Every year, Expo West serves as the central meeting point for the CPG world. It’s where emerging brands debut, incumbents defend their relevance, retailers scout the next breakout hit, and investors look for signals of scale. More than a trade show, it functions as a real-time snapshot of where consumer demand is heading and how quickly brands are adapting to meet it.
Walking the floor, a few dominant themes were impossible to miss.
The first: Welcome to Protein West. Protein is no longer a category; it has become an ingredient layer across everything. It showed up in expected places, but also in ways that felt unconventional a year ago. We’re all familiar with protein shakes, water, even ice cream (we see you, Nick’s) – but what about pasta sauce, jam, popcorn, jello, and ramen? Enter brands like Sturdy, Jam Packed, Kloud, Lasso, and Ramen Bae.
Alongside protein, fiber, and creatine are quietly following a similar trajectory and are increasingly positioned as a benefit that consumers actively seek out. More broadly, there is a continued move toward products that deliver functional value without compromising taste or experience. Consumers expect both, and brands are responding accordingly.
Hydration remains a major focus, with brands experimenting across formats including alternative water sources, functional powders, and enhanced beverages. A few brands stood out in particular: Loonen, Dry Water, and SLOW.
Loonen is rethinking the water category with a clear point of view that not all water is created equal, positioning itself as a premium, highly trusted option backed by rigorous third-party testing. Dry Water stood out for its strong branding and eye-catching packaging – with rapidly growing national distribution, they are one to watch. SLOW offers a fresh take on coconut water by sourcing it from the sap of the coconut flower, resulting in a lighter, cleaner profile that stands apart from traditional options and appeals even to those who don’t typically reach for it.
Non-alcoholic beverages continue to gain momentum, reflecting a broader cultural shift toward moderation and wellness. Established brands like Trip and Recess continue to show up consistently, while newer entrants like BERO and Plaid Circus are beginning to make their mark.
Ingredient-led trends are gaining traction as well. Dates are appearing more frequently in snacks and sweets, with brands like Smood Sweets and True Dates pushing the space forward. Pistachios continue to rise, building on the momentum from last year’s viral “Dubai Chocolate” trend and expanding into new formats and applications.
Goodles continues to build momentum by turning pasta into something more expressive, with bold packaging and a distinct voice that cuts through a crowded aisle. Oats Overnight is leaning into convenience in a way that aligns with real consumer behavior. Portable, simple, and built for routine.
Even outside of traditional food and beverage, brands like Huel signal where the category is heading. The focus is on lifestyle positioning, functional benefits, and building ecosystems that extend beyond a single product. The brand’s recent $1B acquisition by Danone underscores how much investor appetite is aligning with this space and the scale potential behind it.
Some of the most memorable brands at Expo West were not necessarily the ones with the most innovative products, but the ones that created the most engaging experiences. Booths became environments. Goodles leaned into playful activations like charm bracelets and collectibles, while DUDE Wipes built a high-energy space with basketball hoops and constant movement. Flex took a completely different approach, creating a fully fabricated fur environment that was hard to ignore. Across the board, brands were thinking about how to increase dwell time, encourage participation, and create something people would remember and share.
That same mindset extended beyond the show floor. Some of the most talked-about activations happened outside the convention center, reinforcing that presence is not confined to a booth (like David Protein). It’s about how and where you insert your brand into the broader conversation.
Equally valuable are the conversations happening off the floor in seminars and panels. Sessions featuring groups like Keen highlighted how the right partners can materially impact growth, pointing to brands like Poppi and Once Upon a Farm as examples of what scaled support can unlock. Similarly, platforms like Fospha shared how brands like Chomps are using measurement to drive more efficient growth.
One of the more forward-looking conversations centered around retail itself. There is increasing belief that TikTok Shop could become a top-three retail channel within the next 5 to 10 years, alongside Amazon and Walmart. If that plays out, it will reshape how brands think about distribution, content, and conversion.
For brand leaders, the takeaway isn’t to chase every trend that shows up on the floor. It’s to recognize the underlying shifts. Functionality is expected, not a differentiator. Convenience is a growth lever, not a nice-to-have. And experience is a core part of how brands build awareness and memory, not a bonus. The brands that are winning integrate all three while still maintaining a clear and compelling identity.
Expo West continues to be the closest thing the industry has to a shared moment. A place where everything converges and the year ahead starts to take shape. If you’re not there, it’s harder to feel the pace of change. And right now, that pace is only accelerating.
See you next year?
