I’d compare a Natural Products Expo to one of the greatest rap songs of all time, but Grandmaster Flash would agree, I think…
Lucky enough to score a pass for all three days, I skipped Friday, went yesterday, and am staying home «recovering» today instead of attending the final hours. I’m on the quiet, reserved side at these events, and don’t generally make eye contact unless I have a specific question. Some people would look at walking down an aisle crammed with hundreds of vendors all hawking their wares as an incredible opportunity to try samples and have conversations about products; I looked at it like a scene out of a nightmare… trying to navigate carefully down a narrow strip of carpet absolutely thronging with people, each and every vendor shouting, reaching for you and grabbing to get your attention to spout the virtues of yet again another natural product with «no SLS», «100% vegan», «made by teenage Eskimo nuns under the full moon only once every 900 nights from virgin yak blood»…whatever the natural trend du jour might happen to be.
If you can imagine 20 enormous Whole Foods stores laid together end by end, you’ll get the picture. I was only able to closely connect with a few companies that I either really cared about, or was so forcefully pulled in that I had no choice. Most of the samples were SO teeny-tiny…if you’re really trying to be memorable enough to get a business owner to consider stocking your product, you’re going to need to part with a full-​sized replica, as did MetroMint, Reed’s, MegaFood Vitamins, Penta, So Delicious, Hi-​Ball Energy, Bench & Lee Pet Treats, to name a few. Several more companies did, but most offered such scant samplings of their product that it was impossible to remember one 1oz energy drink in a plastic cup from another.
Also, judging by the amount of job listings in the past month on Craigslist for Brand Ambassadors to represent these companies at this Expo, it’s clear that many of the people hired to explain the products to the potentially purchasing masses are but briefly trained and have NO idea what they are talking about. My POINT is… why would I, the buyer, support a product being represented by a chirpy, implanted blonde automaton who has only the most rudimentary product information, informs me that a product is SLS free, but then cannot tell me what foaming agent is used instead? Does she even know what SLS is, or why it’s purported to be bad? And p. s…putting him or her in a lab coat doesn’t help.
This is quite a tangent I’ve gone on, and I didn’t mean to. However, your company will stand an exponentially higher percentage of encouraging me to purchase and tout your product if you have some smart, knowledgable reps that can truly talk the science with me. I saw everything from shirtless men jumping rope to tanned blondes in booty shorts and cleavage to companies lighting maxi pads on fire (I wish I was kidding). We were told that «peppermint is a known calming agent», that using a certain tooth powder would make receded gums grow back, that a competitor’s ginger product was «garbage», and at one booth I was lucky enough to be able to tell the cutie-​pie girl exactly what herbs were in the vitamin supplement she was selling (she didn’t know… and she was the Regional Manager).
Vendors, I’ve got your back, too. Many, many of the «professionals» strolling these aisles were virtually attacking these booths and their samples as if they offered the last microwaved food on Earth and it was every man for himself. Example: the lovely ladies at Amy’s. People pushed, shoved, took four or five at a time, and as I stood there meekly, waiting for ONE broccoli cheese sample (never got it), a man behind me actually said, «Ex-​CUSE me!!! You’re STANDING between me & my FOOD!!». Without even turning around, I simply smiled & side-​stepped.
This is a useful and helpful expo for many people, and I’m sure that the majority will consider the weekend an enormous success. And I’m happy for them. This is just one experience from one extremely overwhelmed girl.
It’s like a jungle, sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under…

Quite possibly the best expo I’ve ever attended. All my favorite foods and skin care products under one roof and a bunch of new brands I’ve never even seen! It was a playground for a health nut like myself.
I really had no idea how many great vegetarian and vegan meat options there were until I attended Natural Products Expo West this past weekend. I was extremely happy to see the new trend is going NON-​GMO. I didn’t even need to pack a lunch I was so full from sampling everything from drinks, snacks, appetizers, entrees, desserts and even vitamins. I definitely have a more clear idea of things I would like to try next time I visit the grocery store.

Overwhelmed. Ecstatic. Full of Adrenaline. This will be you. There is so much ground to cover. I recommend going more than one of the days.
Beauty products &c. available at whole sale prices. Sweet.
Innovative new products. I dig it. Well, some…
A place to mingle and meet some cool people behind your favorite brands all under one roof. So cool.
Tips:
1) Arrive early. Park close enough to the convention center so that you can go back and forth to your car to unload all the goodies you’ll be getting.
*You’re limited to only one bag when you exit.
2) Pace yourself. Bring ziploc bags to save some samples for another day. You’re going to want to eat everything! Don’t do it! You have to leave room for the samples you can only eat there… like ice cream!
This is obvious, but don’t eat breakfast or lunch before you come.
3) Definitely attend the last day, too, if you can. They give out more to take home than the other days. They were even giving out display decorations like plants, even couches! What?! Makes me wish I had a truck!
4) Bring a backpack or a roller and you’re good to go.
Oh belly, be prepared, be very prepared.

Ok, I’m giving this rating on the hopes that Expo West will always improve. Expo West is one of my favorite tradeshows to attend, they seem to have a great atmosphere and the exhibit halls are always easy to navigate.
The one complaint I have is that they allow companies that are NOT natural (hence the name of the tradeshow) to exhibit. I find it so confusing as a consumer and so difficult to understand what true organic products are with all these products pretending to be organic! I wish Expo was more focused on only TRUE organic/​natural products (like DR. BRONNER’S MAGIC SOAPS, HEMP OIL CANADA and MANITOBA HARVEST) — to just name a few, to exhibit, so us consumers can read a label and truly believe what is being said on it! I’m tired of fake organic products!!!
You really need to read the ingredient label to find if the product is a truly organic product, THE LABEL MEANS NOTHING!!! Even if it says organic on the label, don’t believe it until you read the ingredients!

Where else can you watch two exhibit booth neighbors, the quasi emo-​goth androgynous muesli chick from PETA and the husky overgrown flattopped non-​sideburned man-​child of the Oklahoma Organic Pork Board gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and roar their terrible roars and show their terrible claws in a nasty Celebrity Death Match meets UFC epic skirmish. Some puppetmaster from New Hope Natural Media (the crunchy Boulder, CO patron saint of the show) was reveling in the devilish pleasure of setting up THAT booth pairing indeed…
that about sums up the breadth of diversity in the so-​called ‘natural products industry’ that i’ve had the rollicking pleasure of being a part of for many moonshines.
yes, it’s a mad mad world of aging hippies, urban hipsters, soccer moms turned entrepreneurs, big conglomerate ‘natural food’ mega corporations posing as the folksy brands they acquired, railing against the evils of ‘the Man’ anti-​capitalist capitalists, enviros, yoga-​heads, gym-​rats beauty queens and oiled-​up fitness nazis, self-​absorbed self-​important self-​proclaimed new-​ager ‘gurus,’ sustainable off the gridders, and pretty much any type of ‘alt’ lifestyler you can imagine… a lot of ‘me too’ products that will leave you dizzy with overload, duplication. and product burnout, but still well worth the long, strange trip thru the endless aisles…
These days you get about 60,000 or so attendees in the cavernous Anaheim Convention Center, and over 5000 booths to meander thru, anything and everything remotely classified as ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ is here, including but certainly not limited to: vegetarian/​vegan cheeses, ‘veats,’ snack foods, entrees, chocolate, cosmetic and personal care, organic wine and beer, designer waters, vitamins and supplements, cleaning products, hemp butter, hemp clothing, eco-​friendly/​sustainable packaging, and even natural/​organic pet products (two full aisles of it! – i’ll never forget the time that, in my full-​on exhibit hall trekking delirium and oblivion, i ended up snacking on the crunchy chewy goodness that is ‘Power Bark’…but i digress…)…
As the show has overstepped its britches, it’s annexed a subterranean lair below halls D+E where lurk the newbie exhibitor companies and the less fortunate booth bookers… it’s truly a moribund dungeon down there, i would never drop the cash to exhibit down there, as it’s kinda forgotten territory.
I remember when consumers would show up with Radio-​Flyer-​esque makeshift contraptions on the last day of the show, attacking the booths in an aggro feeding frenzy of arms, legs, and mad grabs for the stacks upon stacks of remaining samples booty. you pretty much needed full armor chain mail to fend off the hungry cannibals and escape serious bodily injury… now the brand exhibitors have struck back – you get much less in the way of the free samples and tastings, but you can still eat pretty well as you make your way thru – highlights this year included the Japan and Korea pavilions!
DONE.

Remember when the only place you could get vitamins, herbs, organics, and fresh juices were health food stores? My, my… how things have changed. Now, the stuff you see at this show are found in Whole Foods Markets and many of the mainstream markets. It used to occupy only one hall, but, last year, they needed the three halls and the added lower level to fit all the exhibitors. The samples include every imaginable soy product, organic fruits and meat, pet products, cosmetics, ginseng/​herbs, natural and energy drinks/​sodas, and garlic capsules. As an exhibitor, it isn’t much fun at this show, but, for the trade people, this is an opportunity to see the newest, latest, and most popular items on the market. Bring your comfortable shoes and prepare to be overwhelmed by the variety of natural products. Where it used to be only people who lived in Berkeley or the Haight/​Ashbury era, you’ll now see corporate types and a variety of families, hipsters, and wheeler dealers roaming the aisles. Makes me wish I were walking the show instead of manning a booth… sigh.