The Natural List

We are four months out from the launch of Newtopia Now , and one question remains top of mind: what is Newtopia Now?    You might recognize her from Natural Products Expo’s popular video series What’s Up Expo, but today, New Hope Network Marketing Director Hannah Price joins co-host Jessica Rubino to drop some deets about Denver’s hottest new CPG extravaganza. Designed to deepen relation...

In a shocking move, Dom's Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot—two Chicago-based retailers comprising two and 33 stores, respectively—announced that doors would be closing at noon on Tuesday, April 23rd at all of the stores' retail locations. The two retailers merged five months ago under the parent brand Outfox Hospitality, which is filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Hear from Food and Beverage Insider...

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith are joined by Registered Dietitian at The Real Food Dietitians Jessie Shafer and Founder at Original Strategies and Kitchen Cabinet Chair at PLEZi Nutrition Deb Eschmeyer.  Since we just put their titles in the subheading, this feels awkward to me. What if we just say, “joined by children’s nutrition experts…. Jes...

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith are joined by esteemed food ethnographer June Jo Lee. With studies in both medical and cultural anthropology from Harvard, June Jo explores the relationship between people and the foods they eat to “nourish the modern hungers of disconnection and dislocation.”   Is “regenerative” a fad or a cultural shift? What pa...

Welcome to The Natural Gist – a new biweekly series featuring hot takes in a short and sweet format. Each episode explores current questions and industry issues with your favorite co-hosts and notable guests.   Our first question is: where’s the data on women?  While the CPG industry is championing the long-neglected category of women’s health, female-centric research is scrambling to ca...

Forget the hushed tones and awkward silences. The women’s health category is having its much-anticipated moment, now celebrated as the darling of CPG by retailers, investors and, most importantly, consumers who crave accurate information and effective solutions. In this episode, co-host Jessica Rubino, guest co-host Robyn Lawrence of New Hope Network’s  Nutrition Business Journal and NielsenI...

We’re back from Natural Products Expo West with a wealth of expertise from some of the top innovators in the natural and organic industry! In today’s episode of The Natural List, Adrienne Smith and New Hope Network’s Senior Retail Reporter Douglas Brown sit down with Regenified’s Co-Founder Gabe Brown and Chief Marketing Officer Kristine Root to learn about Regenified’s Regenerative Agricultu...

It’s that time of year! Natural Products Expo West, the Super Bowl of the natural products industry, kicks off tomorrow!  In this special Expo West edition of The Natural List, hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith welcome Market Insights Director of SPINS Scott Dicker back to the podcast to unearth the top emerging trends before the show floor opens on Wednesday, March 13. From innova...

Is this a good time for brands to raise capital? What are investors looking for? And what caused the drop in food tech investments?  In this episode of The Natural List, hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith welcome Executive Director of Nutrition Capital Network Mike Dovbish to examine the investment landscape as it looks today, highlight standout categories and offer projections for the v...

Can the future of meat be sustainable or equitable? Chloe Sorvino, author of "The Raw Deal," argues it depends on who gets the money. In this episode of The Natural List, we dive into Sorvino's key solution: redistributing investment dollars and aligning around sustainable meat models. Plus, hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith champion the change makers who are doing beef and poultry better.

We’re back with season two of The Natural List podcast! Hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith kick-off 2024 with a detailed recap of the Natural Products Expo West NEXTY Awards. In this episode, we invite first-time NEXTY judges Brody Burk, forager manager at Sprouts Farmers Market, and Jonathan Lawrence, vice president of center store and founding member of Fresh Thyme Market, to discuss stando...

In this final episode from season one of The Natural List, our hosts and industry experts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith share a bonus list of macro-level observations from the natural products industry. Join us as we close out another trip around the sun with these top five takeaways from 2023.  

Join hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith for an end-of-the-year review of the current trends defining the multi-billion-dollar beauty industry. In this episode, our team explores sustainable supply chains, multipurpose products and the marriage between ancient traditions and modern technology. Tune in for a highlight reel of the trends and brands to watch in 2024! 

While many brands compete for placement in large retailers, independent grocers and local coops offer flexibility and growth opportunities In this episode of The Natural List, we welcome guests Angela Bozo and Chris Sorensen from the Independent Natural Food Retail Association (INFRA). Back in 2004, INFRA started as four retailers with an idea. Today, INFRA is a purchasing cooperative comprised of...

In this episode of The Natural List, hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith explore the food, beverage and supplement trends leading the multi-billion-dollar natural products industry into 2024. Tune in for exclusive insights from our industry experts and hear which brands and products are pioneering each trend!

Why is passion a critical ingredient in your career – and how can you infuse purpose and love into your professional journey? During our exclusive sit-down-interview with Jay Shetty, host of On Purpose with Jay Shetty and author of Think Like a Monk and 8 Rules of Love , we discuss why finding and staying true to your mission can be the key to long-term career success.    Tune into this...

In this episode, we dive into the dynamic food service universe, and how healthier for you—and the planet—options are making their way into restaurants, dormitories, hospitals, airlines and more.  The global food service industry is now valued at between one and three trillion dollars,  representing a world of opportunity for CPG companies looking to expand their distribution strategies....

From the “humble ham” to a luxurious foie gras, Prime Roots’ plant-based revolution is coming to a deli counter near you. By relying on hero ingredient koji, Berkley-based innovator (and Certified B Corp!) Prime Roots has launched a selection of mind-blowing meat analogues that include roasted ham to salami, pâté and, our favorite, koji foie gras. In this episode, we talk to the company's co-found...

For many, the mushrooms craze is somewhat new, or at least newly embraced. But for world-renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, it’s affirmation of something that, in nearly four decades of impassioned work, he never wavered on:  Mushrooms can change the world.  Stamets has spent 40 years funneling resources into the study of mycelium. He...

In this episode of The Natural List, we connect with Scott Dicker of SPINS and Nutrition Business Journal's Bill Giebler to make sense of the supplement industry's "wild ride" through the unprecedented sales growth peak of 2020 to the harsh, but healthy, normalization of 2023. From mushrooms to menopause and everything in between, we functional coffee talk the many trends driving the industry inno...

What’s on our radar as we hit the show floor at Natural Products Expo East, one of the country’s largest natural products tradeshows? From the continued rise of NA beverages and soulful CPG to plastic-free packaging and the new face of fiber, Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith share the top natural food, supplement and personal care trends to have on your radar now. Learn more about these trends he...

In this episode of The Natural List, Jake Deleon, founder of Fila Manila and co-founder of Founders Heritage, joins Jessica and Adrienne to discuss ways of challenging the CPG paradigm and how to take action around equity in funding and retail distribution. Founders Heritage is a community of entrepreneurs whose products represent the founder’s authentic heritage. From its launch with five brands...

In this episode of The Natural List, Founder of The Future Market, Mike Lee, joins Jessica and Adrienne for a discussion about defining responsible innovation and evaluating a brand's positive and negative externalities. Initially inspired by the concept cars at Detroit automobile shows, Mike unearthed an early appreciation for products that could do good for people and planet and delighted in the...

For over a decade, the NEXTY Awards have recognized innovative, inspirational, and integrity-driven natural products at Natural Products Expos West and East. Now open to all natural products brands—regardless of whether or not they are exhibitors at these shows—the NEXTYS are a platform for some of today’s most value-driven and exciting brands, many of which are embracing creative solutions to som...

Innovative women leaders are redefining the health and wellness industry  Today, around 75% of Americans take dietary supplements, whether for health maintenance, daily optimization, or long-term prevention. But a lot goes on behind the scenes at the companies that provide these pills and powders to ensure that consumers' expectations are met. At an executive event in Rancho Palos Verdes call...