It’s been a few years since being benched by COVID, then a hurricane threat kept team Accountfully from attending one of our favorite events: Expo West in California and Expo East in Pennsylvania. In 2023 the stars aligned and our CEO and Partner, Brad was able to represent outsourced accounting at the CPG industry event. The halls were abuzz and a lot of our clients were there for a meet and greet between events and manning their booth. Here is a quick recap of who we hobnobbed with and how the Expo played out.
Most Accountfully clients are those in the complex inventory and CPG space, so it is no surprise that many of our clients were there. We summarized as many selfies with clients as we could in our Instagram Reel, here. In the meantime, here is a shout-out to all of our dedicated, hard-working clients and partners:
Scott Glassman, Managing Partner and co-founder of Black Ink Ops cruised the halls during the event. His company specializes in back-office operations for CPG brands, so many of his clients were there as well. We recently highlighted the company and what they offer, in a partner spotlight on the blog.
James and Alvarado were manning the booth. Jibby coffee is a CDB-infused drink born from the need for a consistent uplift without the crash. James’s passion for coffee and Alvarado’s experience battling mental clarity and dealing with the negative effects of being on ADHD meds joined forces to create the solution: CBD + high-quality coffee. They also give 1% back to your non-profit of choice at checkout using Beam.
Patrick from Laoban was at the event. Laoban offers a modern take on a Chinese classic: the dumpling. They are curated by a chef and are all-natural. You can find them in the freezer section of a high-end grocer near you.
Nick from Caliwater was at the booth working hard. Caliwater was founded by Vanessa Hudgens and Oliver Trevena over a Prickly Pear margarita. The prickly pear cactus has a ton of health benefits and is well-known for providing hydration overseas, but is still relatively unknown in the US, even though it dots our trendy succulent landscapes and vast deserts. Caliwater’s mission is to capitalize on the antioxidant and hydration benefits of the Prickly Pear cactus and bring awareness to child hunger.
Danny and David from Kekoa Foods stopped for a selfie. Kekoa is Hawaiian for “brave warrior” and the name of the founder’s son, who is also the inspiration for the business. Being born premature, high-quality nutrition was instrumental in a healthy start for him and he thrived on Danny and David’s pureed recipes. A successful Kickstarter campaign spurred the official start of their business in 2018, and now kids everywhere can benefit from their healthy creations. They also educate families on nutrition and give back to the Newark, NJ YMCA.
Nowadays has put its healthy spin on the classic chicken nugget. They are plant-based nuggets that still give you the guilty pleasure you seek when eating a chicken nugget.
Vanessa from PopArt Snacks was working the booth. PopArt is a cool popcorn and snack company with some pretty awesome flavors, designed to stand out. They offer bold and innovative flavors like Rosemary Truffle, Dill Pickle Vegan ranch, and Cheddar Jalapeno.
Rick, cofounder said hi to us in between divvying out samples of their product. Evolved Chocolate is the world’s most innovative chocolate brand. All of their delicious offerings are organic, fair trade, and ethically sourced.
A Dozen Cousins
It’s always a pleasure seeing our long-time client, Ibraheem from A Dozen Cousins. While he was busy talking and greeting his many admirers, we did grab a sampling of one of their newest products. Learn more about this ready-to-eat bean and rice company in their spotlight and on The Month End podcast.
We always appreciate the cow-themed vibe of their booth. This year did not disappoint, Bored Cow is real dairy made from fermentation, not cows. It is based on the same Whey protein, just “harvested” in a way that doesn't require factory farming and reduced greenhouse gas output. Confused how you can make dairy without a cow? This page clears it up.
Sahra said hi at the Nguyen Coffee booth. This is America’s first specialty Vietnamese coffee company and proud champion of the robusta bean. Sahra is a first-generation American with Vietnamese roots, that is changing the future of coffee with sustainability, diversity, and cultural integrity and the forefront of her mission. They have a lot of delicious, innovative products to check out.
Thomas Pergola of Cheddies was a pleasure as usual. Cheddies turned a classic favorite snack combi of Cheese and Crackers into a simple, healthy snacking option. These bold, healthy, and protein-packed crackers will likely be your new favorite once you give them a try.
Kyle Koehler from Wildway foods snapped a selfie. Wildway lives its wild way of life mission and makes some great grain-free granola and snacks to fuel adventures of all kinds. We featured Kyle on our podcast, The Month End, where he shared his challenges and wins as a CPG biz starting out.
Jamie was a blast to hang out with at the Expo West happy hour. He doesn’t drink alcohol and had to ask permission to bring in a supply of his amazing non-alcoholic beer, RationAle. Turns out the event photographer thought it was pretty photogenic too, and caught some great pics. Rationale is a craft brew minus the alcohol and serves to foster sustainability and inclusivity.
For the record, Daniyar of Norr Organics says we are the best accountants he’s ever had. We’ll take it! Norr makes Skyr, which is a Nordic yogurt-esque product. They source their mil from farms in Pennsylvania and have a fussy, painstaking curation of ingredients and ensure the process of fermentation results in optimal probiotic strains and the utmost texture and quality.
Eric David Buss, founder and president of David’s Natural Toothpaste snapped this pic with us in his booth. If you are in need of a truly natural, sustainable and healthy toothpaste option, that can help remineralize your enamel, check them out. They check all of the boxes when it comes to form, function, and social/environmental impact.
Colleen shared a selfie with us. She is the creator of Zego Foods, healthy, delicious, and clean food for everyone. Their strict standards ensure a lack of toxic ingredients and are safe from multiple allergens. They are also a B corp, which means they operate with its people, community, and environment’s best interest in mind.
Kellie and her mom are always up for a fun pic. Rowdy Health uses the nutrition-based knowledge Kellie created after starting her gut health journey in 2014. Her company sells prebiotic bars, powders, and other nutritional products that support any healthy, adventurous or rowdy lifestyle, many of which feature the YaconRoot.
Iz and his Accountfully water bottle made an appearance at his booth. He is the co-CEO of DoughP, an edible cookie dough company that supports addiction recovery. Kelsey Moreira, the founder of DoughP was featured on Shark Tank twice and was named Forbes 30 under 30.
The Ritual booth was all abuzz (not the alcohol kind of buzz, though), but we had that chance to stop for a minute and share a non-alcoholic margarita with our main client contact, Elliot. Ritual Zero Proof is an award-winning non-alcoholic spirits company that sells alcohol-free versions of your favorite mixers. We talked to the company's CEO and co-founder, David Crooch on our podcast, The Month End to hear more about his development of the business.
We enjoyed an iced tea tasting with YES Bar's CEO, Brennan. The YES bar is a nutritious and allergen friendly snack bar that you can now try on your next Jet Blue flight! We talked to The YES Bar's Cofounder, Jeremy Cohen all about this amazing product on The Month End podcast.
Shay from Wildgood said "Hi". Wildgood is a dairy-free ice cream company that uses extra virgin olive oil as a dairy replacement. It operated with sustainability at the forefront and has recently completed a detailed impact report showing its carbon footprint as 80% lower than the classic dairy based ice cream company.
Who doesn’t love a good squirt of whipped cream on their desert? Whipnotic takes it to a whole new level with flavors and swirls in a healthy, KEto-friendly format. They’ve even improved the classic whipped can execution with a convenient button.
Chubby Snacks is founded by three brothers seeking a healthy alternative to the classic Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. They sell premade PB&J snacks in various combos of jam and nut butters.
Evergreen makes healthy, clean mini waffles stemming from a busy mom’s vision for a quick, easy snack choice.
Recess is such a cool brand and is always fun to see their latest ideas in action. Recess is a CBD infused beverage. Learn more about the journey of the company on Chris Crowe's podcast interview we did on The Month End.
This hot new health brand is an exciting one and we are pumped for what they have in the works. The founders know supercharged coffee and the requirements of a solid energy drink for a health conscious consumer. See some of their offerings here.
Our resident deductions management expert, Devyn Elliot was there too. She manages all of our distributor deductions services for clients. Since she works remotely from Colorado, so we typically only see each other via Google meet, but it was great to share a meal in person and catch up.
As of now, we have Expo West, and the upcoming 2023 Expo East on the calendar too. We look forward to a similar experience there in September. If you are planning on being there as an exhibitor or walking the halls, feel free to reach out so we can say “Hi” in person!
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