Industry conferences are central to conversations around new ingredients, products, manufacturing and distribution options. COVID-19 has put the brakes on many natural products industry conferences that were set to facilitate connections and key meetings, starting with Natural Products Expo West the first week of March. With dietary supplements being in higher demand than normal due to the pandemic, not having these important industry conferences has limited what retailers can offer consumers. To bridge the gap for postponed conferences, Organic & Natural Health Association is hosting an online virtual pitch session called, “The Nourish Mint” for brands, raw ingredient suppliers, distributors and independent retailers of SENPA (Source for Education in the Natural Products Industry and Advocacy issues), INFRA (Independent Natural Food Retailers Association), Positively Natural and MAHO (Mid-American Health Organization) to network and exchange new innovations and opportunities.
“Our goal with ‘The Nourish Mint’ is to engage the supply chain to pitch, inspire and acquire the innovative offerings our industry is known for,” said Karen Howard, CEO and executive director of Organic & Natural Health. “Given our current situation, this unique presentation platform gives raw ingredient companies the opportunity to pitch brands and quality brands the opportunity to pitch independent retailers now. We have a responsibility to consumers to bring cutting-edge health solutions to market and ‘The Nourish Mint’ will expedite this process.”
The online pitch session mimics an actual pitch meeting that would typically take place in person at a conference. Presenters will have three minutes to pitch their product and three minutes to answer questions from a panel of industry experts, dubbed “mintors.” The audience will include independent retailers and other interested companies within the industry. Presentations will be delivered live and members of the audience will have the opportunity to schedule private meetings with the presenting companies at a later date. Howard says their format for “The Nourish Mint” is unique because it involves the entire supply chain.
“Retailers are very interested in knowing not just about the product, but what goes into the product, where those ingredients come from and how they ultimately help the person buying it. These are important questions our retailers must answer when consumers are seeking to make purchases that involve their health,” said Debra Short, executive director of SENPA. “Our retailers want to meet companies in person before doing business with them so ‘The Nourish Mint’ is a great opportunity for them to do that while we wait for industry conferences to resume.”
The first ‘Nourish Mint’ pitch sessions will take place on June 18 and 25 at 4-5 p.m. ET, followed by an open social with attendees. Only 20 companies will be selected to present in the two sessions. Interested companies can apply by sending pitch materials to [email protected], on or before June 2. Cost to present is $300 for Organic & Natural Health members and $500 for non-members. Industry expert panel “mintors” include: Heather Granato, VP of content, Informa (England); Alan Lewis, VP government affairs, Natural Grocers (Colorado); Andrew Halpner, VP science and technical services, Atrium Innovations (Canada); Greg Horn, co-founder of Nutritional Capital Network and director at William Hood and Company; Debra Short, executive director, SENPA; Kantha Shelke, principle of Corvus Blue, Anthony Zolezzi, chairman and co-founder, UxHealth and Corinne Shindelar, president emeritus, founder and former CEO, INFRA.
Independent retailers are invited to register for free, but must be members in good standing of SENPA, INFRA, Positively Natural and MAHO. Organic & Natural Health members may also attend for free; non-members may attend for $150 per session. Tickets can be secured for “The Nourish Mint,” at: https://organicandnatural.org/events/webinars/.
