This post was originally published on this site
To the inexperienced eye, Orange County may not seem like a hotbed for natural foods.
Yet over 125 Orange County-based firms exhibited at the 2025 Natural Products Expo West convention in March, an event that attracted 64,000 attendees this year.
Fast growing companies with trending brands like Good Culture, Orgain and Truff Hot Sauce attended the four-day event at the Anaheim Convention Center. Scaling companies such as Positive Beverage and Sambazon were on-site as well as larger food manufacturers like miso maker Marukome to showcase their products to curious crowds of consumers and possible buyers and investors.
There were over 3,000 booths and a record-breaking 30% of brands came to the show for the first time, said Jessica Rubino, a content vice president for event operator New Hope Network.
“Innovation was evident across categories, from protein-packed products and functional beverages to clean beauty and women’s health solutions, as well as in environmental stewardship efforts such as regenerative agriculture and sustainable packaging,” she added.
The Business Journal caught up with some OC-based firms to discover the latest trends:
Tosi: New CEO, More Funding
Fresh off a new packaging redesign and with a new CEO in tow, Tosi marked its 11th year at the Natural Products Expo West convention in Anaheim.
Tosi was co-founded by Stefanie Hults and her daughter Chelsea Gray in 2012, who wanted to create organic, less-processed products for herself and her sister who are gluten sensitive.
The snack brand, known for plant-based, nutrient-dense protein bars, was born and raised out of their home in Tustin for the first three years.
Newport Beach’s Toba Capital, the largest venture capital firm in Orange County, is a Tosi investor. The Anaheim-based company has two manufacturers in California.
While declining to disclose figures, Hults said that revenue grew 300% in the last few years. The goal is to double sales this year.
In January, Tosi appointed Kevin Rutherford as chief executive to fuel growth and fundraising as Hults stepped down and transitioned to chief people officer.
Rutherford last year exited his CEO post at Nuun Hydration and prior to that, he was CEO of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, which SC Johnson acquired. He is also a past chairman of the board at Tosi.
Hults said she was introduced to Rutherford three years ago at Natural Products Expo West and knew he would be best to grow Tosi.
“For the stewardship of the brand, it deserves someone other than me,” Hults told the Business Journal.
The addition of Rutherford has already proved fruitful with returning investor Cambridge Companies SPG recently leading a Series B funding round. Chief Operating Officer Filipp Chebotarev cited the new CEO as the firm’s motivation behind its $20 million investment last year. Hiring Rutherford is the first move in building a leadership team to scale Tosi, Hults added.
“The Hults’ dedication laid the foundation for Tosi’s success, and I’m honored to build on their vision as we take the brand to new levels,” Rutherford said in a statement.
Tosi is sold in 2,500 retail stores including Whole Foods Market, Bristol Farms, Erewhon and Nekter Juice Bar and is also in rotation at Costco.
The snacks are also distributed internationally, reaching stores in Dubai and Hong Kong.
“We’re continuing to be scrappy and flexible,” Hults said.
—Emily Santiago-Molina
Naturade: Intercepting the Ozempic Movement
Irvine-based Naturade has decided to run with the Ozempic train blaring through the health and wellness market by developing meal replacement products that will fit alongside GLP-1, one of the drug’s key ingredients.
Chief Executive Claude Tellis, who purchased the plant-based nutrition company along with partner Kareem Cook in 2012, said Ozempic is a drug designed to be taken forever and that they are “honing in at that intersection” with Naturade’s offerings of protein shakes, supplements and related products.
Tellis and Cook recently redid their Symbiotics line and others to go side-by-side with weight loss drugs and simultaneously promote long-term weight management.
“That’s where we come in,” Tellis told the Business Journal while on-site at the 2025 Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim. “We can’t buy enough.”
Tellis and Cook won a Business Journal Innovator of the Year Award in 2021.
Naturade has previously gained the attention and interest of high-profile investors and businesspeople, such as NBA Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Grant Hill.
The company’s most recent investment, undisclosed, stemmed from a group of trustees at the business duo’s alma mater Duke University.
Tellis said that Naturade is seeking more funding of up to $10 million to support the newer business.
—Emily Santiago-Molina
Pulmuone: Harnessing the Trend of Korean Food
Local tofu manufacturer Pulmuone Foods USA is aiming to make its namesake products just as popular as its other two brands, Nasoya and Wildwood.
Nasoya provides tofu and plant-based meal options to mass grocery stores and major club channels while Wildwood’s premium tofu offerings are only carried in Whole Foods Market and Sprouts.
Pulmuone’s portfolio also includes Monterey Gourmet Foods, which provides meal kits of pasta and noodle dishes.
Director of Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications Ellen Kim said that tofu penetration in the U.S. market has doubled since 2018, which is why the company is trying to establish the Pulmuone name among customers.
Kim added that younger generations are more open to trying ingredients like tofu, which has helped its marketing and education efforts. Pulmuone partnered with WNBA player Aaliyah Edwards, known for her vegan diet, to promote its products.
“We (also) know that there’s a growing trend for Korean food,” Kim told the Business Journal, adding that Pulmuone is “trying to harness that opportunity as a Korean food manufacturer.”
In turn, newer products include Korean street food such as potato crusted mozza on a stick and topokki.
Pulmuone’s U.S. division was founded in Fullerton in 1991.
The company operates several manufacturing plants in Orange County, Massachusetts, New York and San Francisco.
The Fullerton factory cranks out as much as 230,000 units of tofu daily, making up 5.6 million units per month.
The food manufacturer reported total revenue of $325 million in 2024 and employs 800 people in the U.S. with 65 based in Fullerton.
—Emily Santiago-Molina
Orgain: Even More Protein
One of the leading food manufacturers in the U.S. and Orange County, Irvine-based Orgain, aims to lead a burgeoning movement in the nutrition space—the search for higher protein items, the company said.
The maker of plant-based protein shakes, powders and snacks released its new creatine powder at this year’s Natural Products Expo West convention and highlighted its line of 30-gram protein shakes at the booth.
The creatine, which helps improve muscle strength and supports brain function, and 30-gram protein options were added to shelves as solutions for people on the lookout for such items.
“It’s about finding the products that speak to a consumer need,” a spokesperson told the Business Journal.
The new shakes and powders also show Orgain’s expansion into the performance product market.
“The focus is still on nutrition,” the spokesperson said.
Also on display was Orgain’s collaboration with Justin’s, a line of nut butter plant protein powders, which “increases consumer engagement,” they said. Orgain found that its customer market overlapped with that of the Boulder, Colorado-based company.
The collaboration was another chance to emphasize Orgain’s aim to create nutritious products that also taste good.
Anaheim’s Expo West event was a major platform for founder and Chief Executive Andrew Abraham when he first started Orgain. Abraham launched the company in 2009, which was also the first year he exhibited at the convention.
Orgain has since grown its footprint to more than 30,000 retail doors including Costco and Target. Other investors in the business, reported to be valued at $2 billion at the time Nestlé invested in 2022, include RX3 Growth Partners.
—Emily Santiago-Molina