Surprises Stashed Away From Expo East 2021 & Other Takeaways

I'm taking my time to unpack all I saw, heard and tasted while in Philadelphia for Expo East and the broader natural food industry's first big reunion. A large part of that process, for me, is trying products from the founders I met. (Especially this year, since the rule I made for myself was not sampling indoors. A lot of folks were partaking, though!) So, I've decided to let you in on the brands I actually cared enough about to bring products back to dissect and analyze.

A quick rundown of some of the early favorites: There's barely any OffLimits cereal left in my apartment. I am a sucker for a strong strawberry flavor, but also loved seeing the ingredients that founder Emily Miller has utilized, like pandan and cold brew. The branding is alive and feels fun, which I want to invite into my life as much as possible right now. Other hits include Sweet Nothings' latest launch — bites! not frozen! — and the organic sparkling water Asarasi, which comes from a byproduct of maple syrup production. The pie cookies (which I snuck a bite of, full disclosure, in the middle of the night) — not so much.

Next up for my New York City test kitchen is that Saucy Lips line. I don't plan to try those Jersey Tomatoes with chef Tom?Colicchio's face illustrated on it until my CSA stops sending me?fresh?tomatoes, which won't be for a few more weeks. The rest I'll try over time. Or maybe I won't. That sometimes speaks just as loudly.

Besides, I need to be selective with my tastebuds right now. It's October, which means we are in primetime for our 30 Under 30 list reporting and vetting, and this year is the big 10th anniversary. (Any last minute U30 recs? Hit me up.) There will be a massive tasting in-person in a few weeks and I can't go into that having any level of product malaise.

Otherwise, my transition to fall is in full-swing. The garden is still pumping out its last cherry tomatoes and peppers, but I'm already envisioning its big autumn makeover. Soon, pumpkins and deep purple celosia will arrive. I'm hoping some fruit from recent investigative reporting will be ready to harvest around then, too. In the meantime, I have book factchecking and final edits to keep busy with!

Seasonal change brings me more comfort than it used to. It may be because I feel more rooted in the present, especially with every newsletter I write from underneath my vegetable plants' shade. I will soak up every last moment of this office space, because very soon it will be too cold for my fingers to type fast enough out here.

Wishing you a stimulating end to your week. My weekend to do list includes the extremely important action item of procuring apple cider donuts, and I suggest the same for your's, too!

— Chloe Sorvino

Fresh Bites:?

Can Shrimpless Shrimp Catch Mainstream Consumers? | Inside Martha Stewart Inc. And Its Quest To Build A Lasting Food Brand | Paris Hilton And Her Fiancé Carter Reum Think Food Is Hot | NotCo’s $1.5 Billion Valuation Comes With Big Expectations | VIDEO: How Guy Fieri Became The Highest-Paid Chef On Cable TV

Weekend Reading:

Amid Drought, Billionaires Control A Critical California Water Bank. Stewart and Lynda Resnick have built an $8 billion farming fortune. But it never would have happened if they hadn’t privatized majority ownership of California’s Kern Water Bank.

How A Former PR Executive Built A $500 Million Brand Around Cauliflower Pizza?Crust. Caulipower’s founder and CEO Gail Becker quit her job in 2016 to start a frozen food company specializing in gluten-free crusts. Now at 57, she’s worth $245 million and landed a spot on the annual Forbes list of Self-Made Women.

NYC's 'Rock Star' Butcher Shutters As Staff Walks Out Over Removal of BLM, Pride Signs. The boutique meat shop closed four locations.

Quote I’m Chewing On:

"We often joke, if you want to bring an American food factory to its knees, send it raw vegetables. Most food factories don't know how to deal with that. There's a lack of infrastructure around handling fresh, seasonal foods."

Instead of industrialized and commoditized supply chains,?Hans Taparia, a pioneering food entrepreneur and investor, shared that the sweet spot is in supporting diverse founders with seasonal or local ingredients.

Recently LIVE:?

Expo East 2021 in Philadelphia: Brand-Building Connections - You Don't Have To Go It Alone. I spoke (in-person!!) about how young brands can set themselves up for media success on a panel alongside NielsenIQ's Sherry Fry, Infra's Nick Auzenne and author and EWG board member Elise Museles, moderated by StartupCPG's Daniel Scharff. My fiancé Nick indulged me in a post-panel photoshoot, and I had to ham it up like all the influencers I've ever observed in Soho.

The New American Table's Inaugural Launch: I interviewed Hans?Taparia, who founded Tasty Bite, a company that started manufacturing and selling frozen and microwaveable vegetarian Indian and Asian dishes in 1990. The convenient and healthy sides and entrees were a hit, and broke a barrier on shelves: "What is good for you can be very delicious." For the live panel, we focused on what the next generation can learn from him, in the hopes of further diversifying what's on shelf. My fireside chat and the following panel — featuring Siete Foods' Miguel Garza, Omsom's Vanessa Pham, Ayo Foods' Perteet Spencer, and Smoketown's Ryan Pintado-Vertner — were part of a kickoff for a coalition hoping to expand boundaries with food, called?The New American Table.

Forbes IG:?Fly By Jing's Founder and CEO Jing Gao. A private equity raise capital will help Fly By Jing expand its products beyond the pantry aisle, as well as prepare for a big rollout in grocery stores this fall. Fly By Jing’s line will start selling at Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Thrive Market and Fresh Direct. Costco is also on the docket.

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P.S. I launched a newsletter for Forbes, called Fresh Take, which is all about big ideas changing the future of food. I’d love for you to?sign up. It has a free weekly edition which covers my analysis of the latest news and the best from across Forbes’ food section.?Mind Feeder?will stay Mind Feeder, fear not. It will just incorporate more of what I am loving from across the industry, Internet and otherwise.?I promise to only send it when I have something to say.