The Natural List

Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino explore the global flavor revolution transforming the natural products landscape, spotlighting 6 innovative brands and explaining why this trend has captured consumer imagination and market share across the industry. 

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith take listeners on a flavorful journey through Newtopia Now 2024, highlighting how global culinary traditions and flavors are reshaping the natural products landscape. 

The hosts explore the intersection of international flavors, time-honored production methods and heritage ingredients that will be showcased at Newtopia Now 2025. They spotlight 6 standout brands attending the show that exemplify these trends: 

Piko Provisions, booth 411 

Malai, booth 1433 

Redbloom Health, booth 1253 

24Vegan, booth 746 

Keya’s Snacks, booth 1314 

Society De La Rassi, booth 1203 

Articles mentioned in this episode: 

Meet 6 inspiring brands celebrating global flavors at Newtopia Now 

How 3 heritage brands use packaging design to celebrate their cultural roots  

Newtopia Now is the destination for new product innovation and a can't-miss discovery opportunity for retailers and industry leaders. Find out more about Newtopia Now, which is Aug. 20-22 in Denver, Colorado, and register here. 

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith welcome NBJ Content & Insights Director Bill Giebler to discuss all things NBJ Summit. Happening July 28-31st at the Terrania Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, this event offers an unparalleled opportunity for industry leaders to convene for three days of education about the future of nutrition and dietary supplements, along with a range of unique networking activations. This event unites 350-400 C-suite executives and industry experts around this year's theme: Nutrition Industry Transformation: Leading through Innovation. 

The trio discusses everything from crafts and biohacking to purchasing patterns and TikTok Shop. Listen in for insights into what exactly makes NBJ Summit such a powerful experience, insights into this year’s speaker and event lineup, plus a sneak peak at something new coming to Expo West that will capture the essence of NBJ Summit. 

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino share all the details about Newtopia Now, coming to Denver, Colorado Aug. 20-22. Jessica starts off with an exciting statistic that is surely a reason for industry optimism: this will be the first time exhibiting at a New Hope Network tradeshow for 45% of Newtopia Now exhibitors.

Next, the duo shares some show highlights, starting with the Newtopia Now neighborhoods that align with key industry themes. The neighborhoods are Thrive (brands and products focused on innovation in human health), Glow (think conscious beauty and holistic wellness) and Regenerate (companies, products and business models supporting people and planet).

They then discuss some can’t-miss events on and off the show floor, including the Dine-Around Series, community experiences such as the Women in CPG Luncheon, a community activation in partnership with food recovery organization We Don’t Waste and neighborhood happy hours, just to name a few.

Jessica shares her enthusiasm for some of the keynote speakers, including Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, healthspan expert and founder of “Muscle-Centric Medicine” and Michael Costello, CEO of GNC. Next, Adrienne shares an exciting update: The NEXTY Awards return to Newtopia Now and this year, 8-10 products from emerging brands will be selected at NEXTY finalists competing in a brand-new Newtopia Now NEXTY category.

They cap off the episode with a reminder to check out the Newtopia Now agenda and to stay in the loop on newhope.com, where Newtopia Now content is being published daily.

Newtopia Now is the destination for new product innovation and a can't-miss discovery opportunity for retailers and industry leaders. Find out more about Newtopia Now, which is Aug. 20-22 in Denver, Colorado, and register here. 

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino welcome New Hope’s Senior Retail Reporter, Doug Brown, to the show. Doug’s weekly column, Shelf Life, is published every Friday on newhope.com and his recent features involve his foray into the world of grocery shopping with the help of AI. Doug, who is fascinated by the utility of these chatbots, tells Jessica and Adrienne that it was “over the top helpful” with his weekly shopping, for everything from olive oil to supplements. Jessica and Adrienne then pose thoughtful questions: could brands pay to get promoted by AI? Will AI detract from human interactions in the grocery? The takeaway: AI is a tool, not a panacea– retailers and brands, take note.

The trio then shifts gears and wrap up with a roundup of some of the products they are loving this week, including Organic India Psyllium Pre & Probiotic Fiber, Clover Sonoma Pasture Raised Greek Yogurt, Bellwether Farms Yogurt, Ultima 6 Essential Electrolytes, Republic of Tea Regenerative Organic Certified Black Iced Tea and Peggs Plant Based Egg Substitute. Do you have a product The Natural List should consider sampling? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Check out our vodcast on YouTube. 

Co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith do a deep dive into a recent Unboxed gallery of ten upcycled products and discuss which ones they can't wait to try.

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith dive into the innovative world of upcycled products featured in a recent Unboxed gallery. The conversation kicks off with a discussion of what upcycling means and Adrienne highlights an exciting milestone: the Upcycled Certification program, recently acquired by Where Food Comes From, saw an impressive 17% growth from 2024-2025. From there, our hosts unwrap some of the exciting upcycled innovations hitting store shelves.

Tune in to hear it all and learn how Adrienne recently upcycled leftover eggs yokes from her fridge.

There's never a dull moment in the CPG industry. From exciting speakers coming to NBJ Summit to recent acquisitions causing an uproar, Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith tell you what you need to know.

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino cover several hot topics in the industry. They start off discussing some of the factors affecting cocoa prices, including tariffs and climate change, and how challenging conditions can also lead to innovation (like Minus Coffee’s genius beanless brew). They then shift into Rick Polito’s recent column about the practitioner channel in supplement sales and how this channel displays notable market stability.

Next up are some major updates in funding and acquisitions: David Protein* gets a major surge of capital after acquiring Epogee, sparking controversy, while Chobani has acquired Daily Harvest (did their NEXTY win have something to do with it?).

They transition into a brief discission of the MAHA Report and note that increased attention on health and wellness poses new opportunities for the natural products industry, but that close scrutiny must be given towards some of the Report’s claims. The duo cap off the episode with shoutouts to two thought-provoking speakers coming to NBJ Summit this July, Calley Means and Bill Gieber.

*A clarification: David Protein and Hormbles Chormbles both contain EPG and both brands were founded by RxBars founders. However, David Protein was founded by Peter Rahal and Zach Ranen. Hormbles Chormbles was started by Jared Smith.

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino welcome back supplement expert and Market Research Analyst for New Hope Network’s Nutrition Business Journal Erika Craft. After chatting about the best angel food cake recipes (potential high-protein TikTok trend?) the trio shifts to some interesting hydration brands, including LEVL Nutrition, Klar Labs and Rhovive. Cottage cheese ice cream brand and Newtopia Now exhibitor Smearcase also gets a shoutout.

Erika then shares some of the supplement brands she is excited to see at Newtopia Now, including OceanBlue Omega-3 and Charlotte’s Web. On the topic of favorite products, 2025 Personal Care NEXTY Award winner SeaBar, Jasberry Rice and Lundberg Family Farms receive shoutouts from Jessica and Adrienne.

Next up, Erika previews the 2025 NBJ Supplement Business Report, known in the industry as the seminal supplement report. It’s broken down by different supplement categories and further refined by sales channels. Erika notes that herbs and botanicals sales, which took a dip in 2022, are quickly rebounding. The trio caps off the episode with a discussion of why younger shoppers are seeking out in-person shopping experiences and give a preview of NBJ’s Condition Specific Report, coming out this July.  

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino welcome New Hope Editor Meredith Kaufman to the show. The episode beings with a discussion of new AI features in the self-checkout at the grocery store. They then pivot to Meredith’s takeaways from the recent Sweets & Snacks Expo.

First up in the trend recap, the trio discusses whether sweets need to be functional. They dive into protein specifically and debate if shoppers really want it in their desserts (Meredith says yes; Adrienne says no; Jessica is neutral). On the protein front, they dive into meat jerky, which Meredith says had a strong presence at Sweets & Snacks.

Next up is a candy taste testing. They first sample Hormbles Chormbles, a new protein-enhanced chocolate bar, and Nebula Snacks, a zero-sugar chocolate cup. The team takes a brief intermission to discuss artificial food dyes and how new regulations could bring cleaner products to consumers but may also increase costs and cause supply chain issues in the short term. The episode wraps up with a Starburst Goodies sampling, a gummy created by Mars that is free from artificial ingredients.

From the FDA's recent approval of three natural dyes to a mid-air mocktail, Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith sample new products and discuss details from NCN and Newtopia Now.

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino discuss regulatory news, sample two new products and discuss compelling stories currently featured on newhope.com. Adrienne begins with updates from the FDA, including the recent approval of three natural food dyes: butterfly pea, Galdieria and calcium phosphate.

Jessica then shares some of the innovative brands that presented at the Nutrition Capital Network Spring Investor Meeting, including RedLeaf Biologics, a startup scaling red and orange coloring from domestic sorghum, and Riot Energy, a naturally sweetened energy drink.

The hosts sample two new product launches: Figlia Aperitivo’s Sole and Khloe Kardashian’s new protein popcorn, Khloud. The consensus: Figlia has a nice summery pop and Khloud has a clean ingredient panel and a tasty, popcorn crunch.

In the second half of the episode, Jessica discusses her excitement for Newtopia Now, happening in Denver August 20-22, and Adrienne talked about two features on newhope.com, including an UNBOXED gallery of 9 frozen dumplings products and a story about heritage brands leveraging packaging design to tell their story. Pop open a can of your favorite mocktail and tune in.

Co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino sample functional gelatin then dish on an innovative marketing scheme, plastic-free retailer Nude Foods Market and the Nutrition Business Journal Summit.

In this episode of The Natural List, co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino sample Gelée, a fruit-forward gelatin with collagen and antioxidants. They reminisce about some of their favorite nostalgic treats (spumoni ice cream, anyone?) and chat about the increase in CPG brands reimagining comfort food with better-for-you ingredients, such as Olipop and Goodles.

They then discuss Douglas Brown’s recent Shelf Life column about a new marketing tool being used by the CPG industry: placing product samples in vacation rentals with the help of agencies like UpClose Marketing. As those in the industry know, getting samples into the hands—and mouths— of potential customers is crucially important.

They switch gears to Nude Foods Market, a plastic-free grocery store with locations in Boulder and Denver. With a crowd funding campaign in progress, Nude Foods may soon have a third location as well—or maybe that's just wishful thinking on our part!

The pair wrap up with information about the NBJ Summit in beautiful Rancho Palos Verde, California, July 28-31. NBJ Summit is the premier event for leaders in the dietary supplement and nutrition industry. This year the Summit unveils its new Executive Wellness Experience, which will include biohacking modalities, functional meals, keynotes from top voices in the movement like Ben Greenfield, aura photography and more.