Austrian companies play an important role at the Natural Products Expo in the USA Bregenz/Anaheim. Last week, Anaheim, south of Los Angeles, hosted one of the largest natural and organic product fairs in the world for five days.
Natural Products Expo West has been held since 1981. The fair, which focuses on natural, ecological and healthy food and cosmetics, started with 3,000 visitors. Today, more than 40 years later, it is the meeting place for the industry with 3,000 exhibiting companies and brands, as well as 65,000 registered visitors.
Large retailers such as Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, Natural Grocers or Sprouts are sending out buyers to look out for new products and brands and to stock up on their shelves and online platforms. Despite difficult economic times, the health food industry in the USA is on the upswing and sold 278 billion dollars last year with growth of 5.4%. A hotly contested market for many companies from all over the world. As in previous years, the Austrian economy was represented at the Natural Products Expo this year.
“We deliver fifty percent of our production to the USA,” explains Markus Lehner from Starzinger. The Upper Austrian company, based in Frankenmarkt, fills Austrian water proportionately for the Californian water brand “Liquid Death” and ships it to the USA. There, the sparkling water from the Alps is very hip and popular, sold in trendy cans with a lot of marketing and in different flavors. In 2019, Liquid Death, or also the liquid death, slipped onto the shelves as a start-up, at that time 100% from Austria, today it is only partially filled with Austrian water. The large cans are produced in the US state of Virginia, with a similarly good water quality, Liquid Death knows. Nevertheless, Starzinger is still more than busy with the US market and despite increasing water competition at the Natural Products Expo, sales are going well.
People in Austria are by no means prudish when it comes to sales. The Sway company from Klosterneuburg, specializing in sports and health, brings food supplements in the form of vitamin gummies onto the US market. Founder Benjamin Matzinger is particularly proud of the Libido Gummies: “Endless Libido or Eternal Desire is our bestseller. The vegetable extracts in the vegan vitamin gummies, which taste like cherries, increase cravings.” As a neighbor at the Austria stand, Zsolt Csonka from First Food from Bratislava is promoting coconut products, but is mainly responsible for the import and export of high-quality products. Rainer Schalk, Managing Director of the Steirische Schalk Mühle, will also be there. Pumpkin seed oil products are not very widespread in the US so far, and Schalk can arouse the interest of the US audience in particular with the pumpkin seed protein powder and the black gold.
The Austrian economy wants to score in the USA not only with pumpkin seeds, but also with potato products. The STYX brand produces potato balsam based on a Waldviertel farmer’s recipe. The alkaloid solanine, which is contained in the raw potato, supports the care and regeneration of the skin and is used in the natural cosmetics hand and foot balm. The traditional Austrian, vegan, organically certified cosmetics line is intended to inspire those interested in natural cosmetics in the USA.
The natural food market in the USA is diverse and more open than the European market. Natural products in the US allow far more additives. “The standards are much lower than here in Europe,” explains Stefan Hauke from Naturland. Hauke is currently working with the USA on a higher quality eco seal – the Real Organic Project, an additional certification to the USDA seal. Organic certified products can be found mixed with “simple natural products”, but they are definitely a trend. Just like everything to do with algae. A trend towards seaweed can be found in chips, burger patties or muesli bars. Boba – bubble tea with tapioca can also be found almost everywhere, in addition to water in countless flavors and variations, in cans and as a dry product to mix.
The next Natural Products Expo is already planned. From March 12 to 16, 2024, it will take place in the Anaheim Exhibition Center – again with Austrian participation.
