Full halls and good talks
BIOFACH AMERICA
The international organic sector met again in the Baltimore Convention Center from 18–20 September 2014. At Biofach AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC held parallel to the Natural Products Expo East, 161 organic companies from all over the world presented raw materials and new and established organic products from the food and non-food segments. Over 23,000 visitors came. This confirms the positive development of the US organic market, which achieved sales of 35.1 billion US dollars in 2013, according to a study by OTA (Organic Trade Association). This is almost 12 % more than the year before. Besides excellent business opportunities, visitors and exhibitors were offered the usual top-class program at the accompanying conference and many varied workshops during the event.
The organizer of the Natural Products Expo East, New Hope Natural Media, summarizes the event entirely positively: Adam Andersen, head of the event: “It is always impressive to see how much passion the exhibitors at Natural Products Expo East and BIOFACH AMERICA - ALL THINGS ORGANIC have in presenting innovative natural and organic products. Here, they offer great solutions, to make everyday life healthier. I am very pleased with the course of the fair.”
Katharina Neumann, Project Coordinator at NürnbergMesse, is also full of praise: “The mood at BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC was really good and the talks were of high quality. This year I was particularly pleased about the enlarged Argentine Pavilion with 16 exhibitors.” She sees products with hemp as a major trend at BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC. “This development is attributed partly to the legalization of hemp in more and more federal states in America. The Americans previously regarded the raw material hemp rather skeptically, although its robustness eliminates the need to use harmful chemicals during growing or harvesting and processing. So hemp used in food or clothing is not poisonous – ideal especially for people with allergies,” Neumann adds.
Exhibitors’ feedback all positive
Not only the organizers of Natural Products Expo East and BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC have good news to report. The exhibiting organic companies were all satisfied too. Yani Dragov, Managing Director of Kurabiinica, Bulgaria: “We were a first-time exhibitor and people literally snatched our hemp and chia bars out of our hands. In short, the number of visitors on the stand was sensational.” Günther Eckerle, Managing Director of Cosmoveda, Germany, confirms this: “We want to open a shop in the USA and hoped for a lively exchange of views at BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC. We were not disappointed.” The Netherlands were represented by three companies, including Doens Food. Dennis Minnaard, Vice President: “We’ve exhibited here for years and recommend taking part for any European organic company. The US market is developing promisingly. We’ve already signed the application forms for 2015 on the spot.”
Top-class conference and sparkling supporting program
BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC also offered an informative program of workshops and seminars this time. The keynote address on deep ecology, a natural and environmental philosophy, was given by Douglas Tompkins, environmental activist and founder of the Foundation for Deep Ecology, and was excellently attended and received much applause.
The program was enhanced by various workshops the day before the trade show started. One highlight was certainly the NEXT Accelerator Entrepreneur Workshop,at which the attendees focused on intensive exchange with experts from industry and retail trade with the aim of optimizing business processes and sales strategies. Jeff Church, CEO and co-founder of Suja Juice, the fastest growing organic drinks company in the USA, stressed the importance of networking in his presentation: “The platform provided by Natural Products Expo East and BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC contributed tremendously to our company’s expansion. The opportunity for meeting important business partners personally is worth its weight in gold.”
At the “Organic Harvest Festival”, the popular tabletop event the day before the show, visitors tested a large range of organic food in an informal atmosphere outdoors. Live music and a small drink at the end of each day of the show offered the optimum atmosphere for personal talks between exhibitors and visiting professionals. So Natural Products Expo East and BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC 2014 were not only an ideal trading and networking platform, but also a pleasant get-together for the sector.
Save the date!
The next BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC takes place together with the Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore from 17–19 September 2015.
Other BIOFACH WORLD events:
- BIOFACH, Nürnberg: 11–14 February 2015
- BIOFACH INDIA, Kochi: 06–08 November 2014
- ORGANIC EXPO– together with BIOFACH JAPAN,
Tokyo: 20–22 November 2014 - BIOFACH CHINA, Shanghai: 28–30 May
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