The National Products Expo West held March 6-8 at the Anaheim Convention Center is an interesting amalgam of categories (foods, supplements, cosmetics), products and companies (from small “trying to get their break” companies to international corporations). I heard several people talk about how in the olden days (the nineties perhaps?) the show was less “big business” and more a feel-good event with companies that were selling healthful, natural products. But now, with “natural” being a big consumer buzz word in any industry, the show has grown into a diverse free-for-all-with big and small companies alike fighting to gain a share in the market and on the shelves of the attending retailers.

Here’s some rambling thoughts on the show from a food perspective:

Natural Products? No Kidding.
Hemp, chia and grass were several of the very, very natural products I saw and tried at the show. Hemp showed up in Hemp Milk. Chia in various granolas and as a topping on yogurt. And, grass? Amazing Grass was promoting its SuperFood energy bar. 

Know How To Intro A New Product/Concept
As mentioned above, chia was a food ingredient being touted by several companies. “What is it?” I asked the booth rep of one such company. “You know what a chia pet is?” he asked. Well, yeah, I thought. But, I’ve never wanted to eat a chia pet. The guy manning Dylan’s Chia Granola booth had a much better explanation. It’s a seed that’s high in Omega 3 and tasty in granola. Now, that made way more sense. Dylan’s seems to understand that they’ll need to separate themselves from the famous Cha-Cha-Cha Chia pet. (That is until you go to their site and see their tagline: think outside the pet!)

Best Use of Social Media 
Linda at the Tanka Bar booth was tweeting (you know, as in twitter) people’s comments after they sampled the company’s dried buffalo and cranberry bars–even the negative reviews. Why the bad ones too? Because it enhanced the believability of the positive comments, she told me. And, heck, the posts got me over to the booth to try the product.

Sample That Inspired The Longest Line
Applegate Farms’ Beef Hot Dogs. I’ve seen this phenomenon at other shows too with different vendors. What is it about free hot dogs? The line was three booths long. Makes you feel sorry for the booths being blocked.

Make Room For Stevia
The trend with the best chance of really hitting it big was Stevia.  Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Probably it’s already hit it big what with Coke & Cargill making Truvia and Pepsi & Merisant, the maker of Equal, producing PureVia. While at the show you could find many products touting their use of the brand, and even some independent growers selling direct, it’s only a matter of time before it ends up in actual Coke and Pepsi products and Stevia expands beyond Natural Products Expo West to grocery and convenience store trade shows.

The Functional Foods Viewpoint
Two functional food companies told me that the category is about to really take off. Their reasoning was based on the economy. Less money and healthcare meant that people were turning to functional foods as a way to stay healthy. Is this a good idea? I don’t know. Nonetheless, a current study predicts a 7% compound annual growth rate for the category through 2012, so there’s no denying the companies were on to something. 

My Breaking Point
Some 20 aisles in on Sunday, I started to get a little loopy. The low point came when I walked up to someone at the Amy’s booth and said, “I like your chicken sausage. Are you sampling any?” The woman looked at me funny, “We only produce vegetarian products.” Yeah, um, oops. Turns out I was thinking of Sausages By Amylu (not at the show). So, that was kind of close.   

Faux Foods 
There were so many foods trying to be something they weren’t. Rice-based meat alternatives. Meatless Chicken Parmigiana. Vegan cheeses and ice creams. Plus, and this is just a rough estimate, a million gluten-free items. It’s amazing the creativity that’s gone in to these “alternatives” and how diverse they’ve gotten. But, is there really a market for all of these? No. How can there be? That’s why these companies will have to fight tooth and nail to capture the minds of those people who are the target and thus, enough market share to stay alive. But, then again, that’s the case with any brand and product, isn’t it? 

In (belated) honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a rundown of how my wife, a lifelong foodie (verging on food snob), opened my eyes to a life beyond prepackaged foodstuffs.To give you an idea of the before picture, my idea of cooking dinner was cutting up peppers and adding to whatever pasta sauce was on sale that week. 

1. Medium Rare and Rare
My dad’s a meat and potatoes guy. A medium meat and potatoes guy. And though I always understood that steak was something special, for a long time I wasn’t that into it.  Enter my wife, who taught me the  joys of reddish pink steaks, seared on the outsides, juicy in the middle. Turns out, my problem was not knowing that meat came in more vibrant colors. Choosing medium rare at a restaurant with my parents is probably one of the most dramatic ways I’ve rebelled since leaving the nest (either food is really important or I’m really boring). Though there was an additional concern. What if I had no opinion of my own? Maybe I was just mimicking the people around me. Or worse, being controlled. This turned out to not be the case. Though my wife and I share a love of medium rare meat, my love was a little bloodier and rarer than hers. I was my own man.

2. Guacamole
This was something we discovered together. For our first New Year’s Eve, we went to a fancy Mexican restaurant and ordered guacamole, a made-table-side specialty. Neither of us were big guacamole fans before that, but after we watched the woman grind it in a molcajete, we realized how incredibly easy it was to make. A taste made us realize how delicious it was. Now, we make it all the time (or at least as much as we make anything–we switch around a lot) and no large get-together (particularly sporting-oriented) is without it.  

3. Moderation over Reduced Fat
I thought sacrifice was the key. So, I’d eat reduced-fat cream cheese and the like. My wife declared this disgusting. Why deny yourself the great pleasure of fattening foods? Just don’t go crazy. She was right, of course. 

4. Truffles 
My friggin’ lord. These edible fruiting bodies of the subterranean ascomycete fungi of the genus tuber are some of the best things in the world. I tried them for the first time when I took my wife out for her birthday. Now, I order them whenever I can.  

5. You Know, Cooking Stuff
My wife taught me that they have these huge stores where you can buy food. And, then there are these books (or, now, sites) that have these directions on how to prepare that food into meals. It was like she rehabilitated me and sent me back into the kitchen. It’s amazing. No longer do I order out or follow the directions on the back of the box. I can actually cook, bake, and grill food for myself. Who knew? Now, if you’ll excuse me, my wife is pulling chocolate soufflés out of the oven.

Most Heavenly Experience
Walking past the Valor booth, a rep handed Ivy, my business partner (and wife), a cup of warm sipping chocolate. She drank it as we walked down the aisle and then stated out loud, and not directly to me, more to the sky, “This is DIVINE.”

Most Intriguing Derivation of an Established Product
As far as I know, Izze was the first “soda” made from sparkling water and fruit juice (or at least, if not the first to the market, at least the first in my mind—see Rule #3 of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing). Over the last few years, there have been a number of Izze imitations—some by reputable soda brands—but they’ve been just that, imitations. At this year’s show, someone finally took this concept in a new direction. Vignette Wine Country Soda is sweetened with “the juice of California varietal wine grapes.” Flavors include Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It seemed to be well-received by the crowd surrounding the booth. The sodas themselves are non-alcoholic. But, don’t worry. The marketing materials at the booth included recipes for making alcoholic drinks. Ironic.

Best “Why Didn’t Anyone Else Think Of That” Idea
Single serve gelato cups by Ciao Bella Gelato. Makes perfect sense. Why open a whole container when you just want a little for yourself? The benefit is obvious to the consumer. From Cia Bella’s perspective, it encourages consumptions. (Of course, from the environment’s perspective, more packaging=bad.)

Best Product That Appealed To Me But May Not Appeal To Everyone
Falafel Chips. Yep. The deliciousness of falafel in chip form. I enjoyed it. But, then I love falafel.

Best Use Of Caramel And Corn
Lehi Valley’s Golden Caramel Corn Nuggets. A light sweet corn puff. My daughter, a Pirate’s Booty fan, would probably love this.

Treat That Tasted As Good As It Looked
Clairesquares. I had seen these on the company’s website before I attended the show. They looked beautiful on the site and when I had the chance to try them, they did not disappoint. Chocolate. Caramel. Shortbread. I could go for one right now. 

Food Trend NASFT Believes Is The Next Big Thing
Japanese food. I glean this from the seminar: “Japanese Foods: Get in Front of Two Upcoming Trends in U.S. Food Consumption.” I didn’t attend the seminar, but to me it either seems that Japanese food has either arrived and become established (teriyaki, sushi) or not yet arrived (you know, if you’re looking beyond teriyaki and sushi). 

Food Trend I Believe Is The Next Big Thing
Indian food. There were several new companies joining the regular attendees and it really felt like these booths were all very crowded. They could barely keep the samosas on their sampling plates. It will be interesting to see if people begin to consider some Indian foods as staples in their kitchen in the same way people always have on hand Asian ingredients such as teriyaki, soy sauce and miso.

I don’t like to point out the bad at events like these… but there were two things that demand mention (though I won’t name names)…

Worst Selling Feature
“It tastes more like real human milk.” Um. No more please.

Most Unforgivable Sales/Marketing Mistake: Not Knowing Your Target
There’s a difference between knowing whom you’re targeting and knowing your target. Here are two examples from the show:

In the first, a company had developed a product that was targeted to people suffering from a certain condition. Familiar with the condition, I began asking a number of pointed questions, but it soon became obvious that the rep could not keep up. I began to tune out his non-answers. It’s the same thing his target audience will do if he doesn’t get more up to speed on their needs.

In the second, I talked to a woman who had a functional food product. She wanted to target it to women because no one was really targeting this product-type to women. Looking at the dark package with bold black electrified lettering, I asked “How is this targeted to women?” “See,” she pointed to the neon glow of color behind the letters. “It’s pink.” 

Ummm. Wow. Uh. Yeah. This is just insane. Rapper Coolio has his own cooking show online:

Click here to see Coolio cooking his game day turkey.

Careful. The language is not safe for work. And the way he “molests” the turkey he’s prepping, well, that’s just not safe for my psyche. Is this for real? You tell me because I can’t tell. I mean, I think if I followed the instructions, I could make a turkey. But, I’d feel really dirty doing it.

Yep. It’s been 75 years since consumption of alcohol was made legal (again) thanks to the passage of the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th. Where has the time gone, huh? Just makes you want to sit back and enjoy a cold one and reflect. Or, maybe a nice chianti. Heck, just give me a bourbon on the rocks. After all, it’s holiday.  

I saw this comment today in a news feed and the subsequent BusinessWeek Online article I read:

“Small retailers can bolster sales by targeting wealthier shoppers who are less price-sensitive and may pay premiums for better service…”*

In addition to targeting people with more money (as opposed to those bums you usually do business with), I’d like to offer some additional pearls of wisdom:

1) Make More Money Than You Spend: Businesses often fail because their costs outweigh their income.

2) Sell Stuff For As Much As You Can Get For It: Be careful though. If you price items too high, people may not buy.

3) Keep Your Friends Close And Your Enemas Closer: Wait. That doesn’t sound quite right. But, I guess it still applies. Certainly, my friends don’t want to get in between me and my enemas.

*Incidentally, though the article offered advice for small retail businesses on how to survive this year’s expected down holiday shopping season, it did not provide recommendations on how to find these wealthier shoppers (who they should suddenly target) or give examples of better service items they could offer. Come on, BusinessWeek, you can do much better than to be so generic.

I recently read this description of a cheesecake in Don DeLillo’s novel Underworld and it’s really stuck with me:  

“The cheesecake was smooth and lush, with the personality of a warm and well-to-do uncle who knows a hundred dirty jokes and will die of sexual exertions in the arms of his mistress.” 

Sure, we can’t really get away with writing something that graphic. But, it’s a good reminder of the passion and sensations we all associate with the food’s we love. Sometimes that gets lost as we worry about what consumers will think or try to write by committee. 

So what’s my thought here? Don’t be forget to be passionate about what you’re selling/marketing/producing. And, if you can’t muster that heat, get out of the kitchen. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an 800-page epic to get back to. 

“We have called this group of keen and accomplished male cooks, the ‘Gastrosexuals.’ They are masculine, upwardly mobile men, aged 25-44, who are passionate about cooking and the rewards that it might bring – pleasure, praise and potential seduction.”
– Paul Aikens, Marketing Director, PurAsia in the Forward of PurAsia’s report “The Emergence of the Gastrosexual”

This is one of those marketing moves that is in one sense brilliant and in another, ummm, kind of annoying.

Here’s the gist of the story as I understand it. PurAsia, a UK-based company that sells Asian ingredients, hired the research company Future Foundation to closely examine the new trend in food: men cooking. Nay, not just men. MEN. M-E-N. Picture Antonio Banderas whipping up a seafood paella… or some such food-oriented fantasy.

Yes, cooking, according to this report, has become part of “the dance.” So ladies be warned, that culinary lothario cozying up to you may want to serve up more than just a plate of pasta puttanesca.

Still not sure just who might be considered “gastrosexy?” No problem. The report outs Chef Jamie Oliver, best known for his Food Network series “The Naked Chef.” Hmm, now I know why he was naked. Also outed? Chef Gordon Ramsay. You might recognize him from the heavily bleeped Fox network series “Hell’s Kitchen.” Wonder if he talks as dirty in the bedroom as he does in his restaurant’s back room?

In general, this “report” is meant to make us titter and talk and at least occasionally, mention the company who first commissioned the research, PurAsia. It’s an interesting way to use PR. Come up with an idea that’s one part obvious, one part silly and one part sex. Then, send it out on the interweb and get people talking. I first heard about it as part of the “Hey, Get A Load Of This” story on a Chicago radio station’s newsbreak. But, it’s all over the web, including PurAsia’s gastrosexual.com. The term even has its own entry on Wikipedia (for now, “the notability of this article’s subject is in question”).

Not bad for a report that started in the UK. I mean, I’d never heard of PurAsia before. And why should I have? They’re a UK brand that just launched… But, I’ve heard of them now. Bango success.

Yet, for all the publicity they’re getting (of which I’m now a part), I do find something a little off putting about this. There’s a crassness here. The whole thing revolves around sex. And, while I find sex amusing… I mean, err, um, (cheeks turn red)… I like to sometimes pretend that I’m mature enough to be above that sort of thing. And when it’s so “tee hee hee” obvious and plays so clearly into the stuff of late night talk show monologue humor, well, that’s when I start to get more turned off than titillated, leading to apathy and even worse antipathy toward the brand.

One of my biggest pet peeves is lack of signage on a bakery or deli case.

And by that I mean, a description, whether one word or one sentence, and the price of individual items.  

I needed a special cake for a party. Price was not an issue. But, it had to look and taste fabulous. So on my way to work, I stopped at a bakery that is known for beautiful pastries. The display case was filled with several attractive options. However, there were no signs, so I didn’t know what anything was or what it cost. I then began one of my least favorite activities: asking what everything was.  

Not only did the sales clerk not know. She had to consult a laminated sheet that described the cakes. That didn’t help much. When the second clerk got off the phone, she explained the first woman was new, and proceeded to point to and name every cake—with attitude. By then, nothing looked good to me, and I walked out. It is highly unlikely I will go back.  

I realize many establishments feel that showing the price may scare people away. What scares me away is having to ask the price, of this or that… or that… or that. I also don’t like when they put up a sign listing everything. Then it becomes my job to figure out which price belongs to which item. And then if the items aren’t labeled, it becomes even more work.  

I came in your store to buy something—not to work!  

Let my decision be difficult because I can’t choose between a lemon custard tart or a caramel, pecan brownie. Not because I can’t figure out what the “red fruit thing is.” Or, can’t determine if that’s lemon or lime. Or, can’t tell if there are nuts in the brownie. And, how much is each?  

I hear, “Oh, signs will spoil our display.”  Nay, nay, I say. A good piece of marketing will never ruin your display. It can make sales easier. Increase the comfort of customers. And, enhance your brand. And, whether you have a store or a product, you are a brand.  

But, you still have to do it right.  

There is a bakery in town that blares its identity in everything it does. It is modern, hip, funky, organic and wildly popular. The shop explodes with color and young, hip attitude. It is fun. Everything looks delicious. For the most part it has the signage and pricing in plain view. And these signs reflect the company’s spirit. The 10 point, faded magenta and pink letters are in a “broken-typewriter” font. It’s very cool…  

And totally unreadable!  

I’m too embarrassed to ask what each sign says, and wonder if it’s just my “over 30” eyes. So every time I get the same thing: their signature Raspberry Almond Croissant. It’s a good thing I like it so much. In fact, that and a cup of their coffee has become part of my Saturday ritual. That said, I wish they would make their signs readable. There are so many other things I’d like to try. 

I would call myself a trade show veteran having both exhibited at and attended numerous food shows, from Fancy Food Show to National Restaurant Association Show. I also know how to pace myself samplewise.

But I am still never prepared for the cacophony of the All Candy Expo.

I went with Kim, a team member. We made a perfect candy-evaluating duo. She likes all things fruity and sour, and I am strictly a chocolate gal. She is Gen Y and I’m a Boomer. We had it covered.

Entering the Willy Wonka-esque exhibit hall, we were immediately surrounded by jellies, gummies and licorices of all flavors and colors. They were hard, chewy, stretchy, powdered and enrobed. They could give you a buzz or make you sneeze. There were edible warts, teeth, cow pies, vomit and just about anything a youngster would go gaga over. Guests were shoveling samples into the supplied bags.

Kim was in hard candy and gummy heaven. I was in awe. I recognized a few products from my youth, but, for the most part, Kim had to school me in Gross Candies 101.

As it turned out, I was in the minority. Men and women in suits (exhibitors, buyers and such) were all conversant in sugar-loaded lingo.In the gourmet section, where most of the smaller chocolate companies camped, I watched a few chocolate exhibitions and tasted marshmallows, fudge, caramels, truffles and on and on. Sweet confection after sweet confection. Chocolates were infused with spices, seeds, wines or energizing properties. They were marketed by their origin, their cocoa butter content or their food pairing propensities.

It was all so complex and intense. I was starting to long for a good old-fashioned Hershey’s kiss. Luckily, that, too, was only an aisle away.